Roval Control SL Team: As fast as Peter Sagan & Co. - the new wheel from Specialized

"The new Roval Control SL Team are the lightest XC wheels on earth" is how Roval confidently describes its new high-end wheelset. When it comes to new products, neither the component manufacturer nor its parent brand Specialized is known for restraint. But with the new spearhead of its carbon wheels, Roval is going all out: "None are faster. Failure is not an option." Wow! In fact, the facts about the new cross-country wheels read like a single list of superlatives. Minimal weight, carbon spokes, limited quantities, exclusive scope of delivery and, of course, a long price tag. We have all the information on the new Roval Control SL Team wheelset.

Roval Control SL Team wheelset: facts, figures and data

• Area of application: Cross Country
• Price: 3000 Euro
• Complete wheelset weight: 1190 g (incl. 30 g tubeless tape and valves, manufacturer's specification)
• Weight front wheel: 548 g
• Rear wheel weight: 642 g
• Wheel size: 29"
• Inside width: 29 mm
• Material rims / hubs / spokes: Carbon / Aluminium / Carbon
• Standards: Boost / 6-hole
• Compatibility: disc brake / tubeless / tyre inserts / max. 2.6 inch tyre width
• Scope of delivery: Titanium bolts, tools, interchangeable freewheel, interchangeable ceramic bearings, tubeless plugs, spare spokes, wheel bag, S-Works tyres, water bottles, personal letters from the Specialized pros

Maximum development effort

Cross-country sport is all about seconds. Especially in the races of the world elite. Roval has therefore spared no effort and put a full three years of development work into the new Control SL Team wheelset. Countless hours of testing and feedback discussions with the pros from the Specialized Factory Racing Team are said to have paid off. Not only is the new super wheelset the lightest in the American company's XC line-up at 1190 grams, it is also said to ride even better and be more robust than anything that has gone before. So here too: big words. Specifically, Roval has optimised the shape and layup of the carbon rims especially for the Control SL Team wheelset.

Particularly exciting, however, are the specially developed carbon spokes, which should result in optimised stiffness and, of course, further weight savings. This in turn should improve steering precision and power transmission in racing. More and more manufacturers in the cross-country sector are currently experimenting with carbon spokes. A spoke in the new Roval wheelset is said to be 29 per cent lighter than its metal counterpart. They are also said to be more resistant than conventional spokes.

>> We have already been able to test a version of the latest generation of Roval wheels for trail bikes. Click here for our riding impression of the Roval Traverse SL II. <<

Only after 15 different wheel setups and layups were the Roval developers satisfied with the ratio of lateral and radial stiffness. They developed their own questionnaire for feedback from professional racers and had all prototypes tested in World Cup use. Among other things, the resistance to torsional forces was determined in the laboratory. The new Roval Control SL Team should be able to withstand a third more force than "the nearest comparable competitors".

The rim profile has also been revised. A now wider rim flange is intended to reduce the risk of punctures due to crushing and thus allow particularly low tyre pressures. A new hub was also developed to harmonise with the double-crossed carbon spokes. This was preceded by 36 different prototypes for the hubs alone. The final wheelset is built by hand.

Exclusive package for 3000 euros

If you treat yourself to such an exclusive wheelset as the Roval Control SL Team, you can also expect some accessories in the scope of delivery. Roval goes all out here and packs everything into the box to set up the carbon wheels, keep them in good condition and a little more. Among other things, titanium bolts are included to secure the brake discs and save weight. End caps for the hubs and the right tools for changing them are also included. A Sram XD freehub is fitted ex works. However, the scope of delivery also includes a Microspline freehub for fitting Shimano cassettes. Should the hub bearings give up the ghost one day in the distant future, a set of DT Swiss SINC ceramic bearings is included.

A tubeless plug set from Dynaplug plus additional plugs are available to prevent punctures. Speaking of tyres: These are also included with the purchase. To be precise, an S-Works Fast Track and an S-Works Renegade are included. Both tyres come in 29 x 2.35 inch. Twenty spare spokes should last a lifetime. A wheel bag is included for transport and two Roval water bottles to quench your thirst. To make Specialized fans even more emotionally involved, the set comes with personalised, signed letters from the S-Racing athletes. Incidentally, the wheels are also hand-built by the same mechanics who build the equipment for Peter Sagan and Co.

>> Recently, Specialized also presented their new XC-Fully. Here's all the info on the new Specialized Epic 8 <<