The new Raptide is super wide (outer width 33mm on the front and 30mm on the rear), has a mixed depth (51mm front and 60mm rear) and is meant to be a great all-arounder. Pretty light at 1400g.
The Alpanist is, as you would presume from the name, is their climbing wheel. Just 1248g and has a 21mm internal width and 33mm deep profile.
Perhaps the most surprising news from the release to most people is that the wheels are not tubeless compatible.
So now I am going grab some popcorn and hope to watch Slowman (who has many times preached the eventual death of tubes and says you’d be crazy to buy a non tubeless compatible wheel) and SuperDave (who current works for Roval and is always aggressive at pimping whatever product his current employer has released) duke it out.
The new Raptide is super wide (outer width 33mm on the front…)
Actually 35mm external width. Makes me wonder if there’s a 33c Turbo Cotton, or something similar, on the horizon? Why else would Specialized make such a rim?
Not tubeless.
Sounds like someone in Specialized fecked up when writing the design spec and nobody realised until it was too late.
They’d never admit it tho and will come out with some marketing BS about why it’s better.
Not tubeless.
Sounds like someone in Specialized fecked up when writing the design spec and nobody realised until it was too late.
They’d never admit it tho and will come out with some marketing BS about why it’s better.
yep give them a year and replacement coming like the venue vias.
So now I am going grab some popcorn and hope to watch Slowman and SuperDave (who current works for Roval and is always aggressive at pimping whatever product his current employer has released) duke it out.
Dave and Specialized broke up last month, or at least it was made public last month.
Maybe these wheels not being tubeless compatible was the reason.
They got more marketing notice by making them tube only than if they did a me too tubeless one. People are talking about them. It worked. It’s different. For someone like Specialized they need to be different , not me too. They compete on innovation, not price
They got more marketing notice by making them tube only than if they did a me too tubeless one.
All the cycling publications that wrote reviews of these non-tubeless wheels are the same ones that would have written reviews of these wheels if they were tubeless-compatible. Making them non-tubeless did not result in any additional marketing exposure.
On the other hand, the no-tubeless offering did eliminate many potential customers, like me. I will happily remain riding my CLX50s, and I’m typically the tech nerd who never misses an opportunity to waste money on an equipment upgrade.
Those don’t seem much lighter than the clx32 … either way, the real innovation they need on these wheels is braking that isn’t trash. I recently bought a pair of the clx32 for a weight weenie bike build because they were lighter than comparable Enve or Zipp, but definitely regret it because of braking performance.
Those don’t seem much lighter than the clx32 … either way, the real innovation they need on these wheels is braking that isn’t trash. I recently bought a pair of the clx32 for a weight weenie bike build because they were lighter than comparable Enve or Zipp, but definitely regret it because of braking performance.
Considering both wheel options are being sold as disc only they solved the braking issue. I have always wonder what the actual sales volumes are for Roval wheels as new aftermarket parts as I suspect its OEM speccing that drives the product specs. My suspicion is that the vast majority of Roval wheels are being sold as stock on new bikes which in turn feeds a second hand market for like new Roval wheels at far less than MSRP. By putting top end prices on the wheels Specialized is attempting to drive up the perceived value of bikes and so the pricing strategy is about making money on bikes not selling the wheels. Along the same lines Specialized has no plans of selling road bikes which have been set up tubeless from the start so they don’t see a value in producing tubeless wheels. Still an odd decision but it comes down to brand and bike line managers rather than wheel engineers.
When looking at the rim profile the bead looks like it should be tubeless! Shelf and hook. Something must not have tested/performed well after the moulds were cut.
Along the same lines Specialized has no plans of selling road bikes which have been set up tubeless from the start
Why not? You can buy a Tarmac with tubeless-ready CLX 50’s right now. And as you ring it up the LBS can ask you if your preference is tubes or tubeless, and set it up for you in like 10 minutes.
My preference would be tubeless.
I agree that they’re not going to sit on showroom floors with sealant in them.
I am still trying to come to grips with the idea that a 33-35mm wide rim is more aero than a 28mm one. Surely there is a point of diminishing returns when the increased thickness affects both aero and, by virtue of a lower pressure, rolling resistance as well.
If 28 > 23, and 32 > 28, then will 40c be the norm next year?