Roval Alpinist CLX II

The Roval Alpinist CLX II wheelset improves in key areas over an already very good set of all-around road wheels. The newly tubeless setup is easy, the weight is still low, and stiffness is great. Thanks to the rim shape remaining unchanged, they still handle beautifully too.

Right, if you read no further than this paragraph, I don't blame you: all you need to know is that the Alpinist CLX II now has a tubeless-ready rim bed, and certainly the S-Works Turbo 26mm tyres I had on test installed easily. They went up without sealant and with just a track pump.

> Buy now: Roval Alpinist CLX II from Specialized for £2,500

Roval got some very bad press for not making the first version tubeless. As it turns out, Roval intended them to be tubeless, but had some issues with keeping the tyres on the rim in the event of a blowout, so just sold them as clincher-only.

Thankfully, this new version has a revised carbon layup at the rim bed to stop the carbon cracking when you ram your nice hoops into a hole or kerb, and this has apparently solved the tyre-falling-off issue. Roval provided an in-depth look at the impact testing it did, though in the real world I'm yet to hit something big enough to really test out the claims.

Onto how these ride and, like any lightweight carbon wheelset that is also stiff, these have the ability to transform the way a road bike rides. Yes, I naturally put these on my S-Works SL7 and hammered it up a load of the local climbs. But I've also had them on my Kinesis 4S Disc, which is generally my winter bike and best described as 'sluggish' in its winter build. But after giving it a clean and installing the Alpinist CLX II, the bike felt faster and more nimble.

A lot of this change is simply the low weight and the stiffness. The 1,265g total is very good, but it's the way it pairs with the stiffness that makes the wheels for me. It results in a wheelset that punches up from slow speeds effortlessly and can be flicked through tight corners.

With a 33mm-deep profile, these aren't going to mix it on flatter rides with something like the Rapide CLX IIs. But they're perfectly capable of holding onto speed, so if your rides aren't all elbows-out group smash-ups or races, these might be the better set for you.

> Buyer's guide to tubeless tyres – find out all about new technology rubber

The build is still solid, but there have been a few small changes. Firstly, the hub shell has been changed to chop a bit of weight. This moves the spokes away from each other at the points where they cross. The old wheels could ting slightly on a steep climb if the spokes got dirty, but there's none of that here.

Inside those hubs you'll find DT Swiss ceramic bearings have replaced CeramicSpeed's. This is probably because DT Swiss makes the rest of the hubs and wanted their own bearings in there. I'm yet to have any issues.

Value

At £2,500, these are certainly expensive wheels. You can spend more if you want yet not get a lot more performance, but you can easily spend a lot less too – and still get most of what you'll find here. Examples would be the Hunt 32 Aerodynamicist UD Carbon Spoke (£1,199) which I currently have on test, or the Scribe Aero Wide+ 32-D Carbon Wheelset at £870, so if you haven't got this sort of cash, there are options out there.

But I'm not about to say that the Alpinist CLX II is an overly expensive wheelset: at this premium end of the market they actually represent decent value. For example, the Fulcrum Speed 40 CMPTZN DB wheelset is £2,599, Zipp's 353 NSW Tubeless Disc Brake Wheelset is £3,376 and the Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO 33 Disc Brake wheelset will set you back £2,813.99.

These are wheels designed for racing in the mountains, but if you're just looking for something that's simply great to ride – and that will improve pretty much any road bike – then your money is going to be well spent here.

Overall

I'm very glad Roval has brought tubeless back to its top-end wheels, as a large portion of riders want it. Roval has done it well too, and that makes setup far easier for those of us doing it in a rush in the kitchen, and who don't want sealant going everywhere.

All in, these are brilliant wheels that are a joy to ride. You just have to stump up quite a bit of money to get them.

Verdict

Light, stiff and handle beautifully. Tubeless is back too