Roval Rapide CL III

The Roval Rapide CL III wheels are a very good road racing option. The internal rim width could be better for wider tyres – changing little compared to the Rapide CL II – but these second-tier wheels still offer significantly better value than the carbon-spoked Rapide CLX III.

Tubeless setup

The first job of any wheelset review is mounting tyres. Just as if you struggle to seat tyres on a new wheelset at home, having tubeless setup problems ahead of a review can be exceptionally frustrating. Thankfully, I had no such issues here. The wheels come pre-taped with tubeless valves provided. The former seemed well applied with no obvious bubbling, while the valves allowed plenty of airflow.

The 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres which I mounted inflated easily with a basic track pump, the beads snapping into place at around 50psi.

The only slight issue I ran into came from the tyres, as they struggled to hold air for the first few days. However, a quick top-up with Silca’s excellent Ultimate sealant and all was well.

Ride impressions

With the Rapides fitted to my Aethos, I headed out on a few group rides and immediately noticed two things.

The first is how wide the front rim sits. The 35mm wide carbon rim walls balloon out more than the Enve SES 4.5 wheels they replaced and are easily visible either side of the front tyre. The sight is disconcerting for all of five minutes if you’re new to the Rapide design.

The second noticeable difference, especially when compared to the Enve wheels, came in the form of road feedback.

Where the Enve wheels use a 25mm hookless internal rim profile, Roval opts for a 21mm hooked design. While 4mm might not sound like a lot, it has a significant impact on tyre profile, with the tyres adopting more of a lightbulb shape on the Rapides.

They also sit a little narrower and require a few more psi, with the result being a slightly firmer ride. I felt like I could feel a little more of the road surface under my tyres with the Rapides, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But if your roads are poorly surfaced, the 21mm internal width on the Rapide CL III might feel a little outdated.

Comfort, however, is a distant second to speed with these wheels and thankfully, they do speed rather well.

The Rapide CL III felt excellent on faster group rides, with a noticeable sail effect in crosswind sections. I won’t pretend that the wheels did the work of going fast for me, but it is great fun to do those fast efforts on wheels that feel like they help you out.

I was similarly impressed on the climbs. We weighed the wheels at 1,534g with tape and valves, and the mid-range weight reflects which gradients the Rapide CL IIIs feel best on. Riding up Cheddar Gorge, for example, the wheels felt great on the opening 7% gradients, before becoming a little sluggish on the steep 16% corner and then once again rolling nicely on the shallow upper slopes.

Heading back down what is now a beautifully surfaced road, I found the wheels cornered very predictably. That said, if you’re looking to maximise the grip from your tyres, wheels with a wider internal profile will allow you to run slightly lower pressure.

With the high sides of the gorge funnelling the wind, I was also able to see how well the wheels perform in strong, gusty winds. Their stability is impressive, so if you’ve been wanting a set of deeper carbon wheels, but were worried about taking them out on windy days, this could be a great set of hoops for you.

Rim

While the change in the rim from the CL I to the CL II was minimal, Roval has been a bit more radical with the CL III. Like the CLX versions, Roval has flipped the depths, making the front rim deeper in an effort to save a few watts.

The front rim is 51mm, while the rear is 48mm. This sounds like a small difference, and visually, it is. On the bike, the rim heights don’t look vastly different, helping to retain a more classic aesthetic than you’d get from the Rapide Sprint CLX wheels and their 63mm front / 58mm rear depths.

While the traditionalist in me is a little horrified by a deeper front wheel, I appreciate brands being willing to do something different in a bid to make riders faster. But I’m less impressed by Roval sticking with a 21mm internal rim width.

Coming from a set of Enve’s SES 4.5 wheels, with their 25mm wide internal hookless rim design, showed me the difference that just a few precious millimetres has on tyre profile and thus ride quality.

The Rovals, set up with the same Vittoria Corsa Pro 30mm tyres, felt just a little bit harsher.

Hub and spokes

Roval has once again chosen sensibly with the DT Swiss 350 hubs. These are an unfussy straight-pull design with easy maintenance and a relatively quiet freehub.

While there is little wrong with this hub, it doesn’t feel that exciting on a £1,548 wheelset. Then again, how exciting can a hub be?

That said, the hub’s stainless steel bearings may well last longer than a fancy-sounding hybrid ceramic design.

Likewise, there is little excitement to be found in the spokes. DT Swiss’ Competition Race spokes are again a very solid option, but some wheelsets at this price will come with carbon spokes.

While that might be tempting, I’d urge you to consider whether carbon spokes would be right for you. I love that they can add lateral stiffness and slash grams off the overall weight, which feels excellent on steep climbs, but they can also increase vertical stiffness.

Rivals

Scribe’s Core Ultra 5 wheels (£1,499) feature a similar 50mm depth, but their wider 24mm internal rim width will offer a nicer profile from road tyres. Their 1,338g claimed weight is also more impressive, and their hubs feature ceramic bearings, if that is important to you. That said, we’re yet to test them.

> Best road bike wheels 2026 — upgrade your bike with some shiny new hoops

Another wheelset worth looking at is Hunt’s 54_58 Aerodynamicist UD (£1,599). While these are a touch more expensive than the Roval wheels, they come with a lighter claimed weight of 1,391g and the stiffness benefits of carbon spokes. We have reviewed the 44_46 version and found them to be excellent.

Jamie was also highly impressed by the Farsports Evo5 S Series wheels which offer a good saving and excellent performance. In fact, with Ceramic Speed bearings housed in some very pretty hubs, these look like an absolute steal at under £1,200.

Conclusion

The Roval Rapide CL III wheels are nevertheless very good hoops. They ride exceptionally well, especially on faster rides and benefit from the most important aero tech found in the more expensive CLX III wheels.

Verdict

Very good wheels for fast group rides, though you can spend less

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