As with many products in the bike industry, a premium grade component is often developed, then elements of that design and technology are carried down to lower price-points. Sometimes the series name carries more cache than substance. Roval has developed a process that it share's with it' parent- Specialized, that drives the downstream development with real carry-over technology and features that give greater identity to the entire line. The gravel-oriented Terra-series wheels are a great example of this process. The Terra CL Wheelset lists at $1400, by any measure a great value for the delivered product, but you are getting a 1405 gram wheelset with excellent overall capabilities and quality components. The top end Terra CLX weighs in at just under 1300 grams but lists at $2500. There are differences, but the point is that Roval truly applies the development and engineering process that drives the premium grade option down to the more reachable price points, yet the reality is a 1400 gram wheelset with great strength and quality is an incredible option in the marketplace- one that may be one of the best options under $2000, let alone $1400. That is the essence of quality and value while delivering great performance.

The new Terra CL utilizes the same super-light, incredibly tough rim as Roval's flagship Terra CLX model. No typo there- the same rim. The CL is constructed with a 33mm deep rim with an sweetspot 25mm inner width, and utilizes a hooked bead. You get the wheelset prepped with tape to be tubeless-ready. When the pavement fades away, Terra wheels can handle a wide variety of tires, from 28c road rubber to single track capable 47c monster tires, the Terra CL can handle it all. In a nod to accessibility and durability, the DT Swiss 350 hubs are laced with DT Swiss Competition straightpull steel spokes. This is another Roval trait- maintaining a key partnership with DT Swiss, ensuring precise manufacturing standards and designs that easy to service, and parts that can be readily sourced.

Given that the Terra CL is capable of a tire range that covers pavement and full-on gravel racing or riding, the need to keep a carbon rim design equally capable for higher or lower pressures, Roval utilizes a hooked tubeless rim design. Because versatility is king for all-road performance, the team engineered the 25mm internal-width CLX rims to handle tires ranging from 28c to 47c wide, with up to 90 PSI on the 28c rubber. The ability to run a wide range of tire widths as well as a broad swath of pressures allows unparalleled versatility. To ensure both high and low pressure performance, the hook-bead rims represented the best way forward. Keep in mind that the Terra CL has been hand built at every step; from rim layup to the last nipple turn and you being to understand the excellence and quality throughout the construction process and how much skill goes into executing the build. To get the wheels right the iterative process is crucial, and comprehensive. Design. Prototype. Test. Test again. Terra wheels were tested in the field by critical and talented riders around the globe who punished the wheels in all conditions. Roval also put the Terra wheels through thousands of hours of punishing testing in our lab in the process. The result? Terra wheels excel in both qualitative and quantitative test results.

Like all the Roval wheels, the Terra CL is developed with a systems approach and engineered as optimized, integrated systems, taking flange diameter, spoke count, and lacing pattern into account. This enables the engineers to eliminate variables associated with lacing rims to any hub with unknown spokes and an unknown lacing pattern. The result: wheels that are optimized for light weight, strength, durability and ride quality. Having this philosophy driving the entire process ensures a consistency of excellence, so a $1400 wheelset can deliver 90% of the performance and capability of the $2500 version, and give more cyclists the opportunity to experience one of the best all-road/gravel wheel designs available today.