Any thoughts on these. Seems fairly compelling to me. $1000 less for the set but only 70g heavier. Is the dt swiss 240 worth $1000 over the 350?
Can’t see how the price of these can be justified over the newest Hypers. Winspace - HYPER D45 Disc Brake Wheelset
Do they have round or bladed spokes? That makes a difference too.
I think this is a great addition to the lineup! I’ve been super happy with the value of the Terra CL wheels that I picked up this year and now with an aero road version of the same formula I am thinking really hard about how I can add these to the stable!
In response to justifying the price over Winspace wheels, I don’t think there is any comparison on real-life value. Roval wheels have a great warranty, crash replacement program, and are available at local shops. They use name-brand hubs (arguably the most configurable hubs on the market) and should be a pretty solid setup for a very attainable price. The Hyper wheels do look nice, but the lack of technical information provided on their website, an unbranded hub that may not be configurable to different axle standards, and no apparent local support or presence just doesn’t justify the modest savings to me.
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Winspace external width = 27.6mm
Rapide CL II external width = 35mm on the front and 30mm on the rear
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Winspace is not leading, they are copying. They are going to be a year behind in any trends. Which may not be a bad thing, for those that want to wait for them to catch up. Just my opinion, but Hambini and Peak Torque sound hypocritical to me when they review and praise Winspace, who they are getting paid by, and then they say in the same breath that they are unbiased. I’m sure they are fine wheels.
So useful if you wanna run 30s or 28s instead of 25s, has anyone actually quantified how important the rule of 105 is? Like my current setup doesn’t meet the rule of 105, not really sure how much that is costing me.
If you do want to run 25s wouldn’t the Hypers be faster? Like 35mm rim with a 25mm tire, seems like it would be a poor combo.
Not really trying to debate, looking to understand wheels a bit better and how much is gained or lost based on rule or 105 and tire/rim width… Like isn’t there a cost for having wider tires and rims compared to 25s on a 27.6mm rim? I guess a wider setup is more stable in cross winds… Would the better rolling resistance of the wider tire and rim (I think thats a thing) exceed the aero losses compared to the narrower tire and rim?
No reason at all to pay another USD1000 for the hub, bladed spokes… well, a few watts maybe but is it worth USD1000?
Probably not.
70g is not nothing as well.
Would be a better buy to save the 1000USD going from CLX to CL, and spending those money on an aero helmet, better fitting clothes and a bike fit 
Correct. From what I understand the Roval would be faster if you wanted to run a 28-30mm tire. They should also be more stable in a crosswind due to their width as well as the fact that they use different widths in the front and rear. Running wider tire of course has it’s benefits (perhaps more comfort and confidence) as well as drawbacks (heavier weight)
As for the rule of 105. It was coined by Josh Poertner while he was at Zipp and doing consulting for world tour teams. He’ll pop onto different forums every once in a while (slowtwitch and others) and has probably documented at some point either there or on his podcast what your watt cost is in terms of obeying or not obeying the rule. But off the top of my head I don’t know the answer or the fastest place to find it - it would take a little bit of digging.
There is an aero cost to going wider - whether that be tire, rim, etc. The thought is that you do make up for it with a lower rolling resistance. Zipp talked a little bit about it with the release of their latest NSW and Firecrest wheels. If my memory is correct, they admitted their new wheels were less aero, but due to better rolling resistance the system as a whole is faster.
If you are happy running 25mm tires, I speculate the Hypers would be a better choice and at the very least just as fast
maybe in a straight line, but I wouldn’t expect it to have the traction of a wider tire with lower air pressures.
It’s also going to feel a lot different. rigid with a lot less compliance. So if they roll at the same speed due to their strengths cancelling each other out, I’ll take the traction and the comfort over the other…
On the weight weenie forum a guy which worked for Specialized in developing the Rapides claims that they were developed with their 26c tyres…
26c Turbo cotton on my Rapides stretch to 28
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Does anyone know what the internal width is?
Both rims have a 21mm internal width.
Per the VN article linked in the OP.
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My Rapide CLX are fast and stable in the wind. More stable than my previous Enve 5.6 disc set, which many claim set the standard for stability at mid-aero depth. The CLX have a Roval designed hub with DT Swiss internals and DT Swiss ceramic bearings. Good warranty.
Specialized is quoted in the press that the Rapide CL and CLX are aero optimized for a 26mm tire - Turbo Cotton 700x26 or the S-Works tubeless tires. For training I’ve been running them with Conti GP5000 (tube) 28 front and 32 rear. With the new S-Works tubeless tires announced yesterday, I’m switching to S-Works 2BR with 26 front and on the rear a 30 because wider tires have always resulted in fewer issues with road debris.
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