kip.duff

I believe there has been a change in the ROVAL CL50 wheel sets- I believe they will be asymmetric. Meaning the front wheel is a little wider than the rear wheel for aerodynamic reasons. At this point, these wheels are certified for tube only. A salesman showed me this on a new Tarmac they had in the store. There is very little info on this- the salesman believes:

1) Price will still be $1750
2) There are no other significant differences
3) When Roval has a chance to complete testing, they will be certified for tubeless use- there will not be different models marketed for tube or tubeless.
4) If I order a set of CL50s now, they will arrive asymmetric.
5) The weights are the same.

I have a chance to buy some dealer new "take-off" CL50s that have Specialized Turbo Gripton 26c tube tires- and the rear wheel already has the SRAM freehub adapter (which I need) for $1750. Before I buy, I'm trying to find out more about the asymmetric wheels- assuming they're available at all. If there is significant difference, improvement, model upgrade, etc. No info on Roval site about this- or anywhere else I could find.

Anyone know anything about this? I want to move my build along- but don't want to find out later that I bought "last year's model" missing new improvements.

Thanks......

WhyFi

So you're saying that this is a new wheelset that's arriving on the new Tarmacs but they're not the CL or CLX Rapide? Because they've been pretty adamant that those are tube-only and that making them tubeless would have required more rim material.

Bah Humbug

Sounds like a confused or bull****ting salesman.

WhyFi

Yup, that was my first thought, too.

Bah Humbug

In funny timing though, minutes after I wrote that I saw that a Spesh LBS owner over on WW has an SL7 and set the new wheels up tubeless. Maybe there's something there. Even so, the lack of clarity doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.

surak

I soo want to joke that Spesh pulled an about face after Alaphilippe punctured 5 times at Milan San-Remo last Saturday, but he was probably running tubulars.

Bah Humbug

I should add that that thread also had a bunch of people surprised that he set them up tubeless, so there is definitely confusion all over about this.

WhyFi

Yeah, I remember seeing the rim profile previously and thinking that it looked like a typical tubeless rim bed, but Specialized has said that they're not tubeless and that they don't have the material to support it. If that's truly the case, they may have to furlough some of their IP attack dog lawyers in favor of some litigation defense attorneys, 'cause people are going to try it.

Dean V

Even if there is a difference it won't be "significant".
The only thing worth clarifying is if they are going to be tubeless compatible, if that is important to you.

kip.duff

I did not say they are not CL Rapide- they look similar/same as original version and have those words on the side. Apparently they are a new version of the CL/CLX.

And, yes- he did say that at this point they are considered tube only. As I mention elsewhere in this thread, this brings up the issue of whether there will be tube and tubeless versions.

kip.duff

"Confused" probably. And understandably so- he's got a lot goin on- and apparently getting to the bottom of this question would/will take serious research. Looks like this issue is quite confusing- and I see additional evidence of that in this thread. I did email Specialized/Roval with the same question I posted here. No response yet.

kip.duff

I can't imagine them making separate tube and tubeless versions of this wheel... or? Isn't the demand for tubeless high enough that any new version of CL or CLX will need to be offered in a tubeless version?

kip.duff

Off-topic a little, but I've never had a tubeless setup. Any advantages in your mind to tubeless?

WhyFi

​​​​​​If you get flats regularly enough that changing tubes on the side of the road is a pain in your ass, that's the biggest (IMO) benefit to be had. If you're dedicated to chasing marginal gains, you might save a handful of watts, too. If neither of the above applies, I wouldn't bother.

WhyFi

Which is exactly why I wouldn't count on them "certifying" them for tubeless after the fact.

kip.duff

I heard they haven't completed the testing- it could happen when testing is done.

bahula03

Lolwut. That makes sense to you? That Specialized would ship some wheels as tube-only, and then randomly switch to marketing them as tubeless compatible?

It seems like patience is an awful lot to ask for here, but a few weeks is probably going to make a big difference. The new SL7 Tarmac Pro is specced with Rapide CLs (not CL50s) that look to have different depths F/R, but the older CL50s are what's available standalone, where the new "asymmetrical" Rapide CLXs from the S-Works Tarmac are on their website as standalone wheels, with the "new" tag. Trying to put some logic to that- yeah, it seems like an updated CL50-tier wheelset is on the way, but if your shop puts in an order for the current CL50 part number...you're almost certainly getting CL50s.

kip.duff

I didn't say it made sense- I said someone at a Specialized/Roval dealer said they believed they would be certified for tubeless.

Ya- based on your post, I found info on new asymmetric rims by searching "CLX Rapide". They clearly state that it is a tube type rim. And as you mentioned, not a trace of any info on the CL tier in the asymmetric version. But, as you mentioned, I'm pretty sure I did see asymmetric CLs on a Tarmac at LBS.

In some threads, they post that the new CLXs have decals on them: "tubeless ready"- said you can see the decals in some of the product images on Roval or Specialized sites. Did not find that myself. Quite a runaround!

kip.duff

Though I'm not as expert as most of you, I think I see some wisdom to Roval's position. Maybe tubeless is not quite as cool as the market presents it. I've seen threads about severe difficulty in installing tubeless. And some photos of ridiculous dried up balls of sealant that were rumbling around inside the tire. And weight competition seems just about even.

WhyFi

That's because people are dumb and/or inexperienced.

That's MTBs. I've never seen any worse than snake skin coating and cobwebs on road tires.

kip.duff

Ya- I do 18-wheeler tubeless truck tires, including the *****y smaller 19.5" rim versions. I was wondering if this wasn't just someone that hadn't gotten the routine down yet.

kip.duff

Weight Weenies have a 44 page thread on these new asymmetrics at

​​​​​​https://weightweenies.starbike.com/f...f=113&t=160445

Going thru it now. Should have seen it earlier.

kip.duff

So I bought some Roval CL50s. Asymmetric CL50 Rapide not available- though the salesman originally thought they would be and they are on new Tarmacs. Maybe in a few months.

I Bought some Conti GP5000TL 28cs and some Specialized Rapide sealant. I used some Schwalbe Easy Fit tire lube and mounted the tubeless Contis without sealant. The mounting was very anticlimactic and used a plastic lever to do the last bead. You were right- I don't know what all the horror stories were about. Used some compressed air and got the "pop pop". Holding pressure well and I'm gonna try without sealant. 60ml in each tire amounts to a quarter pound!

AlgarveCycling

The Rapide CLX are currently top of my list after researching. I don't want tubeless on my road bikes anyway and so they really appeal: good aero plus light. It's my Madone I want to upgrade so the 'natural' route is XXX6 but while good wheels, heavier and slow to accelerate compared to the competition from some reviewers.

ryan_rides