I modeled all your data in Bike Calculator and even taking off 500g for the wheels, the difference was only just 5 seconds. The extra 4W you gained on your second run made more difference than the weight of the wheels. On any normal ride aero still tops weight.
I recently purchased these for my Specialized SL7 and boy do they make the bike nimble and a joy to ride.The price was a little better too at £1500,as you state these make a great all round wheelset.Thanks once again David for a cracking review👋👋👋
I currently just picked up a set of bontreger aeolus pro 51's and best wheelset I've ever owned. Super wide internal and lifetime warranty. And the pricing is pretty fair a little cheaper than the enve foundations 45 a d certainly cheaper than the roval New lineup. Does look a bit out of place on my new tarmac sl7 though 😝
You are not the only one…I use them on my SL6 since beginning of the year. First time ever disc break…and for me the wheels are great! Use them in flat and very hilly areas (Black Forest Germany)
I've been promoting these wheels. It's simply the best wheel, at best best price with a lifetime warranty. Luckily for me I ride an emonda so the wheels match the frame.
Love light wheels! Excellent review. It was only in the last 30 seconds I found myself asking excitedly HOW MUCH? 2500 pounds! $4000+ Aussie Dollars! Oh well 🤔
Dude!!! That's why the average cyclist opt for Chinese frames, wheels and accessories. I'm not saying everyone but the interest has been growing rapidly every year.
Great video! I will say you have another video re: Roval Alpinist vs. Rapide in which you say that deeper is faster even when climbing (a bit of a contradiction) and that shallower rims are better suited for mountainous terrain with super steep climbs (higher incline grades)... I am lucky to be able to have two wheelsets, one with shallow rims, the other one deep. Where I live, there are rolling hills everywhere; I find that a shallower rim will be more stable with crosswinds (especially when climbing) compared to the deep rims. I perceive no significant difference between shallow/deep rims without much crosswinds, although on the flat -deep rims "feel" faster. Perceived exertion will also vary depending how strong one feels that day... I also find that certain brands of deep rims feel more stable during crosswinds than others... for instance, my Cadex 60s are sublime on my TCR vs. 404 Firecrest, the latter in my experience, although great wheels, are not the most stable with strong crosswinds...
This is something I hope I need one day. For now the weight I most need to take care of is in myself 😅 But would really enjoy to try these wheels 👍🏻 For now I think my Roval Rapide C38 have a few years ahead of them. Cheers.
Overall the deep sections will make you faster (unless you climb very steep hills all day) but the lightweights will make the bike feel amazing on every push to the pedals. it even works for heavy steel rigs or cheap entry level bikes. always my favourite.
Hi David, thanks for all your vid's. I'm here in Canada, waiting for this snow to disappear, so your vid's keep me somewhat sane and engaged. Just purchased a carbon wheelset, light 35mm deep. Plan on using them on hilly roads (my favourite) and in triathlon. The tire I will run for messy spring season is my current set of Continental 4 season (28mm) with standard butyl tube. Closer to race and when road surface cleans a bit I will be putting on a new set of GP5000's (28mm). I know you did a video on these, but what tube would you recommend, I'd like to stay with butyl, I'd like something lightweight or ultralight.
The wheels look great on the skinny TCR and they're indeed a "specialized" tool. I would question, however, if I'd enjoy an entire ride more on Alpinist or on set of deep wheels. I'd rather pace and go slower on a climb and make the time up during a downhill/flat section with a set of deeps (like I usually do) than spending the entire ride on the Alpinist. Obviously, this doesn't apply if the entire ride is set in an Alpine-like region :) But where I live (in the flatlands) and for the asking price, the proposal makes no sense to me.
It's worth bearing in mind that Dave had to do a flat out effort on one of the UK's hardest climbs to find a significant difference. On an average UK climb even with a decent effort there'd be little difference. Like you say, once the road flattens you'll lose way more time than you gained on the climb.
@@kpizzle1985 Agreed and kudos to Dave for the effort. Would have it made sense to do two controlled efforts on this climb with two sets of wheels and compare those results instead of going flat out?
@@NemanjaPantelic absolutely, what he's shown is kind of the best case scenario for these wheels, in the UK at least, which is fair. What would be interesting to know is the difference with a controlled effort like you say but maybe on a more typical UK climb.
There definitely some truth to what you’re saying, but for me I do want the lightest wheels I can get. I have a few steep and long climbs near me and I want the light wheels for going up and going downhill, because my deep section wheels catch the wind on the descent and make handling more difficult.
Hi David. Great content as usual. Could you weigh the wheels with tires, sealant, cassette, and rotors? Be good to compare this with my own Scribe “lightweight” wheels!
Just to let you know that i bought these last year due to your review. I have just fitted them to my Steel Condor Road frame. I have had to wait due to poor weather. I love these wheels. Took loads off of my Stava times. As a slower rider, these are great as i don't often go above 35km on the flats!
Wheel reviews rarely mention the hubs other than their sound and maybe engagement. I always assumed the hub is vital in determining a fast v slow wheel. Does the hub not make much difference?
I personaly think hubs makes difference in bearing durability and maintenance diference in speed is so small that is impossible to measure without a lab. Hub engagement simply dont matter on road wheels.
@@shhhdontshout Do you mean hub egagement? You need on steep climbs with rocks stop pedaling sometimes sou you dont hit rock with cranks then fast engagement when you start pedaling again can be diference between walking up the climb or riding no problem on MTB, there is more exaples of quick engagement benefits on dirt. You dont have any of this scenarios on road.
As always, great video.. with being ~20 grams heavier, how did they compare to the LW Obermayer EVO's (besides price)? With 21mm internal is attractive vs. 18.5 of LW's..
The Lightweights have a stiffer feel but the ride comfort isn’t as good as the Rovals, which are also much better at dealing with crosswinds. There’s also the easier replacement of spokes to consider
Great review, glad you like them. I have the original CL version with DT Swiss 350 hubs and love them. Upgraded the ratchet from 18T to 36T. I spoke to a Specialized rep who confirmed the Sagan story. Lots say its ok to run the V1 as tubeless, after all they even come with tubeless tape installed. Maybe now a way to save some ££, run the V1 tubeless, which will be in the sale, lots of people already do.
I like the Alpinist's very much. The price (compared to the ENVE foundation 45's) is a bit too rich for my blood and I'm in no danger of winning any World Tour mountain stages, so I'll stick with the slightly lower end range of carbon wheel offerings :-)
I may have missed it in the video, but I'd be curious to know if the same tires (or at least make/model/size) were used in the speed comparison, and if the pressures were identical.
Good point. I love David's vids, and I've been a sub since the channel's infancy, but I wouldn't draw any conclusions based on this comparison. We'd learn more from a test where he would ride to specific power on both sets and post results. We'd have a winner if he included an aero set to the mix. I mean, Dave has his cycling van, so it should be doable :) That said, my reply is inconsequential, as I will not be buying these wheels. Love the channel, though.
Still in doubt which one i would buy for my S-works Aethos. The Alpinist 2 or the Rapide 2. When speaking about looks i love the rapide more (had these ones also in my sold SL7) but when speaking about comfort i like the alpinist more. Bought the Aethos with the alpinist seat post and alpinist handlebar so the alpinist wheelsit would match beautiful.
the Aethos id get the alpinist. There is something about skinny tube bikes and low-profile rims. And in all honesty, it will literally be a handful of seconds between them and i mean you can probably count them on one hand.... if you want the watt numbers it will be no more than 10 watts (and that's being generous) and if you dont have all the cumulative aero bits and bobs eg hat, socks, over shoe's, clothing, bars then i wouldn't bother deep sections. I own the previous gen CLX alpinists that i got for a steal, 1k.
A very interesting vid. How are you finding them after a few more weeks use? Would it be a good test to compare them with the ENVE wheels on a flat ride?
I’d like to know if you’ll review Hunt’s 32 Aerodynamicist UD Carbon Spoke wheelset in the near future and compare them to these rims as well as other light weight rims.
The only reason I wouldn’t currently touch the hunts is the hookless rim. Compatibly is still very patchy and is more designed for tubeless. It will be difficult for some with tubes to get the right pressures seeing as most tyres are limited to 70psi only. I’d go for the next model in that particular line up
@@gaza4543 S-Works 2Bliss Turbo are rated for 95 psi. As a 59 kg rider, running 85 psi in my rear tire tubeless is odd, when most other tire brands I would be running 70 max.
@@abfutrell exactly that hookless just isn't a tech I can get behind if wanted to run a 25s even @ 64kg, going by srams pressure calculator id actually have to run 28s to allow me to use those rims or any hookless rim. For some they cant do this because of clearance issues on the bikes.
Thanks for great review once again Dave. I live in Glasgow and here it's mostly windy most time of year, I am looking to purchase a carbon wheel set for my CAAD13 Disc. I mostly ride hilly rides and do chain gang rides during week with my local club. I am curious to know how much disadvantage they have over 50mm deep section wheels when riding on undulating terrain and group rides?
Went from shallow 1300g wheels to 1500g deep section carbon (50mm front 60mm rear) the only time I have noticed a speed difference is above 40km when I'm pushing hard and I'm getting as aero as possible, and I cant hold for long.
@@byrondixon4648 I found that too. Most of the aero gains from the wheels are the front tyre and rim profile. I find the lower profile lighter rims make for faster launches if acceleration in group rides when you do rotations.
There will be no disadvantages to really speak of, in actual fact you may have advantages. crosswinds and so on where you can push on your friends may have to slow up to control the bike.
@@glennoc8585 Most people forget the sail effect happens in both directions. So if your travelling North and you have a North easterly then the wheels will be grabbing at the air slowing you down pushing you back i found that out and it really annoyed me. Where deep wheels come into their own is the sail effect from behind. Head on the wind will make piss all difference what wheels you have.99% you at that point. I dropped to the 33mm alpinists and found my pace actually improved for number of reasons.
Thanks for review. Im not a fan of the brand so prominent on the side as i prefer stealthy styling. I wonder could you remove the decals or are they painted on?
What wheels are you using? Any of the latest tubeless tyres from Specialized, Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli, Michelin work well in my experience, and for sealant there's lots of choice from Muc-Off, Silca, Orange Seal etc - I'll do another video on the topic soon
Didn’t Specialized have a problem with the Roval wheels? It seems they covered up a problem with the first gen. by changing the description to non-tubeless .
Roval/Specialized were more than a bit disingenuous at the time, which is disappointing now the truth is out and casts scorn at their marketing of the flawed originals and their “non tubeless compatible” stickers placed inside rim on top of the the tubeless rim tape.
Should have used tubolito’s iso tubeless. Would have shaved of more weight. Tubeless tyres are heavier than normal ones, and the milk is 2x the weight of a tubolito.. per wheel.
@@RB-xv4si Tubeless tires are heavier,and they cost a lot,and they cost more if they're lighter............and damned if I havent managed to cut every expensive light road tire Ive ever bought,usually in under 500 miles..........this kind of multi 1000 dollar stuff isnt for the every day road rider..........(I run sealant in tubes,orange seal and no flats in 3 years)
A few youtubers have got these wheels for free to review so I wonder how unbiased or impartial one can be if somebody gifts you an expensive wheelset. Peak torque has held back on his verdict until he well uses then for a couple of months which is a sound approach.
I hear where you're coming from. For transparency, these wheels are on loan to me and will be going back to Roval soon, the same as with all the products I review here on the channel. I've been a bike journalist since 2005 so I'm used to accusations of bias and partiality, but it's always been my goal and desire to offer honest assessments of products and I've been fortunate to work at publications where I've been allowed this freedom, and it's something I'm continuing with this channel
@@davidarthur Tbh David you're one of the better reviewers. I think having wheels on a loan or a bike on loan is a better way to remain impartial and that's how I'd approach reviewing products. It's only natural that being gifted expensive products would render most people reluctant to be watts and all.
So beautiful wheel. well adapted to my 56kg. Less pretty than 38mm or 45mm anyway. One weird question, does it still sound like an aero wheel? you know that sound we love? Purchase in focus 😛 (living 10km from Paterberg)
You can pick up the nearly identical Roval Alpinist CLX (none tubeless) version right now for about £1150 if you look about on clearance. At less than half the price the older CLX instead of the CLX 2 represents MUCH better value and are even lighter.
Hi David , nice review. Just purchased the Princeton PEAK 4550 wheels for my new Scott Addict RC. Have you had a chance to try those as yet ? Would be cool to hear your review on Princeton wheels !
Bit hard to make any conclusions on such a small test. Difference in wind, air pressure and wet or dry could easily make the same time gap on such a brutal climb. Sure light wheels are faster on steep climbs but quantify this in the real world takes more than a few runs.
David really appreciate your response, thanks, I bought them for my SW Aethos but only fitted them today and haven’t tested yet, but looking at your stats they should work…..
I got 45/55 rims that are rated 1'370g and came in 1'420g for me. 180g more but 12, respectively 22mm deeper rims. Clear no contest. These are good if you go 20% grade but for normal riding, even normal climbing, 180g are negligible.
It's a lot of money for wheels for sure....here in Canada - well north of $3K. Makes me wish a little that I'd bought a used bike instead of new. Would have left more $$ in the wallet for the add-ons.
These wheels weight 1250g. Sorry, not impressed. Mate’s 55mm wheel with carbon spokes, carbon Ti hub and lightweight weave build is in the 1200-1300 range too. Altho granted you have to be below a certain weight limit to use that wheel, but that’s what’s point of a lightweight wheel of the rider weight a metric ton?
This is a really, really expensive way of saving a few seconds going uphill. It would be much cheaper and better for most of us to loose 3 pounds of body weight and put the money in the bank. If you insist on buying light wheels there are wheels out there at half the price and the same weight. However I assume you are getting paid by Roval to give them a good review so I understand why you would not bring up these points.
Not a very scientific way of calculating faster lighter wheels by this I mean a slight headwind or tail wind will straight away distort times, also down to your self on the day felling good cycle faster especially uphill so sorry Dave not convinced with the test method.
the test itself is total bullshit , regarding the fact that 99% of us will not get faster with so called "climbing gear" there is no science here only yea let do it and produce content ...
The test say there strong according to Roval. They are only 70g lighter than my alloy wheels, surly they can make reliable carbon ones that cost lots of money that are a bit lighter.
Great point, wheels that go uphill, must eventually go downhill (and hopefully do it well). I want very durable, sturdy wheels when I am descending at 35-65 MPH. I also want a wheel that will take the shock of a pothole or road imperfection without imploding. Deep section wheels may be knocked around by high winds and that's not good on a technical descent either.
"Two and a half thousand lbs"....................yowzah. I can buy 2 complete sets of wheels for my 890R KTM with tires and brake rotors for that..............1250 grams as opposed to 1600 grams for the very average wheels on my new Canyon....its only money.
Looked up the farsports rim competitor for my rims. Same weight, and same price (pre-import that is.. so farsports is actually way more expensive as i have import costs, taxes etc). Disappointment for a chinese wheelset. Not even sure what hub it has.. 2 year warranty farsport vs lifetime warranty. On topic: These alpinists are 2500, farsports (excl import duties etc) are about 2300, so more costly after importduties, tax to get them in house. So much for a scam…
@@Tullebukk75 riding on smooth surface and little little pebbles is nothing compared to constantly slamming rocks, roots, bottoming thru the tire and side loading the rim landing off jumps not straight.
An expensive road bike should look... expensive. Those wheels look super cheap and once again - aero is everything. So? Duh. Maybe if I lived in Alps, Switzerland...
Terrible test. Did your ride in the same clothing/kit, tyres, pressures, water bottles, cameras, phones, food. Same power meter, same conditions... what about rider weight. Was the power ridden exactly the same as the first effort, as in the variability index of the effort. I’ve done a video similar to this and appreciate the effort it takes. Please don’t just PR a hill and say the wheels were 30 seconds faster. (Especially if it was in winter with full winter kit)
Why would anyone spend 1.7k US on 'general riding' lmao specialized is just like Honda. Selling more of the same bs under the Acura name. Definitely don't need these unless they came on your expensive bike already. DT swiss wheels are more bang for your buck, sorry roval/specialized
@@davidarthur How is it? Your brakes are on your handlebars where your hands should be, instead you've got a camera in one hand and you're concentrating on where it's pointing instead of your full attention on the road ahead. Imagine if you got hit by someone else doing the same.
