Yesterday’s Tarmac SL9 launch included a new wheelset to match the new bike – the Roval Rapide Sprint CLX:
These are the first road wheels from Roval to be added to Zwift since 2021, so we expected them to perform strongly against the older Rovals in the Drop Shop. Here’s how the Roval Rapide Sprint wheelset is described in the Drop Shop:
Meet the Roval Rapide CLX Sprint – built to get to the finish line first. Since 90% of aero benefit comes from the front wheel, we went all-in with a 63mm deep front rim to slice through the wind, paired with a lightweight 58mm rear wheel with carbon spokes for blistering acceleration when it counts. Charge full gas with confidence: Roval is shifting the aero paradigm – depth redefined for absolute speed.
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 29 and above, for 650,000 Drops. They are rated 4 stars for aero and 3 for weight, like other strong all-arounder wheelsets. But how do they compare? Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our tastes, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets.
Let’s dive in and learn all about the in-game performance of these new Rovals!
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
Roval’s Rapide Sprint CLX hoops turn in a strong aero performance on our flat tests, coming in alongside the new Miche Deva RD 62 tied for 3rd overall among non-disc hoops.
The Rapide Sprint CLX puts 43 seconds into our stock wheelset across an hour of flat road, which puts them behind the Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 (46.8 seconds) and Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 (44.3 seconds) but ahead of all other non-disc wheels.
Climb Performance
The Rapide Sprint CLX wheelset is a bit heavier than the newer super “aero all-arounder” wheelsets we’re seeing come to Zwift lately, turning in a time that puts it just behind the new Miche Deva RD 62 and well behind the lightest wheels.
Roval’s Rapide Sprint CLX puts 6.7 seconds into the stock wheelset, while the Miche Deva RD 62 gain 7.2 seconds and the best climbing wheels in game, the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532, gain 14.5 seconds.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.
Conclusions
The new Roval Rapide Sprint CLX wheelset greatly outperforms other in-game Roval wheels in aero performance, and loses only to the Roval Alpinist CLX in climbing. So they’re a strong upgrade for Roval fans who haven’t seen any new road wheels on Zwift for ~5 years.
That said, when compared with pure aero wheels, they fall a bit short. And compared with aero all-arounders, they’re edged out by the new Miche Deva RD 62, and handily bested (like everyone else) by the Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 super wheels. So it’s hard to recommend them, especially priced at 650,000 Drops with a level 29 unlock, since they’re not much easier to unlock than other wheelsets with better performance.
These wheels have been added to the following posts:
- Master Zwift Wheels List
- Zwift Speed Tests: Wheel Ranking Charts
- Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level
- Zwift Speed Tests Public Data (Google Sheet)
Questions or comments?
Share below!
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
The SL9 in game pairs nicely with the 6560 lava hoops
Oddly the ability for the lava wheels to change colour has been removed, along with every other wheelset. I wonder if Zwift realise they broke this function?
I am such a sucker that I think a Specialized frame needs Roval wheels to look correct. So I will probably end up buying them just for the sake of good looking while free riding, while throwing it all overboard and go for the fastest wheels when racing …
It’s a shame that Zwift don’t do bikes and wheels in a series of classes which can only be purchased at set levels.
The higher level you are, the better and quicker your equipment.
That way, there is no sillyness about the odd 0.000005 seconds between frame and wheel and it’s all down to the rider.
Yes have the ability to level up on kit like now.
But Group bikes n wheels in classes from 10 to 1. Top being 1, each group being earned at 10 levels of xp..
Makes the bunch look more normal and we can swap kit around without thinking we are loosing out on that fraction of a second for just not being on the quite right bike. 😉 👍 😁 😁 👍