Aero convention long held that the deeper rim belonged at the back of the bike, tucked into the rider's slipstream while a shallower front kept the handling honest in crosswinds. The Rapide CLX III Front Wheel is Roval's argument against that idea, built on wind tunnel work showing that up to 90% of the aerodynamic benefit of deep wheels comes from the front wheel. That reasoning is why this front rim runs 51mm deep, paired in the wheelset to a shallower 48mm rear that exists mainly to save weight. It comes in two finishes: Gloss Carbon with gloss white decals, or Satin Carbon with gloss black decals.

The rim measures 35mm at its widest external point against a 21mm internal width, a deliberately bulbous profile that flares outward from the tire. The blunt, round shape guides wind from wider yaw angles across it more smoothly to mitigate any loss in stability that added depth at the front might introduce. Roval developed the shape around a 28mm tire as the fastest pairing, having tested three internal rim widths, three tire sizes, and multiple pressures on smooth and rough drums to arrive at the 28mm-on-21mm combination. Approved tire widths run from 24mm to 38mm, so there is room to size up for rougher roads.

The front wheel weighs 600 grams, and the reduction from the CLX II generation comes largely from the spokes. These carbon spokes are new, shared between the CLX Sprint and CLX III wheelsets and developed with Arris Composites. The front wheel laces just 18 carbon spokes, which save close to 100 grams across the wheelset on their own. They run radial and one-cross in a 2:1 pattern into the hub, and thanks to threaded titanium nipples they remain adjustable and replaceable, attaching straight-pull into Roval's Low Flange hub bodies.... Read More