Conventional aero wheel design pairs a deep rear rim with a deeper front, but Roval's engineers pushed the Rapide CL III in the opposite direction. The rear rim measures 48mm deep against a 51mm front, a staggered arrangement inherited from the flagship CLX III that concentrates aero performance where the airflow matters most and trims weight where it slows acceleration. This rear wheel is the shallower half of that pairing, built to spin up quickly out of corners without giving away the aero profile that keeps the wheelset fast in a straight line.

The rim is a hooked carbon clincher measuring 31.3mm at its widest external point with a 21mm internal width, sized around a 28mm tire as the intended aerodynamic interface. FlatStop bead hooks widen the contact area at the tire bead, and Roval claims the design requires 39% more force to unseat a tire compared to conventional hooked rims. That extra security matters most on the rear wheel, where lateral loads during sprints and hard cornering put the greatest demand on tire retention.

Spoke and hub choices lean on proven DT Swiss hardware. The DT Swiss 350 straight-pull hub uses a 36-tooth Ratchet EXP driver and rolls on stainless steel bearings, a decision that favors service life over the marginal drag reduction of hybrid ceramic alternatives. DT Swiss Competition Race spokes lace in a 2:1 pattern with three-cross on the drive side and one-cross on the non-drive side, concentrating spoke count where torque transmission demands it. The 24-spoke build stays tucked behind the rim wall for a cleaner aero profile.... Read More