The Tour Down Under means it’s the start of the Pro Tour Road season, but it also means it’s time to unveil some new gear. Specialized and Roval Components are wasting no time with introduction of their latest wheelset, the CLX 50. More than just a middle ground wheel between the CLX 32 and the CLX 64, the CLX 50 is aimed squarely at the all-around road title. It’s light, it’s tubeless, and it’s wide, plus it packs in impressive aerodynamics to give it the full package. But what else would you expect from a company that has their own “Win Tunnel?”
There’s a lot to the new CLX 50, but most likely there will be a wheel to fit your ride…
Quoting a number of different design studies, Roval claims to have settled on 50mm as the ideal depth for most conditions. That decision balanced aerodynamics with overall weight to come up with the “ultimate all-around road wheel.” At this point in the game, the ultimate anything for road is still split between rim and disc brakes so the CLX 50 will be available in both. However, the disc brake rim does away with the brake track in favor of a more impact resistant rim that is also about 20g lighter than rim brake models.
Both of the rims also include modern widths with a 20.7mm internal measurement which is also tubeless ready with the use of their tubeless plugs. Each wheelset will ship with a set of plugs and aluminum tubeless valves for a tubeless ready out of the box set up. Mechanics should love the fact that Roval kept with external nipples to make it easier for quick wheel adjustments – especially for the tubular models.
All of the wheels feature their Roval AF series hubs and DT Swiss Aerolite spokes in a 2:1 pattern for the most aerodynamic wheel build possible. The AF hubs ship with an 11 speed Shimano freehub, though Campagnolo and SRAM XD freehubs are available. Inside the hubs you’ll find DT Swiss 240s internals with a star ratchet freehub for easy serviceability and performance. Not to mention, all of the CLX wheels ship with CeramicSpeed bearings to gain every advantage possible. Claimed weights per wheelset are listed as 1,375g (rim brake clincher), 1,415g (Disc brake clincher), and 1,230g (tubular rim brake).
All of the Win Tunnel testing was completed with a Specialized S-Works Turbo 24mm tire which measures 26mm on the wheels, and in Specialized’ own testing, the CLX 50 performed quite well according to their Whitepaper. Above left is the Translational drag chart, with the Combined (Translational + Rotational Drag) numbers on the right.
Available in disc or rim brake configurations and clincher/tubeless or tubular, disc brake wheelsets ship with end caps for both QR and 12mm thru axles front and rear. All wheels ship with any compatible skewers, Swissstop brake pads, tubeless plugs and valves, plus a padded wheel bag. Pricing is TBA.
