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New Roval Alpinist ultralight bar-stem / seatpost combo, Terra gravel flex post & more!

Roval-Alpinist one piece aero-bar
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Roval is more well known for its wheels than its components, but their new ultralight cockpit parts for road, gravel and mountain bikes could change that.

The highlight is the new Alpinist one-piece bar and stem unit, but there’s a matching ultralight seatpost to go with it. Plus a flex seatpost for gravel, enduro handlebar, and some news on their insanely light Control SL XC wheelset.

Roval Alpinist ultralight bar & stem combo

Roval-Alpinist-aero-bar bend

It’s not strange to see an exclusively wheel brand branch out to bars, stems, and seatposts. We’ve witnessed it from Vision, Zipp, and many more. The difference is how successfully the line can be without going overboard in its new venture.

Roval-Alpinist-head-on

The new Roval Alpinist drop bar unit boasts a one-piece molded handlebar-and-stem layout and titanium steerer tube clamp bolt for a total weight of just 255g.

The bar’s front has a dedicated attachment point for a sleek computer mount and is slotted to accept internal routing compatible with all major mechanical and electronic drivetrains (Campagnolo EPS included).

Roval-Alpinist-full-bar

The dimensions of the Roval Alpinist bar are on the traditional side, forgoing sculpted tops and large flared out drops.

Roval-Alpinist-lightweight-bar

Bars are measured center-to-center. Stem length options vary by size and include:

  • 40cm – 80/90/100mm stem lengths
  • 42cm –  90/100/110/120mm lengths
  • 44cm – 110/120/130mm lengths

All sizes have the same 125mm of drop and 75mm of reach. The Alpinist bar and stem combo has a rider weight limit of 125kg / 275lb and a $600 retail price.

Gravel & road bike seatposts

roval alpinist superlight road bike seatpost and Terra flex gravel seatpost

For the other end of the bike, Roval has a new ultralight Alpinist seatpost (left) to match its new integrated cockpit. The Alpinist carbon fiber seatpost has a claimed weight of 136g for the 300mm version, and 141g for the 350mm. It’s currently only available in a single 27.2 mm diameter with a 12mm setback on the two-bolt head. Retail price is $275.

For gravel bikes, a new aftermarket version of the Terra seatpost (right) that comes on higher-end Specialized Diverge models is available.

Roval claims the new Terra post has up to 18 mm of movement, and given the comfortable ride of the Diverge, we’d have to agree. The Terra post is available in four sizes with 27.2 being the only diameter – 0mm or 20mm setback in 330mm and 380mm lengths.

The 27.2 x 300mm with zero setback comes in at a respectable 199 grams.  The new Terra post has a rider weight limit of 275lbs and is available now for $250.

Roval Traverse SL carbon enduro riser bar

ROVAL-TRAVERSE-SL-CARBON-enduro-bar

For the enduro crowd, the new Traverse SL carbon fiber riser handlebar features a 35mm clamp and is available in 780mm and 800mm widths.

Like the older Specialized version, the Traverse bar has 30mm of rise, 6º of backsweep, and 8º of upsweep. Claimed weight is 227g.

Roval claims their “…extensive experience with carbon fiber allows us to ensure maximum strength at the clamp and then tailor the carbon fiber layup to providing damping at the bar-ends, resulting in a more comfortable, less fatiguing ride.”

Retail is $170, available now.

Roval Control SL XC wheels finally available

Roval-Control-SL-DT-hub

For those lusting after the 1240 gram Roval Control SL wheels, they are finally available for purchase just as the World Cups are coming back. We reviewed the Roval Control SL and found them to be fast, light, and perfect for cross country.

In addition to the rim, Roval achieved this by updating the hubset to DT Swiss 180 EXP Hub internals. They claim the new Control SL’s entire hub weighs less than the hub shell alone on the prior version.

They also enlarged the inner rim width to 29mm making them 22% more pinch-resistant than prior edition Control SL rims with a fantastic ride quality at lower pressures. Available now and just in time to put on your early holiday shopping list for $2,500.

RovalComponents.com

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13 Comments
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advcyclist
advcyclist
3 years ago

Is it just me or does the bar/stem combo appear to have an inboard flare in that last photo?

Oliver
Oliver
3 years ago

Those new Roval branded seatposts and bar / stem combos are identical to ones that have been available for well over a year from well known Chinese OEMs … for less than a fifth of the price.

Greg
Greg
3 years ago
Reply to  Oliver

Bar/stem combos all look pretty similar or identical. The key here is it’s actually lighter than individual bars and stems, and you won’t need to buy a new set of teeth. While some no-name stuff is fine, I’ve seen some extremely scary, extremely dangerous stuff as well. Which one are you gonna get?
For the seatpost, it’s pretty much the same thing. I’m on ebay all the time, I see the generic stuff. None look identical to this one, and besides, the devil is in the details. This one is genuinely light, lighter than any big names and approaching the weight of the boutique weight weenie brands.

jeff
jeff
3 years ago
Reply to  Greg

I have yet to see all these teeth-less people walking around after their “no-name” stuff has broken. what I see if lots of people with light carbon bits on their bikes and more $$ in their pocket.

I actually hear about name brand stuff breaking more that I do no-name stuff. for the price difference between mfg direct and name brand, the name brand should have a failure rate of 0% and free replacement if it does.

Robin
Robin
3 years ago
Reply to  Oliver

Identical? So you measured them, weighed them, and characterized their layup schedule? Surely you didn’t just rely on photos on the interenet to determine that they are identical, did you?

Oliver
Oliver
3 years ago
Reply to  Robin

It looks identical because it is identical…. it’s just pre-designed Chinese generic OEM stuff … for Schmolke or THM prices.

Robin
Robin
3 years ago
Reply to  Oliver

You obviously have proof then. Show the proof that is exactly what these pieces are.

Jason West
Jason West
3 years ago
Reply to  Robin

Bro, you take this comment section too seriously.

A Merican
A Merican
3 years ago

Yes, where are all these tooth-less cyclists?!
All of my cheap carbon parts from china have performed fine for me. I wish I vould afford all the great made-in-america parts, but until then I’ll keep using the same unbranded products at 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 & sometimes 1/5of the price!

Alex
Alex
3 years ago

When companies outsource their designs for Chinese manufacture, this is what happens. In fact these American/European companies have to agree to the Chinese companies adopting their designs. Knockoffs of name brands are all over Amazon, eBay etc. Some may be good, some may not. What is known is the Chinese knockoffs are made for a price, and quality may be a secondary consideration. Want to take that chance on a bar/stem combo?

Exodux
3 years ago

Off the subject of the Specialized parts, but in line with the “cheap” Chinese made components.
I bought a set of aero (50mm depth) carbon disc wheels for my cross/ gravel bike off of Ebay 5 years ago, can’t remember the name of the seller.
I kinda expected them to have a semi short life span. These wheels have been bombproof. I’ve beaten the crap out of these wheels and they are almost as good as the day I bought them. I liked them so much that I bought a set of 30mm wide mountain wheels 2 years ago. Same thing……still going strong after 2 years of hard riding.

M.
M.
3 years ago

“The new Terra seatpost has a weight limit of 275 local bike shops” ???

That converts into how many kilograms?

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