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Rovals Rapide C38 carbon wheelset gets $300 price drop and upgraded DT 370 Ratchet LN hub

Roval C38 carbon wheels rim and tire
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Roval, fresh off the release of their affordable Control Carbon mountain bike wheel, change gears back to the pavement with more carbon.

Roval C38 carbon wheels on Specialized Venge

Nothing sets off the performance of a bike like the wheels. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen carbon wheel prices drop with hopes of maintaining performance. Some have flourished, and some faded, unable to live up to the real-world abuse of riders. The Roval Rapide C38 is amongst those who stood the test of time. The updated Roval C38 gains some new hubs and drops $300 off the price tag in its latest iteration.

What is it?

Roval C38 carbon wheels on Bike

The Roval Rapide C38 is a wheelset that professionals and amateurs alike look for as a dependable rock-solid option that can take a beating. The rim profile closely mimics the top tier of the Roval wheel family, including a tubeless-ready 21mm internal and 26.6 external widths. The generous rim width performs well with both road and gravel tires. The Rapide C38 is the only wheel in the Roval family with a 38mm depth and is a reliable all-rounder rim shape for a slight aerodynamic advantage with keeping the weight competitive.

Roval Rapide C38 – What’s new?

The most significant update to the Roval Rapide C38 is the new DT Swiss 370 hub and the updated price. The previous version used a Roval branded hub with DT Swiss 350 internals, J-bend DT – Swiss Comp spokes, and DT Pro-Lock brass nipples. This version employs the same building techniques and materials, only with a hub swap.

Roval C38 carbon wheels DT Swiss 370 hub

Upgraded DT-Swiss 370 hub

Pulling apart the hub, we can see the new DT- 370 runs on the traditional star ratchet system that DT is well known for. Seeing as how the 370 typically has a pawl setup, it seems that Specialized may be making use of the new Ratchet LN upgrade kits.

Roval C38 carbon wheels star ratchet

The upgraded hub design features an 18T star ratchet system with non-machined insides. This will make them a tiny bit heavier but if you’re looking to upgrade these wheels easily, a 36T kit from DT-Swiss would do the trick.

Roval C38 carbon wheels hub internals

Roval also chose to include replacement spokes, nipples, and a pack of valve/rim interface protection stickers.

Roval C38 carbon wheels replacement spokes

Roval Rapide C38 carbon rim

Roval C38 carbon wheels front wheel detail on bike

The Roval Rapide C38s use the same rim as the previous model. A classic shape that can race a crit, roll in the mountains, and take some gravel rock hits.

Roval C38 carbon wheels rim detail

The carbon layup looks visually very similar to the Roval CLX 32 – with what looks to be a 3K carbon weave in the high-stress areas. The rim profile is slightly round with a tapper to what would be the brake track. Subdued graphics and monotone branding make this wheel an easy fit on many different style bikes.

Roval C38 carbon wheels rear wheel mounted

The wheels have a classic, clean look to them, and they arrive with everything needed to get you on the road; valves and tubeless taped.

Roval C38 carbon wheels rim width

The rim tape is the same Roval uses on their mountain bike wheels. I’ve never had trouble using it on the mountain bike side of things, and I hope my road experience will be the same.

Roval Rapide C38 actual weights

Roval C38 carbon wheels weight rear

Roval C38 carbon wheels weight

The Roval C38s weighed in very close to the claimed 1600g, the front coming in at 733g, and the rear at 870g. A respectable weight considering the price and the workhorse build.

Roval Rapide C38 specs

Roval C38 carbon wheels front wheel detail

  • Carbon 38mm deep tubeless compatible rim
  • 21mm internal 26.6 external rim width
  • Tubeless Compatible
  • New DT Swiss 370 Hub 
  • Center lock Rotor – 17t Star Ratchet System
  • Thru Axle 100x12mm & 142x12mm 
  • Weight: 1603g with tubeless rim tape
  • MSRP: $1000 – Wheelset
  • Lifetime Warranty – No-Fault Crash Replacement

Availability

Roval C38 carbon wheels tire clearance on bike

The Roval Rapide C38 wheels are available now from your local Specialized dealer or online. Look for a full review coming up.

www.RovalComponents.com

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TP
TP
2 years ago

Specialized will tell you that their “lifetime warranty” policy only applies to Roval branded COMPLETE wheel systems. Found this out the hard way… if the hub is printed as DT instead of Roval then they can “deny” your claim. Always liked their wheels regardless though

RW
RW
2 years ago
Reply to  TP
MH
MH
2 years ago

Same true for Zipp wheels (re lifetime warranty and complete wheel system).

Jesper
Jesper
2 years ago

Seems a tad heavy? My 2 dollar aluminium budget Alexrims with same depth (well, kinda, 35mm) is 1600grams too. I usually expect 35-38mm deep carbon wheelset to be somewhere around 1400-1450gram range in this price range (like the similar priced VEL 38 RSL wheels for one out of 1000 examples), sooo yeah? So, focused on long term durability maybe?

Jordan Villella
Jordan Villella
2 years ago
Reply to  Jesper

Thats what I’m thinking – I’ve taken them on rough roads and they are beefy. The rotational weight isn’t noticeable – most of the weight is defiantly in the hub.

Haya
Haya
2 years ago

Oh J bend spokes, these died 100 years ago.

Clinton Blacksmith
Clinton Blacksmith
2 years ago

Call me when they upgrade them to be tubeless compatible again.

TP
TP
2 years ago

They are tubeless compatible….I don’t get the joke off you’re making one…?

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