First Ride: Roval Traverse Fattie Wheels - Super Wide and Super Fast
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Specialized told us at its Hood River Enduro product launch that while Roval Wheels is operated under the same roof as Specialized, and while Roval Wheels is owned by Specialized, that Roval (say: "rove ALL") is actually not a Specialized product and is in fact, a completely separate entity that just happens to pop up at Specialized launches throughout the world. Now that we are all clear on that, let's begin our presentation of Roval's most important development since its inception: the new Traverse Fattie wheelset.
Roval Traverse Fattie Wheels
Roval Joins the wider is better revolution with a stunning pair of hoops designated for AM/Trail and enduro competition. The Traverse Fattie SL features a carbon rim that measures 35 millimeters outside and 30-millimeters inside its low-profile, beadless flanges. The Traverse Fattie features an aluminum rim with the same basic dimensions, although it has a slight bead at the inside of the flanges to add impact protection and to soften blows to the tire that may cause pinch flats. Both wheels are tubeless ready designs and both roll on Roval straight-pull-type hubs with DT Swiss internals, and both use DT Swiss spokes. Traverse Fattie wheelsets will be offered in either 29 or 27.5-inch sizes, and no plans were vocalized during the launch for 26-inch versions. The wheels are hand-built and covered by a limited warranty and Roval's tech center in Salt Lake City, Utah, offers a crash replacement program which averages $80 USD for labor, and with new carbon rims reportedly costing $125. For those readers who are short on time, Traverse Fattie SL carbon wheels reportedly weigh 1570 grams in 29 inch and 1530 grams in 27.5 inch, The aluminum-rim Traverse Fatties are stated to weigh 1770 grams in 29 and 1690 grams in 27.5-inch sizes. Prices are $1,400 for the Fattie SL carbon wheelset and $600 for the aluminum versions.
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 The original Traverse rims measured 21 millimeters between the flanges. By contrast, the 30-millimeter-width Fatties look cavernous. |
Traverse Fattie SL • Rims: Carbon, 30mm inner width, Zero-Bead Hook technology • Front Hub: Aluminum body, sealed cartridge bearings, 15/20mm end cap compatibility • Rear Hub: Aluminum body, sealed cartridge bearings, 135/142 and 142+ end cap compatibility, • DT Swiss Star Ratchet freehub with quick 6° engagement, XX1 driver body compatible • Tubeless: Compatible with Roval rim strips and Roval rim plugs • Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution • Decal: 3 vinyl decal options included with wheels • 29” - 1,570g; 27.5" - 1,530g (no valve stem, rim strips) • MSRP: $1400 USD | Traverse Fattie • Rims: Aluminum, 29mm inner width, Zero-Bead Hook technology • Front Hub: Aluminum body, sealed cartridge bearings, 15/20mm end cap compatibility • Rear Hub: Aluminum body, sealed cartridge bearings, 135/142 and 142+ endcap compatibility • DT Swiss hub internals, XX1 driver body compatible • Tubeless: Compatible with Roval rim strips • Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution • Weights: 29” - 1,770g; 27.5" - 1,690g (no valve stem, rim strips) • MSRP: $600 USD |
Off-angle tire deflection tests proved what test riders already knew
- wider rims support the tire far better.
The Back Story
The wide trailbike rim movement had already gained traction among elite level riders before Roval jumped on the concept, and while a handful of wheelmakers had pushed their rim widths to 28-millimeter-internal, it was Spank that pioneered a heavier, 30-millimeter all-mountain design and Syntace that broke the ground for super-wide XC/trail rims with its lightweight MX 35 and 40-millimeter wheelsets.
The story goes that Roval may have delayed entry in the uber-wide wheel arena had Specialized's Jason Chamberlain not been so stoked about the cornering stability of his 29er fatbike, that he insisted everyone in the office to test ride his wheels. The consensus among the employees there could have been predicted by those of us who have ridden wide rims: Traction was better, cornering was far more stable and rolling resistance was equal to, sometimes better than riding the same tire fitted to a narrower rim. Better still, the tires deflected far less in rough corners and high-G, off-angle landings.
Tests were made at Specialized (oops, sorry) to compress tires mounted to different width rims onto an angled surface. The results showed conclusively, that tires deflected significantly less when mounted to wide rims. In real world trials, wider rim samples proved to be more stable and reliable in tubeless configuration. Roval's designers settled on a 30-millimeter inside-width rim because that was as wide as they felt a rim could grow and still be manufactured at a competitive weight. The key factor, however, that drove Roval to produce the Traverse Fattie was the additional control that the wheels provided in all situations.
With excess weight a key issue for its wide-rim project, the Roval team concentrated on producing the Fattie SL carbon rim first. To save weight and also to prevent the oversized rim from becoming too rigid, the spoke entries are reinforced with small patches of carbon material. A beadless flange design allows that part of the rim to be made thicker and more impact resistant, while the inner well of the rim has been profiled to catch and seal the tire's beads while performing a tubeless installation. The automatic boost in rim strength and stiffness allowed Roval designers to reduce the spoke count to 24 for the front wheel and 28 (down from 28 and 32) for the rear wheel without any loss of integrity. In addition, the stiffer hoop tends to spread deflection loads to all of the spokes more evenly, which increases the life expectancy and trueness of the wheels.
Fattie aluminum rims are similar in profile, but not direct copies of the carbon models, because metal has different properties. The rim flanges are thinner, and capped with a wider, rounded bead surface to increase impact resistance, and the rim's internal geometry was altered to form a better support structure. The rigidity of the Fattie rim is such that both the carbon and aluminum versions use the same DT Revolution butted spokes and spoke counts. The hubs, however, are slightly different, with the Fattie SL carbon wheels using DT Swiss innards and a special 56-tooth star ratchet freehub system that has a six-degree engagement. The aluminum Fattie's hub also has DT Swiss innards, but uses that makers's conventional ratchet design. Both wheelsets are HD-Drive 11-speed compatible and support all popular axle standards.
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| SL carbon models are shipped wth both the vinyl sealing strip and the new Roval Plug system. Both will get your tubeless game up and running without a hassle. |
New Take on Tubeless
Roval offers a molded plastic rim strip to seal the spoke entry holes and convert the Fatties to tubeless, but for the carbon SL rim, Roval developed a novel plug system. Push-in Delrin plugs, each equipped with an O-ring, are placed in each spoke access hole inside the rim and that is all you need to convert and seal the wheel for tubeless. The plugs are such a simple system that one wonders why we haven't seen this before. The plugs weigh 12 grams total versus 72 grams for the plastic rim strip - and the plugs also allow for the use of a tube if you need one. Presently, Roval's plugs only fit the carbon rims. On the tubeless subject, Roval redesigned its Presta valve to use a thick O-ring rather than the previous tapered plug and field reports say that the O-ring is a more reliable option.
Subdued Graphics - or Not
Roval turned back the flame on its graphic treatments and we are good with that. Black on black or white on black are the standard schemes, but Roval includes a three-color mylar graphic kit, similar to Enve's, with the carbon SL wheels so owners can match them up to their bikes.
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Roval Traverse hubs feature straight-pull spoke flanges and
DT Swiss internals. Tool-free endcaps support all axle options.
Most riding time was spent on the Traverse SL carbon wheels, fitted to a Specialized S-Works Enduro 29er. The last riding day was spent on the 27.5-inch wheels. Pre-riding most of the stages of the Hood River enduro gave plenty of opportunites to push the Fatties over a variety off terrain and situations - including some rather stiff, loose climbs that probably gave competitors some grief. The high-speed stability of the Traverse Fattie wheels is remarkable.
Test bikes were fitted with Specialized's Butcher front tire and either the new Slaughter or a Purgatory in the rear - all in the 2.3-inch casing. When cornering, the wider rims seemed to hold a more stable edge, so when a wheel began to drift, it was a more gradual break, not a sudden push or slide. Optimum pressures were a little lower, about three PSI in most cases, although some riders were using five PSI lower pressures as starting points.
The dozen or so journalists on hand provided a sample group for pinch flats and sidewall tears. There were only four, maybe five punctures over three full days of riding, three were sidewall injuries which required tubes. The rest were slow leaks which took longer than normal for the sealant to heal. Most took place on stage five, which began with a flat-out run over imbedded rocks. Looking back at the body of evidence, it appears that the survivabiility of a tire on the Traverse Fattie wheels is about the same as that same model fitted to a narrower rim.
Where the Traverse Fattie steps up to the top block is when it is judged on perfomance. Mounted to the 30-millimeter rims, the tires felt more consistent over a wide range of conditions as the bike was run through braking, turning and climbing modes. The result was that the rider could forget about the tires and the trail surface and look farther ahead - which is a plus in any situation where speed is important.
First Impressions:
 | Roval has delivered on the Traverse Fattie's performance. Judging their reliability, though, will have to wait for a longer term test. Each day, when we were done with our rides, the test bikes and wheels magically disappeared and arrvied the next morning tuned, sparkling clean and ready to rock. What I can say from three days of riding Roval's Traverse Fattie wheels is that wider is bettter, and that I would put them on my wish list. Previously, Roval wheels impressed me as being the lightest possible combination of rims, hubs and spokes to get the job done - structures tuned right to the edge of where they will not fail under their intended uses, but maybe not the best choice for a rider who will be pushing the limits. The Traverse Fatties are fast wheels, but they feel more substantial and trustworthy, and their effects upon the tire's performance are similar. Instead of smashing grams, Roval concentrated upon the strengths of the wide rim format and used them to build in an extra margin of confidence for those moments when you ignore that voice in your head that strongly suggests you should be reaching for the brakes. - RC |
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English speakers may not have the problem, but please do not puzzle customers with marketing words for stuff that has a standard name! Tires have become so complicated !!! slow reezay, super tacky, super gravity, black chilly, vertstar, trailstar, snakesking, exo, 3C, protection, 2 ply... multiplied by wheelsizes, width brands, models. When am I supposed to ride my bike if I have to spend hours trying to find the right tires?
but really, its not that hard to figure out , is it?
maybe its hitlers fault for not finishing the job, 'cause then it might be written in german…...
"tubeless ready" is seriously misused these days - there are several rims out there which won't work properly with all "tubeless ready" tyres.
Any bike shop should be able to clearly explain all the appropriate terminology in the appropriate language, and if they can't then pick a different bike shop.
S-WORKS 29.5 mm WIDE RIMS FTW....... "
(disclaimer - actual specialized team riders may use different equipment)
As almost everything these days that whole thing is just marketing driven to make riders drop a few dollars extra or how would you explain that's we see people riding all kinds of wheel sizes and different widths of rims winning or finishing on the podium world cup level competition these days?
There is really no golden standard but its what YOU prefer for YOUR riding!
used to have a set of double wide rims with 2.5 nokians and they were great
i could lower my pressure to 15 psi on muddy rides and attack roots without ever getting a pinchflat
Little review
www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/wheel-sets/product/review-ryde-trace-enduro-bitex-14-48392
I have just received a wheel set with these rims and they look sweet, will get them tested this week
Paired to a Shimano hub, you should get about 15 years out of a $100-$200 wheelset that will unlikely ever even break a spoke. Run' em 2bliss or tubed, pump em to App.21 PSI. Done.
If you manage to destroy the wheel, I'm sure something else (like your femur) probably broke as well in the collision.
And they come in 26".
Now go and ride and drink beer. Repeat as necessary. Don't attempt at the same time.
Their world cup riders are already on 27.5" Demo 8 bikes for DH too, so I expect that'll hit production for 2015 too.
un real tractoring with little penalty on the up.
im actually concidering these ones for my nomad 650b...or ibis but 40mm...so hard to get tires! ive only heard bad things about enve so no enves for me
This isn’t a new standard so to speak, it’s more another option?
People normally complain about ‘new standards’ due to the non cross compatibility, between the to items e.g.- [Fork steerer and head tube], [Bottom Bracket and Cranks], [Hub and Drop out].
However buying new tyres (You may not even need to depending on the width of your current tyres) is very cheap, and with such a improvement in ride quality isn’t much of a hassle.
It does say that the hubs work with all (popular) axle standards and and they come in a "standard color scheme".
Relax about "standards"... These will work with any 27.5 or 29 frame and tires...