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New Roval 321 wheel claims to be lightest manufactured disc wheel on the market

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When asked why they had not designed a disc wheel before now, Specialized’s Chris Yu responded with a surprisingly simple answer. There were already a lot of great disc wheels on the market. If they were to make their own disc, it would have to hit a few key metrics. With input from a few of their sponsored riders like Fabian Cancellara, they started to frame their design targets. Chief among them were the usual criteria for aerodynamics, but also for stiffness, compliance, and weight was a major concern.

2019 Specialized Roval 321 disc rear wheel for disc brakes and rim brakes offers a lightweight comfortable option for triathlon and time trial bikes

Although it was proven weight was not as critical to speed as previously believed, riders like Cancellara stuck to their guns and said the low weight had a positive feel and feedback. It wasn’t an easy benchmark to hit, but the new Roval 321 is the lightest manufactured disc on the market at 1,005 grams.

2019 Specialized Roval 321 disc rear wheel for disc brakes and rim brakes offers a lightweight comfortable option for triathlon and time trial bikes
The new 321 uses DT Swiss internals for easy integration with various drivetrains.

To achieve their aerodynamic goals the team relied heavily on their Win Tunnel, which just celebrated its fifth birthday last week. The Specialized aerodynamics team created a wheel with the widest possible shape to help retain air contact as long as possible. The design was optimized to accommodate a 26c tire, which also improved compliance. The drive side has a unique, and subtle, recessed pocket to accommodate the derailleur in its most inboard position.

2019 Specialized Roval 321 disc rear wheel for disc brakes and rim brakes offers a lightweight comfortable option for triathlon and time trial bikes
The construction of the wheel and the layup of the carbon was carefully engineered to provide optimal stiffness without compromising compliance and all-day riding comfort for long-course athletes.

After carefully evaluating the rolling resistance values between tubular and tubeless clinchers, the decision was made to create only a clincher variant of the 321. The design is tubeless ready out of the box.

2019 Specialized Roval 321 disc rear wheel for disc brakes and rim brakes offers a lightweight comfortable option for triathlon and time trial bikes

The new wheel isn’t all about speed and efficiency. The valve hole is large enough to accommodate a standard pump head and fits a 60mm valve stem. Riders using deep section front rims now only need one spare tube for both wheels. A hardcover snaps over the valve hole in lieu of less sophisticated sticker solutions.

To achieve their aerodynamic, weight, rolling resistance, and stiffness objectives, the Roval team leaned on the comprehensive resources at the Morgan Hill facility. That includes their advanced machine shop, new carbon fiber lab, and other testing tools. They now use advanced imaging machines to inspect the internals of every component. No design, engineering, or testing stone is left unturned.

New Specialized 321 Disc claims to be lightest manufactured disc wheel on the market

Central to the process is their ability to now create the tools and processes by which Roval 321 wheels will be made by manufacturing partners overseas. They have the resources to construct special tooling components which simplify the manufacturing steps with devices used to help shape the wheel lenses, facilitate the joining of the rim, and serve as the jig for any necessary drilling. They can design, test, and fabricate test wheels while simultaneously creating the exact manufacturing process, on-site, that will be used to produce all of their wheels going forward. Many of the first wheels used by sponsored riders during the last year were manufactured start-to-finish in the Morgan Hill office.

It’s that holistic approach from prototyping to manufacturing that allowed the Roval 321 to hit its design marks in such a short amount of time.

New Specialized 321 Disc claims to be lightest manufactured disc wheel on the market

The 321, named in part after the iconic countdown before every time trial, is available in rim and disc brake versions with a retail of $2,500. Some of you may have noticed Specialized does not currently have a disc brake equipped time trial bike in their quiver. That speaks to their desires to build for the overall market but certainly hints to a reboot of the Shiv.

Specialized.com

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Penn Teller
Penn Teller
5 years ago

What does the author mean by “manufactured when he writes “lightest manufactured disc wheel?” Are there lighter disk wheels that are somehow found in nature without being manufactured?

My best guess is that the writer means “production,” not “manufactured.” What’s the deal?

lop
lop
5 years ago
Reply to  Penn Teller

You don’t grow carbon fiber disc wheels in your garden?

Dockboy
Dockboy
5 years ago
Reply to  lop

I don’t, but my crop of seatposts is coming along nicely.

dfkrenik
5 years ago

Interesting to see the Specialized crank arms featured in the build. They’re out of stock for all sizes and the PM version have been removed from their web site. Looks like Specialized is withdrawing from the crank market?

FFM
FFM
5 years ago
Reply to  dfkrenik

As of right now, current S-Works carbon cranks are pretty much all marked out of stock but all sizes of 105 and Ultegra left side power meter arms are in and orderable. Dual-sided Dura Ace power meters are marked for early July. The power meters can be found on the site here, under power meters: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/equipment/bike-extras/power-meters–computers/c/computers

TomM
TomM
5 years ago

I wonder is Specialized will sue the hub manufacturer Project 321 even though the latter has been in business for years. They could bury them in legal costs and force P321 to change their name. You read it here first.

Bazz
Bazz
5 years ago
Reply to  TomM

That was my thought as well. Que Darth Vadar music…

FFM
FFM
5 years ago

Tubeless ready. Indent for RD cage. Fits a regular pump. Herald for the new Shiv. Today was a good day.

Matthew T LaPrade
Matthew T LaPrade
5 years ago

The Lightweight Autobahn weighs 780g so Specialized is NOT EVEN CLOSE to the lightest disc ever. what a nonsense claim.

MaraudingWalrus
MaraudingWalrus
5 years ago

Maybe they meant to say lightest clincher disc?

Bazz
Bazz
5 years ago

That’s a tubular

RNW
RNW
5 years ago

Maybe that one’s not manufactured, just forms itself out of the ground..
<__>

Roborbob
Roborbob
5 years ago

Maybe it’s referring to the lightest disc-brake disc. Not a lot of competition there.

jever98
jever98
5 years ago

Citec has been making a clincher disc that’s way lighter for years. 825g: https://citec.de/?cat=19&id=73

Michael Kennedy
Michael Kennedy
5 years ago

There is only one other tubeless ready full carbon disc. Lightweights external I think is only about 21mm not the 27.8 that this wheel is. Others wheels are spiked with carbon covers.

kavitator
5 years ago

Campagnolo Bora TT is 865grams

Bazz
Bazz
5 years ago
Reply to  kavitator

That’s a tubular

boom
boom
5 years ago

Fabian hasn’t ridden for Specialized since 2010. Are they are claiming that it took them 8 years to develop this but still he’s their benchmark rider?

Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
5 years ago
Reply to  boom

Tis weird, he seems to be a brand ambassador for Trek now all of the promo shots I’ve seen for his Chasing Canellara sportives etc are on trek madone’s.

Skinny
Skinny
5 years ago
Reply to  boom

Yeah, I had the same thought. Must be a typo, no?

TheKaiser
TheKaiser
5 years ago
Reply to  boom

Same thought here regarding Fabian. Maybe they were getting him mixed up with former rival Tony Martin or something as Tony has been involved in the testing of some of their other innovations, like using clinchers in TTs for lower rolling resistance.

Bingo was his namo
Bingo was his namo
5 years ago

Maybe they meant, Chance Ellara, new and up coming rider out of Watopia?

Davo
Davo
5 years ago

They might have been working with “Fab” Ian Stannard, hence the confusion with Cancellara

Harry Walker
Harry Walker
5 years ago

Exactly the same concept as the Revolver Asymm Disc wheel developed by Harry Walker and available since 2015. The name ‘Asymm’ being the shortened version of Asymmetric. Largest lens possible on the non-drive with a waved drive side. The Revolver Asymm has been used to break every TT Record from 10mile to 100mile in the UK and was ridden to Gold in Rio in 2016 by Dame Sarah Storey. No new concept. I’ve literally been there done that got the T shirt….. Harry Walker. (Revolver)

Johnny Tapia
Johnny Tapia
5 years ago

Funny that specialized every year announced the lightest fastest products and there is always lighter, faster product on market already. Shiv is still not upgraded since five years or so and has uncovered break in front and cables… Lightweight Autobahn is 780gr only..

https://lightweight.info/de/de/autobahn

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