Specialized Roval SLX 24 Disc wheelset review
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Specialized Roval SLX 24 Disc wheelset review

An aluminium all-rounder

Our rating

4.5

800.00
650.00
950.00

Immediate Media

Published: October 5, 2019 at 10:00 am

Our review
An everyday wheelset at a price that’s easier to stomach

Pros:

Practical rim profile, hub quality, weight

Cons:

These may put your carbon wheelset to shame

The symmetric Specialized Roval SLX 24 rims are alloy, 23.5mm wide externally, 20mm internally and 24mm tall, hence their name.

Flat-sided with a uniformly rounded blunt top, the rims have an attractive satin-black finish and 24 spokes each.

The double-butted, slim and round DT Swiss Competition Race spokes are radial on one side of the front wheel and 2x on the disc rotor side, while the rear is 2x on the driveside and 1x on the other.

Specialized Roval wheels have long used DT Swiss hub internals, something that’s not uncommon among the enlightened. Specialized’s AFD aero disc hub bodies have sealed cartridge bearings and the DT Swiss 350-infused rear hub is superbly smooth, and spins more freely in the workstand than all but the best wheels.

They come with 12mm thru-axle end caps, plus quick-release end caps and skewers, and the rims are lined with tubeless tape, with valves supplied.

My pair, including 12mm end caps, tape and valves, and weighed 697g front and 865g rear, totalling an impressive 1,562g.

There are other aluminium wheelsets around of similar weight, but the Rovals have a wider internal width, making them more versatile for today’s riders.

Whether you want to run 25mm road tyres or 40mm gravel rubber, these wheels offer great sidewall support and generous air volume. Their tubeless tyre security is reliable at low pressures, but if you do bottom out on squashy tyres and strike a rim, its durability should mean you escape potentially catastrophic damage.

A wide aluminium rim with sufficient durability and performance to excel on or off road might seem unlikely, but the SLX24 Disc is just that. They willingly spin up to speed and sustain it over rolling terrain with ease.

With surprisingly good reactivity, they’re also positive on long climbs and very confident downhill, where their agile, shallow profile presents little for gusting winds to tug at.

Equally at home racing multiple disciplines, training or commuting, the SLX24 Disc is a brilliant all-rounder.

Product

Brand Specialized
Price A$950.00, £650.00, $800.00
Weight 1562g

Features

Rim material aluminium
Tubeless compatibility tubeless_ready
Tyre type clincher
Brake type simple disc
Hubs Roval AFD1 / Roval AFD2
Spokes DT Swiss Competition Race T-head
Rim depth 24mm
Rim internal width 20mm
Spoke count 24
Spoke count 24