Gravel Grinder News: Roval Debuts New Terra CL Wheels
Gravel Grinder News: Roval Debuts New Terra CL Wheels – by Guitar Ted
Today Roval announces two new wheel sets based off their flagship Terra CLX wheels. The goal was to bring carbon fiber wheels and Roval’s design ethos down to price ranges which should be a bit easier on the budget for many more riders than the range topping CLX wheels. Additionally, Roval has a new flared drop bar made in carbon fiber to talk about.
Roval Terra CL: These wheels feature the same rims as the range topping CLX but are laced with DT Swiss Competition straight pull spokes to DT Swiss 350 hubs, which brings the price down from an eye-watering $2500.00 for the CLX versions to a bit more wallet friendly $1400.00 USD.
- 25mm internal, 32mm depth
- Terra CLX Carbon clincher, tubeless
- NEW DT Swiss 350, CenterLock, DT 36T Star, Thru Axle
- 700c – 28mm-47mm (Tire compatibility range)
- 1400 grams
- Wheelset- $1400
Roval Terra C: Going even a step further, Roval has used a similar rim design, but employing a Resin Transfer Design for the carbon, and with this paired up to DT Swiss 370 hubs and the same spoke architecture, these wheels come in at $1000.00 USD.
- 25mm internal, 32mm depth
- Terra Carbon clincher, tubeless
- NEW DT Swiss 370, CenterLock, DT 18T Ratchet LN, Thru Axle
- 700c – 28mm-47mm (Tire compatibility range)
- 1610 grams
- Wheelset- $1000
Roval Terra Handlebar: Roval also has a new flared drop bar with a mild ergonomic shaping to the tops for more hand comfort. These new handlebars have a mild, 12° flare, so they should appeal to folks coming from road bikes nicely.
- 103mm drop
- 70mm reach
- 12 degrees of flare at drops
- Tops are an ergonomic “egg” shape
- Internal Di2 routing on each drop and junction EW-RS910 compatibility on both bar ends
- 200g (420mm)
- Price: $275
Comments and Impressions: The prices of most bicycles and components are going to increase now and into the future due to the effects of the pandemic induced issues the bicycle industry faces. However; one thing that seems to be headed in the opposite direction is carbon fiber wheel prices for those who want to ride gravel and back roads.
This is a very competitive place in the market. We have reviewed Spinergy’s take on this, and we have noted that several other companies are vying for your dollars with similar offerings. Roval is using proven DT Swiss hubs on the CL, and the new DT Swiss 370 hubs on the C models, which looks like a smart move here. DT Swiss has a pretty good reputation for reliable hubs and they are serviceable as well. That the Terra CL uses the very same rim as the CLX model makes that an attractive option for a wheel upgrade. We like the rim depth and internal width here also. Seems pretty spot on to us.
The Terra Handlebars are nice. That 12° flare is nominal, but it works on gravel and it will appeal very well to those coming from a road bike riding background. The press release had no information regarding width options, which was…..curious. That seems like a pretty significant oversight, so we’d suggest checking Roval’s website to see if that detailed information shows up their. It wasn’t available at the time of publishing.
And speaking of that website: https://rovalcomponents.com/collections/gravel#
Note: Information and images for this post were provided to Riding Gravel by Roval Components.