Roval Alpinist SLX Disc wheelset

The Roval Alpinist SLX Disc wheelset is claimed to be the 'pinnacle of alloy' and it certainly leaves little to be desired in terms of performance. It's competitively light, stiff and durable, but even though it's not bad value compared with some high-end rivals, it is still expensive for an alloy wheelset.

For more options, check out our guide to the best road bike wheels.

> Buy now: Roval Alpinist SLX Disc for £760 from Specialized

Roval Alpinist wheels are what the world's best use when the road points up; not these ones exactly, but Alpinists nonetheless. This SLX wheelset is the first alloy product to earn the Alpinist name, with Roval stating that it wants "every rider to experience the magical ride quality of Alpinist. This road wheel brings the hallmarks of the Alpinist family to more riders".

They certainly are cheaper than the top-tier Alpinist CLXs – those would set you back £2,500, whereas these are an easier to stomach £760. You'd hope so, too, as with a 24mm-deep 6069 aluminium alloy rim there's no carbon in sight, and while a claimed weight of 1,485g is far from heavy, it is significantly more than the 1,260g figure of the WorldTour favourites.

On the road.cc Scales of Truth, we weighed the new alloy wheels at 1,550g; that's with tubeless valves and rim tape fitted, so not far off the claimed figure. That's very competitive in the alloy wheel sector. The Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc wheels that Steve tested in 2022, for example, weighed in at 1,790g (though they're almost half the price at £390) and the Ryan Builds Wheels Club Road Wheels at 1,680g (again, a lot cheaper at £455). There are, however, lighter alloy wheels on the market too – for example, the Scribe Race-D Wide+ came in at 1,448g on our scales – and they're currently just £370.

As well as those 24mm-deep 6069 alloy rims, the Roval build includes 21 Sapim D-Light Straightpull spokes at the front and 24 at the rear. These are paired with Sapim spoke nipples and the ever-trusty DT Swiss 350 hubs. This gives the wheels a max system weight of 125kg, and despite gravel, potholes and months of winter abuse they're running just as true as the day they arrived.

Roval also says that the rims have been newly engineered with a shot peen treatment to increase fatigue life. After only several months of testing, I'm unable to ratify those claims though.

Sticking with the rims and Roval has opted for a 20mm internal width and 23.5mm external. This is bang average when it comes to alloy wheels in 2023/2024 but I can't help but wish that Roval had found a way to stretch this a little further for a smoother transition with 28mm tyres; those Scribe Race-Ds have a 21mm internal width, and around these parts, every mm does make a difference.

The DT Swiss 350 hubs are exactly what you would expect and hope to find on a set of solid road wheels, and like many rear hubs this one now uses a star ratchet system rather than traditional pawls. That means two rings with angled teeth glide over one another when you're coasting, and engage – pushed together by springs – when you pedal.

Whereas the previous DT Swiss 350 hub used 18 teeth, the new one features 36. This means the freehub engages twice as quickly when you start to pedal – now just 10 degrees. In my opinion, this is the sweet spot of durability to performance.

Ride performance

I've spent some time analysing the performance of the SLXs in the feature Are expensive carbon wheels worth it? Testing deep carbon rims vs classic aluminium. Spoiler alert, they put in an impressive show.

On the whole, they were around 2% slower on the descents and flats than a set of WorldTour-level deeps; that's as close as you could ever dream of from a set of relatively shallow alloy wheels. Compared with other alloy wheels these feel tight, well mannered and, indeed, fast.

They're stiff on the climbs, not unnecessarily harsh when plodding through the miles, and the shallow profile means they're certainly stable enough to use year-round. The truth is that with a high-quality set of alloy wheels like these, you're losing out on very little speed compared to even the fastest wheels in the business (though deep wheels do look very good!).

Value

While £760 might seem cheap compared with Roval's carbon wheels, for an alloy wheelset it's right up there. In fact, you can get carbon alternatives for less – the Just Riding Along Mahi Mahi Core wheels are £700, for example, and though they're slightly heavier at 1,620g, you do benefit from the aerodynamics of a 40mm-deep rim.

The Roval Alpinists are by no means the only alloy wheels with a price tag this high, though. For example, the latest Mavic Ksyrium SL Disc wheelset has an rrp of £790 and also weighs more at 1,575g, and the range-topping Fulcrum Racing Zero DB wheelset will set you back €1,111 (£950) and is again narrower and heavier (1,590g).

But there are some outliers seriously threatening the Alpinist's 'pinnacle of alloy' claim; it's hard to look past the Scribe Race D Wide+ wheelset, especially as they're currently just £370. Lighter, wider and much cheaper.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a really good wheelset that, though challenged by the Scribe pair, stacks up well against the majority of the competition.

I'm very glad that brands such as Roval haven't given up producing high-quality alloy wheels, and the Alpinists will still make an excellent upgrade over the stock set on most bikes. They show that you don't need to buy carbon or spend over a grand to have a lightweight, durable and high-performance wheelset, and I've been very happy ditching the carbon and using the SLXs on my day-to-day rides, sportives, long climbs and even races.

Verdict

Very good alloy wheelset that proves you don't need carbon for high performance