Roval C38 Review - $999/£1150 carbon wheel upgrade worth the money?

[@darrenbarlow5759]

I got a Tarmac SL7 expert and popped the C-38s on. Big upgrade. My first set of carbon and running tubeless. 🍻

[@KJ-sd2ne]

David, thanks for all the good content. I recently purchased and installed a set of C38s based mostly on this video. Running tubes with my 25mm conti-gator hardshell f/r for now. Lynskey Ti, whisky carbon fork, post, stem, and Campy. I’m hanging around 200 pounds and ran 85 front/95 rear and the comfort was surprisingly good. Will set up tubeless soon. I put down 45 miles today and the Tx winds were brutal. The wheels did fine and I did not notice any wind induced issues. I am pleased with the purchase and the warranty makes it that much better. Thanks again and keep the wheel side down.

[@stealth_yellow]

I fitted these to my Roubaix comp di2 with 25mm continental 5000tl. Very smooth. Absolutely love them!

[@maxlloyd3740]

Great looking bike and even better with those wheels on! Great review and video as always David! 👍

[@drchris103]

Was keen to snag the C38's but ZIPP 303's fitted my needs better. Looking into the CLX Alpinist for a proper climbing wheel.

[@jackprick9797]

How go the 303s? Wondering between the C38's and the 303s.

[@hlobend2111]

You do a great job on your reviews on all products presented, enjoy your research.

[@ArnageLM]

Upgraded my 2021 SL6 Tiagra with these wheels, spanking package! Tiagra R4720 is the bomb for amateurs.

[@dongotti85]

Did you have to change your disk brake to center lock or you went with an adapter?

[@ArnageLM]

@@dongotti85 At first adapters, later Dura Ace discs :)

[@dakrisht]

Glad you finally made this one :)

[@KenSmith-bv4si]

Cool wheels I have CL50's(28mm tubeless set-up) on my 2020 SL6 Pro, but ordered a set of 303 firecrest. I liked your review of the Zipp wheels David and why I ordered a set.

[@Enicefield]

Wondering how they compare with the Roval Terra C when used on a Diverge.

[@Snicker60515]

Thanks for the review David! I just found these wheels available on the shop's page where I bought my Roubaix and now I'm horribly tempted to splurge when I really shouldn't. As for the tubeless, I'm a total tubeless junkie and I've been running tubeless since January and I'm not going back to tubes. I do have a question though: How is the ride on these wheels, comfortable or more on the firm side? I ask because I read another review and they mention these wheels aren't the most compliant around, but that was probably running inner tubes.

[@AzzuanToha]

Test this with your TCR!

[@Dannytraining]

2 years later, David could they work on gravel and by that I mean all type of gravel!

[@Hunterthepunter126]

Great review David! In your oponion what is the best TLR tyre for sportive riders? I got a GP5000 TLR which despite mainaining it well and low mileage, cracks started to appear on the sidewalls.

[@n22pdf]

Hi David.. great review.. I have the previous C38s with the 350 hubs which have been awesome other than these using 370 hubs any other differences ?

[@davidarthur]

The main difference are the hubs, these new 370 hubs use the better star ratchet free hub over the older pawl design

[@wheeler1028]

@@davidarthur The DT Swiss 350 is a star ratchet hub (not pawl) on the old C38's.

[@giraopedro624]

no difference... the new c38s bring the 370 hubs (that were updated from the pawl system to ratchet), which is exactly the same as the 350.

[@inVINCEible64]

Had my eye on that sportful bomber jersey. 👀👍🏼

[@ducatiparts110mb]

Have you tried Hunt Wheels? I have a set of their 35mm Carbon Aero wheels. Fabulous quality, £869 and 1357g. It would be interesting to see a ride report comparing them to the rest.

[@MrJwmurph]

Hi David, one thing I'd like to hear about is a comparison between a top spec aluminum rim with these lower spec carbon rims? The Fulcrum Racing Zero comes in alloy with ceramic bearings and in rim format weighs under 1500g for a wheelset and in disk format they weigh 1570g. How would these stack up against these entry level carbon wheels?

[@channul4887]

Yes David, perhaps do a vid on top 10 best aluminium wheels for those who might want better wheels without going with carbon.

[@davidarthur]

I've got some nice aluminium wheels in for a review soon and I'll be looking at the benefits/advantages compared to carbon so watch out for that soon :)

[@ferdinandacosta1288]

Please include Hunt’s aero wide 34 aluminum wheels.

[@alertelectrical]

Another vote for a wheel comparison. I'm relatively new to RB and went straight for Hunt Limitless 50's. For the average Joe in the UK I don't know why we are all not on 50's or higher, all the reviews point to aero gains being more important than weight gains. I'd like the counter argument for less deep wheels - in the UK and I suspect slot of places that don't have access to big climbs.

[@juanbatista5302]

Good video David, Months ago I upgraded the Alloy Fulcrum wheels which came with my Pinarello for a set of Hunt 35 Carbon Aero. Spec by Spec they are pretty close to these Roval (35 vs 38 Depth/ Hooked Tubeless Ready/ 27 mm wide/ External Nipples / $1200 vs $1000) Those $200 difference seems justified though by the bladed straight pull spokes of the Hunts , and 1360 grams weight. I think anyone searching for 1 grand Carbon wheels should take a look to HUNT offers .

[@ledoov]

Thanks!

[@davidarthur]

Wow thanks for the support Eric! :)

[@iainhuddart8496]

Got to love being in the UK, by my reckoning $999 is around £726 at todays exchange rate, NOT £1150! Wheel review without a free hub check, David!!!

[@jdokk9]

its just more expensive in UK & EU. Go check other Specialized prices.

[@dakrisht]

$999 USD flat here in the US

[@jonroberts2820]

Anybody fancy setting up a C38 wheel shop here in the uk? Banging them out at £999. Tidy profit!

[@jdokk9]

@@jonroberts2820 I'm afraid it doesn't work like that!

[@Fixin-To]

1150 includes 20% VAT. At 999 you need to add your State’s sales tax.

[@middelmadigmikkel4599]

How are the roval c38 Vs the Giant SLR 1 ?

[@calebmercado8272]

I bought this to my TCR and people are saying that it's blasphemy to put Specialized wheels to giant hahaha

[@zeljkojukic1106]

So is it good?

[@calebmercado8272]

@@zeljkojukic1106 yeah

[@tonygenovese6239]

Did you have buy the XDR freehub to fit the rival group set

[@koreanature]

Wow, My best friend, Wonderful video dear. I enjoyed watching. Hope to see you soon

[@angelgonzalezgarza1773]

I have exact bike sl7 comp and c38 wheelset, but I need the freehub for sram 12 speed.. Can someone help me to find the part number in USA? Thanks

[@shannonjenkins8482]

Is there some assembly required?

[@NisseOhlsen]

Looks like the same frame Scott is using. Are they all one company making a big joke out of us?

[@davidlenneberg4303]

How do they stack up against hunt wheels.?

[@doflamingo5708]

Roval C 38 Disc Wheelset the Hub I thought is DT Swiss 350? as I saw on specialized website.

[@dakrisht]

OLDER Roval C38s ($1299) used the DT350. These new wheels use the NEW DT370 that has a Star Ratchet LN 18T hub. They changed the hub for this wheelset.

[@wheeler1028]

​@@dakrisht The old C38's had the 18T star ratchet hub and in fact the 350 hub sits above the 370 hub in the DT Swiss hierarchy. It's the 370 that used to be pawl and has just had the upgrade to star. The 350 hub was always star.

[@joshwilliams6849]

I bought an SL7 Expert last year with the intention of upgrading the wheels that came on it after the winter. I had a budget of £1K and was looking at these and 303S, but I ended up getting Mavic Cosmic SL45. They are a few mm deeper, lighter have bladed, straight pull spokes and have the Mavic star ratchet hub with 48 teeth and 9 degrees on of engagement. I must admit I didn't actually try the Roval in the end but back to back with the 303S the hub was night and day different. I know the Mavics probably look a bit old school on paper these days, as they are only 19mm wide internal, but for an average joe the snappiness of the hub, bladed spokes, extra depth for increased sailing and slightly lighter weight VS the usual suspects you cross shop them will win out for ride feel. It is a shame they just have not got any traction with the press because Mavic probably haven't been able to afford to give away units or pay for PR. They also transformed the front end stiffness of the bike I don't get any front disc brake rub when really going for it on sprints and climbs! I saw David responded to a comment below saying the 350 hub doesn't come with a star ratchet but 350 hubs on the Roval CL and CLX come with stars - although the CLX has the 54 tooth vs the 36 on the CL. I believed the 370 was a heavier, inferior hub with only 18T compared to the 350?

[@yavuzuzay]

What tyres are you using with the Mavics? If Conti GP5000 or GP 4 Season tyres...do they come on / off easily?

[@MrCairnsbryce]

Anyone got a link to the wheels in Australia?

[@DietPizza1]

Would be interesting to test hookless rims to their pressure maxes before they pop off. Manufacturers wouldn’t like it I bet though

[@davidarthur]

They do this testing internally and usually they tyre can handle much higher pressures. The max pressure recommendations come from the ETRTO standards body

[@RichardUpstanding]

How do they compare to the Zipp 303s?

[@troyphillips6481]

Tubless are seem to increasingly the way to go. I've heard some people who ride on quite horrible roads consistently not having a single flat in a year. There's gotta be down sides though right?

[@flyfast]

The free hub that come with it is not xdr and won’t work with sram xdr cassette.. anyone find a free hub to get…

[@Robke250]

why no bottle cages? is this a showbike? :)

[@davidarthur]

Bikes are rarely supplied with cages and I usually take them off when filming because I have to weigh the bikes. Fear not, I ride with bottles naturally

[@csren8328]

Still can't beat Winspace Hyper wheels lighter, stiffer, carbon spokes, n ceramic hub bearing for same prices.

[@chriscross5689]

At the end of the day, these are just DT Swiss hubs laced on to chinese/Taiwanese carbon. Get some 'CSC' or 'Elite' Wheels from Ali Express. And pay at least half that. Pretty much same wheels.

[@richcrompton6891]

How do they stack up against something like the lighter weight Hunt alloy wheels? Are carbon wheels stiffer?

[@aaronw5938]

Great video. Isn't the DT370 hub a pawl design though?

[@dakrisht]

No. 18T Star Ratchet LN system. Upgradable to a 54T as well.

[@aaronw5938]

@@dakrisht Thanks mate. Just checked out the Roval site and it indeed says it's a Star Ratchet!

[@dakrisht]

@@aaronw5938 18 tooth upgradeable to 54T. It’s a fantastic hub and runs better than a DT350 hub I’ve used in the past. Really solid A+ winning wheel set here.

[@aaronw5938]

@@dakrisht I have a DT370 which is a pawl design though, so I'm confused. I do know that there's a upgrade kit to change it to a star ratchet hub, but I don't understand how different it can be from a DT350.

[@dakrisht]

@@aaronw5938 right. You have the **OLD** DT370. For this wheelset, Specialized/Roval made DT Swiss build a newer DT370 hub which has a Star Ratchet engagement system with a 18 tooth ratchet ring. You can also upgrade this (as I did) to a 36T or 54t for $100 - better engagement and much louder... now, for your **old** DT370 with the pawl system, you can also upgrade this to a Star Ratchet system with a new and different upgrade kit. Confusing sure, but this is what I got when I spoke to a friend at Specialized HQ. And I opened the hub up myself to swap the teeth.

[@superstar8841]

Hi david , how do you think about this matte color ? Is it easily got scratch and stone chip rather than glossy metalic one ? Do you think it need special care about this paint job ? I like this color very much , but im wondering about the maintenance about this color of paintjob. How do you think ?? Thank you

[@flynando]

Pacenti PR38, same price and only 1385gr.

[@SuperTaylor68]

It’s all gravy 😂👍

[@11robotics]

1150 pounds for a 1600g wheelset is outrageously expensive. Not to mention the weight of the discs (another 200g at least), that you should also add to the picture to be able to make a fair comparison with a pair of, let's say, rim brake Campagnolo Zondas weighing 1540g and costing less than 1/3 of the price. Or a pair of Mavic R-Sys SLR that cost roughly as much as these but weigh 1300g. Sure, keep telling yourself it's not expensive and also so much better compared to a decent rim brake road bike with some high-end aluminium rims.

[@Hunterthepunter126]

What about Hunt wheels? Are they good enough to compete with Roval or Zipp?

[@philellis386]

Can't beat a set of hunt wheels, cheaper, faster and you get the hi care lifetime warranty. I've had both sets of wheels and would pick hunt every day. 🚴👍

[@PhiyackYuh]

How do they stack up putting in the work and going to the gym and get stronger instead of paying for something novelty will wear out in few weeks time? If you have extra cash to burn and want a short cuts then go for it.

[@vomErsten]

Why not both?

[@0741921]

Well nobody is forcing fatasses to buy this. It is meant for pros who do have a proper diet and workout routine. If the average rider can afford it and isn't cocky about it to others, why does that bother you?

[@cycling2005]

No wheel at this quality and price should have round spokes.

[@G0LFII]

I prefer round spokes cause they don't creak.

[@brianford8493]

if its round it rolls.

[@dakrisht]

First

[@NisseOhlsen]

Total bullshit that carbon fiber makes you ride faster. On a flat road at constant speed, weight going straight forward does not present an extra load. It's only where inertia plays a role so i acceleration or climbing that such claims would hold.

[@yudotn]

$ 1499 for DT 370,,wow what an overrated Wheelset. You could purchase yoeleo at the same price with DT 350

[@dakrisht]

You have no idea what you’re talking about dude. It’s a $1000 wheelset. The DT370 hub is excellent and uses a Star Ratchet LN 18T system. And the wheelset is much better than some garbage Yoleo with no warranty and who knows what manufacturing QC. Lol This wheelset uses a **brand new** hub from DT Swiss. Not pawl.

[@shunzhang838]

@@dakrisht or the zipp303s, Zipp 76/176 hub isnt as good as DT250, but they r slightly cheaper and came with life time warrenty