First came Roval CLX 64. Then the 32. And after racking up multiple wins in Grand Tours, Worlds, and everything in between, Roval knew that their best bet was to take the line to new heights, or well, new depths. They wanted to design one wheel that was a true quiver killer. One wheel that had all the aerodynamic benefits of the 64 in a package that climbed like the 32, and that’s where the all-new CLX 50 comes in.
When the Roval team set out to create the CLX 50, they had clear goals in mind — create wheels that are 48 to 54 mm deep, aerodynamically optimized, ultra-wide, and under 1400 grams. This meant that they'd have to borrow some weight saving techniques, developed for the CLX 32 and take some aero guidance from the CLX 64.
Even though the CLX 50 is similar in weight to many wheels in the “lightweight” category, aerodynamics came at the forefront of the development. With this, Roval jumped headlong into Computational Fluid Dynamics computer modelling to arrive at various rim shapes that could make the CLX 50 as fast and light as possible. It took a while, but they narrowed the rim shape down to three contenders that were then CNC-machined into rims, built into wheels, and put into the Win Tunnel. In the tunnel, they tested every wheel, theirs and the competition's, with a 24C tyre (measuring 26C), as tyres can drastically affect testing. They also chose a modern-width tyre to design their rims around, because they not only allow for less tyre pressure (which results in more comfort and less rolling resistance) but are also just as aerodynamically efficient when paired with the correct rim width.
After finding the optimized rim shape that best supported weight requirements, Roval opted to lace the rims to their Aero Flange (AF) hub, via DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, which features the legendary CeramicSpeed bearings. This way you get a complete, superior wheel system and not just a quick rim.
