We brought you the story of Roval’s super-light, super-limited Team Edition Control SL wheels back in March. Back then, they were the lightest production mountain bike wheels in the world, at 1248g a pair (with rim tape and valves).
Today, Specialized is launching the non-team, ‘regular’ Control SL wheels and list them as weighing 571g front and 677g rear (XD driver, Microspline is 685g) with both wheels including valves and rim plugs and that adds up to exactly the same weight! You just don’t get the fancy blue decals, you get stealthy black ones instead.
On the plus side, unlike the Team Edition Control SL wheels, you also get a CentreLock brake option as well as the originals’ six-bolt.
The price, unfortunately, is still very much ‘team only’ as you’re getting the same super light hubs and the same pinch-flat resistant carbon rim profile as the originals. So, the Control SL wheels are going to roll in at £1950 a pair, which is pretty eyewatering – until you consider that Roval’s current lightest road wheel – the climbing specialist Alpinist CL weighs in at 1365g…
So, if you’re a racer (or even if you’re not – the wheels have a bike+rider ‘system weight’ limit of 125kg) and you want the biggest advantage for that unsprung weight, these are currently the lightest production mountain bike wheels on the planet. And they don’t even have any oddball components – they take regular 24/24 spokes and the rim features a 29mm internal width for greater tyre support.
And with the new black on black decals, it might be a while before your rivals notice what’s changed about you and your bike…
And talking about bikes, if you get the new S Works Epic, they’ll come already fitted…
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Since it’s the same product and same company worldwide I wonder why the “**it Happens” No Fault Crash Replacement” seems only to apply in the USA? No way I’d consider wheels that expensive without it.
I got a Chinese set almost this light (1260g for 27.5”). No crash replacement deal either, but they are still running true.
Buying Chinese wheelsets made of “carbon” from some random source is still a huge gamble. You may get lucky, you may get a new set if teeth.
I have had “Mavic” wheels in my truing stand that were actually made of some kind of soft-ish plastic. And had some deep road wheels that had cracked all the way through after riding a 100 kilometers of even roads. The customers thought these were great deals until I had to break the nasty truth to them.
I agree buying carbon is a gamble. So far I’ve had Chinese carbon wheels and frame -ok up to now. Chinese seatposts on MTB and CX – fine. Chinese carbon saddle -super light and surprisingly comfy -fine. Canyon carbon frame and wheels -fine. Roval carbon wheels – fine even when I had to ride them on flat tyres out of a desert, very impressed with their strength. Specialized Epic frame said wheels attached to – big crack round bottom bracket to chainstay bearing, scrap. Chinese handlebar – possible crack where I may have overtightened some bar furniture which had a sharp edge, scrap before I used it. I’m not a heavy rider, YMMV.