Specialized’s wheel brand Roval has launched a new version of the all-rounder Roval C38 wheelset and priced it lower than the previous one.
With brands such as Zipp with its popular 303S upping the ante in the hard-fought £1K carbon all-road wheel war and smaller British brands such as Hunt, Parcours and Vel entering the fray and gaining ground very fast, Specialized has responded by firing off a new Roval C38 that drops £100 off its price, bringing it to £1,150 in the UK/$1,000 in the USA per set.
“All too often the performance advantages that carbon-fibre provides are out of financial reach for most,” says Specialized.
“The Rapide C38 de-escalates the high-tech carbon arms race; merging our incredibly light but incredibly tough, sensibly aerodynamic, workhorse C38 rims with the dependable, affordable performance of DT Swiss 370 hubs and J-bend spokes.”
Specialized goes on to attribute leading-edge aerodynamics, proven reliability and light weight combined with superb durability to the new wheels, claiming: “These are the go-to training wheels for the world’s fastest racers, and about the highest performance per dollar you’ll find anywhere.”
As with the earlier model, the rim is tubeless-ready with a 21-mm internal width and optimised for use with wider tyres. Rim depth remains at 38mm.
Weight also remains the same at 1,560g or 1,600g with the rim tape.
The main difference is that the previous Roval C38 wheels used DT Swiss 350 hubs; the new versions use DT Swiss 370s, which use the brand’s star ratchet system in the rear hub rather than the older three-pawl system.
As before, it’s a disc-only wheelset.
Here’s the full specification:
- 21mm internal rim width
- Carbon clincher
- Tubeless ready
- New DT Swiss 370 Centerlock Hub – 18t Ratchet System LN
- Thru-axle: 100x12mm & 142x12mm
- Weight: Front 714g; Rear 886g; Set 1,600g with tubeless rim tape
- SRP: £1150
- Wheelset Lifetime Warranty – No-Fault Crash Replacement Policy
The new Roval Rapide C38s will be available immediately.
-
-
Mikel Landa suffered multiple fractures in Giro d’Italia crash, team confirms
The Bahrain Victorious rider looked in great form before he crashed out of the race on day five
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Nacer Bouhanni banned for two months after sprinting incident involving Jake Stewart
The sprinter shoved Stewart in the final of a French one-day race earlier this year
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Best road bike wheels reviewed 2021: disc and rim wheelsets
Our complete guide to what to look for when buying your new road bike wheels, including the type of rim, the material, and the depth you should go for.
By Stefan Abram •
-
A new look for Strava app with updates to the navigation bar
The new design should make the app more intuitive to use, as well as offering the promise of “room to grow when it comes to developing new features
By Stefan Abram •
-
Cairn launches two new do-it-all electric bikes
The brand says these bikes 'defy categorisation', but we'd call them gravel e-bikes
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan •
-
Steel bar pedal system claims to be world's fastest engaging
First-look Friday at these interesting, and rather burly looking, pedals
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan •
-
New Motion Labs reinvents the sprocket and aims to showcase radical new drivetrain design at the Olympics
British engineering firm's tooth design claims to improve efficiency by one per cent and reduce wear by 30 per cent – and works with standard chains
By Simon Smythe •
-
Are integrated 'cockpits' and proprietary aero seatposts really a good idea?
If speed is top of your wishlist, the answer is probably yes, but make sure you know what you're buying into
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan •
-
Specialized adds MIMIC tech to Bridge and Power Pro Elaston saddles
More women's saddles adopt the tech which 'mimics' biological entities
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan •
-
Custom Bromptons designed by Foo Fighters, Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem and Phoebe Bridgers in charity auction
Check out these stunning designs before they’re sold to raise money for the charity Crew Nation
By Stefan Abram •
