So Roval just released the Rapide CLX and Alpinist CLX… What do people think from first glance?
I had been eagerly waiting on a new version of the entry level Roval CL50’s because i tried to order them from a store here and they said they had been discontinued.
Do we think the entry levels ones will be updated soon?
The Rapide CLX and Alpinist CLX are both exclusively disc-brake compatible and, unlike the brand’s existing range, forego tubeless compatibility entirely, with the company reasoning that the compromises made for them to be tubeless-ready would result in increased weight, which would have outweighed the benefits offered by tubeless tyres.
Interesting…
Wow! That’s kind of shocking.
Very exciting to see that climbing wheelset. I was loooking forward to seeing a new tarmac today though 
I just bought a tarmac and just want some decent roval entry level wheels
I’ll take the weight penalty any day. I don’t see myself ever buying tubes again.
I love my CL50s. Hope you can find some.
35mm wide front is interesting. I guess it’s designed for a 28mm tire.
Indeed.
I’m pretty sure the old CL/CLX50s were tubeless-compatible and are among the lightest weight disc wheel sets, plus I thought aero (or in this case, rolling resistance) > weight
I await the Zipp 303 Firecrest release!
Specialized is very proud of their Turbo Cotton tires, which are not tubeless compatible.
Sure, but those can still be installed on a TL compatible wheel…
Yea but maybe they can steer people towards buying the Cottons when they don’t have a choice to buy a tubeless tire?
Who knows, just speculating.
That’s big red S, tin foil hat stuff there 
We need a large wind tunnel test on all these new wheels. Hope someone steps up to the plate to get real data. The red S stands for MARKETING
The lack of tubeless compatibility is really confusing, especially given some of the comments recently about their RapidAir tubeless and QuickStep using them at last year’s TdF instead of tubulars: Specialized’s S-Works Turbo RapidAir tires make road tubeless viable on the racecourse - VeloNews.com
Maybe this is just related to what high end consumer roadies are buying that don’t race?
I’d imagine for a lot of pro teams teams that they are under the UCI minimum for some of their equipment, which lets them run sightlier heavier rim construction to run tubeless? (rather than literally adding weight to the bike)
Yeah, I run them tubeless on my CL50s. They’re fantastic tires.
With a 21mm internal, maybe more of a 25cc tire that balloons to 28 or 29mm external. That would be weird. I wonder how that changes crosswind handling. The front wheel is a design not seen before and this kind of stuff is the true benefit of disc brakes. Unlocked rim potential.
It is strange isn’t it?
You would think a pro team would sacrifice 100g for a more reliable tire that wont need a wheel swap mid race
