I have a set of the new 2013 Roval Rapide CLX 40 carbon clinchers. They ride incredibly well. I plan to use these for my daily wheels as well as my race wheels. I weigh 148 lbs. My dealer assures me these are designed to take the abuse from everyday use. For those of you who own these wheels, how have they held up for you? Do you use them as your daily training wheels, ever ride dirt roads with them, do they stay true, any issues with the carbon, etc...?? Please, only responses from first hand experience with these wheels.
I have had this wheel-set for about 2500Km. I ride hard, daily on the weekdays and deal with a considerable amount of southern california coastal winds. I am 5'11", 77 Kg. I experience
no buffeting from the wind, even when I am in aero position with my forearms on the bar tops (leaning on handlebars, not holding on to them).
The
ceramic speed bearings are amazing, these wheels keep spinning. And if you do the math, you will probably
save 2-3 watts on individual time trials, just because of these bearings... and even more on the climbs. There are some good articles about ceramic bearings, you will save the couple of watts. I probably wouldn't spend $400 on ceramic speed bearing upgrades if I already had high quality steel bearings... but they came with the wheel set and I am extremely pleased with their performance.
About the climbing... The
rim weighs significantly less than competitors and as a result, the inertia is very low.. meaning that this wheel can be spun up quickly. I bought this wheel set because I consider it a very versatile all-around setup, which can also climb aggressively. Ceramic cartridges, extremely light rim, and great cross-wind performance make this wheel set a climbing/descending miracle. Don't bother comparing this rim to Mavic R-sys or the like... those are climbing rims.
This
wheel is stiff, so sprints feel unreal. Gets up to speed quickly and I don't feel any flex at 1300 watts.
With the Swisstop Yellow King pads... let's just say it
stops me on a dime when I want it to. It
does not regulate the braking very well though, it's either stopping pretty quickly or just making an annoying hissing noise when I just want to slow down for a turn.. and not slowing me down. Will try the
highly recommended Black Prince from swisstop after.
True till now. Don't worry if black stuff comes off the brake surface during the initial 100 Km. That is resin, supposedly for friction. It all comes off, but the dimples remain. Rep told me that they did that on purpose. Resin is ground into the braking surface and makes for a quiet stop. Didn't tell me what will happen if I want a quiet stop after it all rubs off.. but that is a different story.
Great training and racing wheels. Couldn't ask for more under $2500.
Goodluck