Cycling News recently conducted wind tunnel testing on 10 sets of wheels and found that the difference between the best and worst was less than 2 watts at 30 km/h. With this in mind, our final advice was to "rough it" with a cheap set of aero wheels and use the difference elsewhere. For those who heed that advice, it's a good thing that Roval today announced a new low-cost version of its go-fast performance road racing wheels.

Known as the Rapide CL II, this new wheelset uses the exact same rims as its more expensive sibling, the Rapide CLX II, but combines them with cheaper hubs using less expensive spokes to make the overall package more affordable. Three new tires will also be offered by Roval's parent company, Specialized. [Using the same rims as the Rapide CLX II, the Rapide CL II wheels also boast the same tubeless compatibility as their stablemates. The hooked bead makes them compatible with all tubeless tires, and the maximum inflation pressure varies with tire size, but can be safely filled to 110 psi. Typically used inflation pressures would be considerably lower than this figure.

Specialized claims that these rims are "almost double" the current industry impact standard, thanks to extensive research and development that followed the problems discovered in late 2019. This occurred when Peter Sagan jumped a curb while testing the original Rapide CLX wheels. He hit the curb, the rim cracked, and the tire came off in an instant. Although the wheel passed impact resistance tests, Specialized determined that it was not safe enough and began working on a redesign.

The rims also boasted the same dimensions as their more expensive siblings, combining a wider, shallower front wheel with a deeper, narrower rear wheel. The front wheels are 51 mm deep and particularly wide at 35 mm on the outside. The rear is 60 mm deep but slightly narrower at 30 mm wide. Despite this difference, both have an inner width of 21mm, optimized for 26mm tires but also available from 24mm to 38mm. According to Specialized, tires up to 35mm can run at a maximum of 110psi, while tires 36mm and larger should not exceed 60psi.

Roval claims that by focusing on stability rather than straight-line speed, the Rapide CL II is faster than most 65mm wheels in real-world driving and 25% more stable than the CLX50 wheelset, now two generations old.

While the rim remains the same, the rest of the wheel is where Roval has found cost savings. The weight of the wheel has increased, albeit slightly.

Both use hubs from rival wheel brand DT Swiss, but while the top-class wheels use the lighter Ratchet EXP hubs, the Rapide CL II opts for the more affordable DT 350 hubs. Downgraded Competition Race straight-pull spokes are 18 in the front and 24 in the rear.

Specialized claims the Rapide CL II wheels weigh 1,590g, only 70g heavier than the CLX II, despite the difference in specs.

The Rapide CL II is somewhat more affordable than the more expensive CLX II at 1,500 pounds ($1,750 / €1,800 / A$2,600). It is likely to be a popular option in the affordable aero wheelset segment, but will face stiff competition from Zipp's 303S, Enve Foundation 65, and Hunt 60 Limitless Aero Disc.

Joining the Rapide CL II wheels are three tires from Roval's parent company, Specialized. Each bears the Turbo name, with the cheapest tire at 45 pounds per tire, the intermediate option at 55 pounds, and the top-of-the-line Turbo SW RapidAir 2BR at 65 pounds.

2BR stands for 2Bliss Ready, a term coined from the phonetic combination of "tubeless ready." Two of the three new tires are decorated, and the third (the least expensive) is only a tube-type clincher tire.

Specialized claims that the development of two new rubber compounds (Gripton T2 and T5) makes a big difference, improving durability, rolling resistance, grip, and puncture protection in all three tires.

In the big picture, the reduction in rolling resistance is small. Specialized claims the Turbo SW RapidAir 2BR's rolling resistance is only 1 watt less than the previous model. However, given that the previous RapidAir was widely regarded as faster, this one watt is a significant savings. The cost-effectiveness is also noteworthy when compared to wind tunnel testing of the thousands of dollars worth of wheel upgrades, which showed similarly slight savings.

The S-Works Turbo RapidAir 2BR is said to cost £65.00, weigh 230g, and is currently only available in 26c.

The S-Works Turbo 2BR costs £55.00 and is available in 26c, 28c, and 30c, weighing 260g, 280g, and 300g respectively.

The cheapest of the three, the S-Works Turbo is a tube-type clincher and costs £45.00. 24c, 26c, 28c, and 30c, weighing 200g, 220g, 240g, and 260g respectively.