# Specialized Roval Roubaix 322 ... who are they kidding?



## Einstruzende (Jun 1, 2004)

Read this review:
http://cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2009/reviews/specialized_roval_roubaix_322x09

So what you get is a non aero box section rim, traditional, higher count spokes (24/30), not particularly light at ~1600g, tight fork clearance, and they're harder to true because the spoke nipples are internal. Oh, they're $1,000 dollars. Please explain why I'd go with these instead of a 32 spoke Open Pro laced to DuraAce or Record hubs for half the price?


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## capt_phun (Jun 14, 2004)

Einstruzende said:


> Read this review:
> Oh, they're $1,000 dollars. Plea...hell out the $$$ for those dumb Roval wheels.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Einstruzende said:


> Please explain why I'd go with these instead of a 32 spoke Open Pro laced to DuraAce or Record hubs for half the price?


Hopefully you won't but Specialzed is betting that many fools do. The OP/DA wheels are $399 at Bicycle Wheel Warehouse. I've got a set on my dirt road bike.


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## RC28 (May 9, 2002)

Mike T. said:


> Hopefully you won't but *Specialzed is betting that many fools do*. The OP/DA wheels are $399 at Bicycle Wheel Warehouse. I've got a set on my dirt road bike.



Based on the (stupid) purchasing trends I've seen from a lot of cyclists the last couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if a LOT of people pony up the cash for this.

And you can get the DA/OP combo for less money at various other places than BWW(provided you give them a once over with the spoke wrench) and save some more money too.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

RC28 said:


> Based on the (stupid) purchasing trends I've seen from a lot of cyclists the last couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if a LOT of people pony up the cash for this.


I'm sure they will. I don't understand the trend that makes stuff like this successful. The writer mentions some of the negatives to these wheels and for $1000 wheels there aren't many positives - unless posing outside the latte shop is part of the reason for buying them. Spin any wheel up to 10mph on a ride and none of anyone's buddies are lusting after their wheels. No-one can tell if the wheels contain $0.75 j-bend spokes or $11 straight, bladed aluminum ones



> And you can get the DA/OP combo for less money at various other places than BWW(provided you give them a once over with the spoke wrench) and save some more money too.


Do you have a link for OP/DA less than $400?


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## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

Because they are RED?

No seriously. Why did they even make these?

I have the same question about the Mavic R-SYS wheels. 

In my mind, improvements are either in weight or aerodynamics.

Another 1,500 plus gram wheel with a non-aero rim is not exactly a breakthrough in technology.

After seeing my friends break their boutique wheels that the LBS either can't repair or have to special order parts for, I'm sticking with bulletproof and repairable wheels for the foreseeable future.


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## Ligero (Oct 21, 2005)

As much as I don't like Specialized those wheels will be stiffer and stronger then a pair of DA/OP wheels. As much as people don't like them, internal nipples are stronger. The 24h front wheel has very wide flange spacing so it will have good lateral stiffness. The rear is only down 2 spokes to the DA wheels but has 2 to 1 lacing so it will have nearly balanced tension making it more durable.

With all of that said they are WAY overpriced at $1000 but people will still buy them because Specialized makes them.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Einstruzende said:


> Read this review:
> http://cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2009/reviews/specialized_roval_roubaix_322x09
> 
> So what you get is a non aero box section rim, traditional, higher count spokes (24/30), not particularly light at ~1600g, tight fork clearance, and they're harder to true because the spoke nipples are internal. Oh, they're $1,000 dollars. Please explain why I'd go with these instead of a 32 spoke Open Pro laced to DuraAce or Record hubs for half the price?


Zipp could sell the "team CSC" wheels so why would it be impossible for spez. to sell these?


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Ligero said:


> As much as I don't like Specialized those wheels will be stiffer and stronger then a pair of DA/OP wheels. As much as people don't like them, internal nipples are stronger. The 24h front wheel has very wide flange spacing so it will have good lateral stiffness. The rear is only down 2 spokes to the DA wheels but has 2 to 1 lacing so it will have nearly balanced tension making it more durable.


But what problem are they curing? I'm 200lbs and have never had a wheel fail because of "narrow" hub flanges, partially visible nipples or unequal rear wheel tensions. To me stuff like this is a solution searching for a problem.



> With all of that said they are WAY overpriced at $1000 but people will still buy them because Specialized makes them.


And the sad thing is that we both know the incredible wheels that can be assembled in the home workshop for a fraction of the cost of these wheels.


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

Just an FYI - Nashbar has Easton SLX's for under $500 right now through the 15th.

Much Lighter and better hubs than the Spec. anyday


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## Ligero (Oct 21, 2005)

Mike T. said:


> But what problem are they curing? I'm 200lbs and have never had a wheel fail because of "narrow" hub flanges, partially visible nipples or unequal rear wheel tensions. To me stuff like this is a solution searching for a problem.


You don't need any of the advancements but they don't hurt either. Should all wheel advancements be stopped because the DA/OP wheel was good enough already? 




Mike T. said:


> And the sad thing is that we both know the incredible wheels that can be assembled in the home workshop for a fraction of the cost of these wheels.


I totally agree but many people are not willing to build there own wheels or they want something that can't be bought, like red and white spokes.

I am not saying that the Specialized wheels are great and people should go buy them. I am saying that from a prebuilt-proprietary standpoint that pair has actual good design behind them. Unlike Mavic wheels that are proprietary just to be different and unique looking but do not have good design to fall back on.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Ligero said:


> You don't need any of the advancements but they don't hurt either. Should all wheel advancements be stopped because the DA/OP wheel was good enough already?


Ok I'll reluctantly concede that there might be $25 worth of "advancements" but does that need the extra $575 for marketing?



> I totally agree but many people are not willing to build there own wheels or they want something that can't be bought, like red and white spokes.


I guess I didn't really mean 'home built'. What I meant was wheels built outside of a factory - wheels built by custom builders.


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## Pokey (Apr 15, 2006)

I agree with you guys. Part of the allure of buying a new bike with a good component spec is that you normally get a cheaper price for the nice components. I am contemplating buying an 09 Specialized Roubaix pro (DA) but the only downside is that it comes with these wheels - seems to cheapen the entire build spec. I am not sold on any benefits of the Roval Roubaix wheels. I wish it came with Fulcrums or Ultegra or DA wheels. I might go road tubeless eventually and these wheels certainly won't help.

Have not had a flat tire on my mountain bikes since I switched to tubeless there (6 years ago!)


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Pokey said:


> I agree with you guys. Part of the allure of buying a new bike with a good component spec is that you normally get a cheaper price for the nice components. I am contemplating buying an 09 Specialized Roubaix pro (DA) but the only downside is that it comes with these wheels - seems to cheapen the entire build spec. I am not sold on any benefits of the Roval Roubaix wheels. I wish it came with Fulcrums or Ultegra or DA wheels..


My latest hi-end road bike came with (IMO) cheap junk Mavic system wheels - Cosmos or something. They're hanging up waiting for sale on e-bay or until I get rid of the whole bike. I have two nice (IMO) wheelsets that I can now use on that bike - an OP/UL or an OP/DA 32 spoke set. Now I'm sure I won't have to get a lift home when (if) a spoke breaks.


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

Ligero said:


> I totally agree but many people are not willing to build there own wheels or they want something that can't be bought, like red and white spokes.


We have a winner!


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## lamazion (Sep 11, 2004)

Under $500? Looks like $549 right now. Did I miss something?


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## stumpy_steve (Nov 5, 2006)

lamazion said:


> Under $500? Looks like $549 right now. Did I miss something?


I'd say. The deal was posted almost 3 months ago. A little late?:mad2: 

As for the specialized wheels, we all know people will buy them. Partly because they say specialized, partly because they say roubaix, and the rest because of the color. No doubt they will be superior to new wheel that comes on a 2k> carbon bike (aksiums, dt hoops and specialized hubs, ect...), but won't be worth what you can get for the price.

As I'm sure you guys know, when you walk into a shop that sells specialized, it's not like walking into a shop that sells Giant or Cannondale. These people breathe specialized, and specialized pumps them up with weekend training sessions, which are just basically brainwashing camps on the superior cycling brand known as specialized. 

Also, the roubaix isn't just a bike; it's a style and segment. Usually, for 35+ year old guys wanting to get into road cycling, they buy roubaixs because of the comfort factor and speed. Don't have a roubaix frame but want a smoother tire? Get the roubaix! Want stiffer wheels that don't jut you up and down? Get the roubaix! Want another bike that's smoother than yours? Get a roubaix!

They're capitalizing on both names, the brand and the segment/target audience. And how cool is it to have a roubaix, and then get roubaix wheels with roubaix tires? For some reason, people just loooooooove specialized.


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

Hey... don't rag if you haven't ridden. 

These wheels well... I can't say, I haven't ridden them. Good thing I have OPs myself.


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## zoikz (Sep 5, 2003)

*star hub*

The whole roval line is nuts. The "star hub" makes no sense and looks retarded. (Quickstep team rebuilt their wheels with traditional hubs.) Top line wheels only available in tubular. I would disagree with many of the posters I think that this will really diminish Specialized reputation.


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## nathan535 (Dec 30, 2007)

Not trying on purpose to revive an old thread. 
My wife bought an 09 Spec. Ruby, which is a supremely nice bike and she loves it. We got a great deal on it and while we were at the shop trying it out and buying it, which we did all in one visit (usually never do this but it was a tax-free day which saves us a lot of $) - I asked the mechanics about the wheels. I had never even heard of these and I was thinking in my mind that at least we could get them swapped with some Kysriums or Mavic OP/DA, something i'm familiar with. The mechanics raved about the wheels and said they would take those wheels over a set of mavic Kysrium SLs any day. They seemed honest and we bought the bike with these wheels on them (not that I had a choice of wheels). Who am I kidding though, of course the mechanics at the spec. shop would say such stuff!

Now that I do the research, what the heck are these doing on a high end women's bike? Are there 250 lb women riding Spec. Ruby Pro bikes and descending at high speeds in gusty canyons? Are they 190lbs and riding the cobbles? I'm sure they will work great for me when I ride Paris-Roubaix in some heavy crosswinds. 

Seriously, while the wheels look good and my wife likes them, and I'm sure they will last a while under her 140lb frame, I look at them and see two sets of high quality wheels that do the same exact thing - Open Pro/DA hubs etc, or 1.5 sets of crit/climbing wheels, or a set of crit/climbing wheels and a set of everyday training wheels. The problem is, I don't think anyone would buy these on ebay or anywhere else for anything more than $500, and it would have to be someone with a very precise set of conditions.


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## Pokey (Apr 15, 2006)

Nathan, I might buy them... what color are they? (I like black)

To update my post #13, I have ridden these for about 8 months through two organized centuries (Marin and Levi's Granfondo) and many other miles and I must say I really wanted to hate them so I could buy new blingy wheels - like Ksyrium SL premium or some zip 404s, but I actually really like these wheels now and can't justify the expense of swapping them out for anything. 

They get a bad wrap because they are shallow box-section and not 'aero' and because they say Specialized.

Their advertised weight is about 1,550 grams so they are fairly light, but not the lightest thing out there. They accelerate quickly and seem to corner well. I did not realize how comfy they were until I swapped them out with a spare set of 09 spec ksyrium Equipe wheels (With same tires at same pressures), but the Roval 322x wheels are nicely vertically compliant. 

Coming up Tunitas creek road (paved at the bottom and rough at the top) the Mavic wheels just beat the crap out of me on the same bike. When I went back to the Roval 322x, the bumps were still there, but muted to a nice degree.

I also beat the crap out of these wheels when I ride. I dunno why - guess it's from mtn biking, but I do little bunny-hops here and there to get over a pothole or lip on the road, etc. (It really freaks out my roadie friends) and these are holding up fine under my 150lb weight.

stumpy_steve pegged my profile - I am 39 years old and on my second Roubaix bike (First was an 06). I wanted a road bike with comfort and speed. The bike delivers and so do the wheels. The 06 was compliant, but sluggish under acceleration and cornering. The 09 addresssed both of these issues. I love it. I don't ride roubaix tires - my 09 pro DA actually came spec'd with 23c all-condition Spec tires. I swapped those for 23c Spec Mondo Pro II's. I tried the michelin pro3 Race, but they were not as sticky as the Mondo pro II's in the corners so went back to the Mondo Pro II's.

All I can say is I passed a lot of folks in the corners on the Levi Granfondo century - including a couple cars so my setup was working just fine.

Shoot me a private message if you want to sell yours. Certainly not for anywhere near a grand though...


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## Circles (Aug 3, 2005)

If you think the Roubaix frame is just for old dudes who want to ride a century, you are sorely mistaken. I have the Roubaix S-Works and it is a drop down solid race bike. Stiff, light and compliant, who could ask for more? As for the more upright geometry, 1 cm has been added to the head tube to achieve this. I think it was worth it for a bit more comfort on a pot hole strewn 60 mile road race.


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## The Green Hour (Jul 15, 2008)

The trend for the mainstream bike manufacturers is to brand as much of their own products as they can on their bikes. Not too long ago, when you got a Campy or Shimano equipped bike it actually had those components on it. Now we have Bontrager and Specialized everything on their bikes. To stay true in the high end of things, wheels like this emerge to appeal to the crowd that is awed by their uniqueness.

I really can't comment on their design or technical reasoning, but the price is a little disturbing.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

I've never used those wheels, so I cannot comment on them. However, I have to agree with Stumpy Steve's post about walking into a Specialized shop. He is absolutely right about that. I made the mistake once of walking into the local Specialized/Trek shop and asking them to press a new headset into my frame. They said that they charged $50 to do this. I said: "$50 to press a headset?" They said: "yeah, but we will cut your fork, too." I left that place, shopped around a bit (confirming what I believed the appropriate price to be). The Cannondale/Jamis shop, Giant/Litespeed/Kona shop, and the Bianchi/used bike shop all charged about $20-$25 to do the same procedure. I ended up finding a shop that pressed my headset for $5 and asked me if I had my fork with me so that they could cut it for free (local Felt/Orbea dealer, btw). Does being a Specialized/Trek shop make your services so much more prestigious that it warrants charging twice what everyone else does to do the same procedures (or 10x more than a smaller, less successful shop with less money)? I suppose so, seeing as how that is by far and large the most successful LBS in my area. I used to be a bicycle mechanic myself, so I know how easy it is to press a headset; not worth $50. I do most of the wrenching on my bikes myself, but I do not own a headset press and I like to give my business to the bike shops around town from time to time. $5 was not a lot of business to give an LBS, but it was a good investment on their part. Now, if it is possible for me to buy something at that particular shop, I will drive there to get it even though there are 4 or 5 bike shops that are closer to my house than that one. I bought myself a new cassette for Christmas and I bought it there. They did not have the one I wanted in stock, but they offered to order it for me and I chose that route, even though I had to wait and I could have gotten it the same day from the Specialized/Trek shop. 

I had a boss recently (very recently; I got layed off right before Christmas) that commuted to work on a Specialized bike. He wore Specialized shoes and a Specialized helmet as well. The two bikes that I ride most are a Cannondale and a Giant. He had a very fine bike and all, but he believed it was the most superior machine of cycle-perfection that had ever been crafted in the history of mankind. He picked at me all the time and asked when I was going to "upgrade" my bikes for a Specialized. He was serious. He disliked my Cannondale because it is aluminum, and he disliked my Giant because it was "mass produced in Taiwan." I never had the heart to tell him that his bike was as well.......
Being such a devout Specialized fan, I was surprised to find out that he had absolutely no idea who Tom Boonen was, and that he had heard of Paris Roubaix but really had no idea what kind of race that it was (nor any of the cobbled classics that his favorite company was enjoying success in for that matter).

I have nothing against Specialized at all and I believe that they make very nice bikes, but I do not understand where that particular pretentious attitude that seems to be associated with that company originates from.


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## stlutz (Jan 6, 2005)

Are most shops that sell Specialized now pretty much Specialized-only shops? There was an LBS in my area that I used to love because they sold so many different brands--7 or 8 different frame manufactures, about 3 full clothing lines etc. They always gave me honest judgements about what was best for me because they could still make a sale A couple of years ago they switched to selling only Specialized bikes (+ some Cervelo tri-bikes), Specialized clothes etc. Something was definitely lost there, unless you were an internet retailer who started getting all of my business.  

The one great thing Specialized did with the Roubaix frames was to really get the trend rolling of making high end frames with more comfortable geometry. Five years ago, custom frames used to be sold because they were a necessity--if you had super tight hamstrings and wanted a high end bike, that was what you had to do. Now, numerous manufacturers offer high end frames with geometries that work for people who lack flexibility. Of course, Specialized would have you believe that they are still the only ones doing it!


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