How Much SLOWER Are Shallow Aluminium Wheels? Carbon Deeps v Aluminium wheels Speed Tested

How much faster are deep carbon road bike wheels on climbs, the flat, and downhill compared to aluminium wheels? Deep vs shallow wheels - We do the road riding to find out!

Ever wondered "how much faster do deep wheels make you?" or "are deep rims worth it?" Well, here's your answer, we put the Roval Rapide CLX II aero wheels up against the new aluminium Roval Alpinist SLX wheelset to see how much speed you can buy.

Road bike wheels such as the Roval Rapide CLX or even the Roval Alpinist SLX represent a sizeable investment, this test aims to test aluminium wheels vs carbon to see which are best for your road bike.

Let us know which set of road bike wheels you'd go for in the comments section below...

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⚫️ In this video

0:00 Introduction
0:41 The contenders
1:35 The Tests
2:13 the Rules
3:18 Descending Test
5:36 Flat Test
7:14 Climbing Test
8:52 Are carbon wheels worth it?

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[markusseppala]

I like how you skipped showing the testing and concentrated on the results, unlike GCN that shows every test with loud music.

[dpgrenfree]

You're killing all my justifications for additional expenditure ;)

[DnDMF]

It would be interesting to see a low budget carbon wheel in the upcoming alloy wheel group test. Curious how today's low budget carbon does against medium/high-end alloy.

[savagepro]

Just like OSPWs, deep wheels may not 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒚 be advantageous, but dude, they sure look sexy AF!

[tyrionlannister]

Deep rims, I ride 60mm myself, make a difference in flats, when you ride at around 35 or more km/h and you feel the rhytm and pace. Could be problematic in crosswind. Most of all, the bike looks great and encourages you to get on it.

[aluminati]

Very interesting. Thanks. As a modest amateur at 56 I still find myself riding at around 40km/h when in a group. But have to admit I run my carbon 50s mostly for the looks. Easy to dismiss marginal gains, but added up the difference is big. 5% faster tires, 4%slicker jersey, 7%more aero frame& cockpit… it all adds up.

[quarkonium]

The quality of the tests here impresses me. Obviously not perfect and there's definitely variables that could have been controlled for that were not taken into account but overall I would say these results are significant, unlike a lot of the tests we see today on cycling Youtube. Keep it up!

[nicholkid]

I would really love to see the same test but also include the cheap alloy wheels that come on an entry level bike like an Allez.

[BartKestelyn]

Having just experienced 50mm deep wheels in 35 km/h crosswinds, while braving motorised traffic, I'm in the shallower section camp 😉

[clippingin]

Good video, and there wasn't a lot in it when you consider the price difference. It would be good to include a set of more typical carbon aeros 40-50mm in the test.
I wouldn't say 'con', but rather super-deeps are speciality items, not something you can ride every day - especially the front.
The descent in this video was a drag-strip, how would they cope with fast sweeping bends and a cross-wind?
In the 90s/00s I had a set of HED Deep which were 90 mm including the alloy braking surface, and using the front with cross-winds was terrifying, leaving me unable to control the bike from the aerobars and losing the aero advantage of the deeper rim.

[ricardorusso]

Great video! More than anything it shows you can still get great value for money and great savings from aluminum rims!

[cauldron]

Great video! You made my wallet smile as I have been saving for a pair of roval wheels for some time now. Over time, I got the feeling that they come a lot cheaper when buying a bike with such wheels. But then it all comes down to your budget.

[robbchastain]

I like your demonstration and in response to your saying 'budget-conscious' I'd probably say more like life-conscious. All of us, I suppose, would like to buy the best and most expensive, but life simply doesn't allow that, only a relative few can spend and spend and spend with nary a care. And it is great to have such a wide range of high-quality offerings from which to choose.

[davemoss]

If your rides are significantly hilly, the limiting factor on the downhills is likely to be skill, or courage or even fear of damaging your expensive wheels on a road defect. This would make cheaper wheels faster. Since deep carbon offers little or no gain on the uphill, the only gain is therefore the flat.
Apart in races, it would be better to spend the money on other things

[davidcroxton]

A very well constructed and performed test.
Measuring resistance to lateral deflection is a seldom measured and underrated wheel performance parameter. Measuring wheels trued to different tensions would be interesting. 😊

[FllnThBlanks]

I don't think I can do deeps. It's too windy by the coast here, I struggle to keep my line as it is with shallows sometimes.

[runnerdan]

Love the video, keep this content coming! Great presentation too!

[Rose.Of.Hizaki]

Having just upgraded to and ridden on a set of 55mm deeps for a little over a week now. I would say for the average joe who mainly cycles for exercise/recreation and maybe the odd club run or _'fun run'_ or sportive like the Dunwich Dynamo every year -- if youre paying top end prices then no it isnt worth it at all. If you already have a good set of wheels but want to spend money anyway then maybe looking at other parts like your stem, handlebars or seatpost or saddle to reduce some weight over stock factory parts might be slightly more worthwhile otherwise take that money and spend it on a gym subscription if you want a substantial improvement.

[corentin]

Very interesting test ! I would believe in the alloy world, comparing these Roval against the DT Swiss PR1400 Dicut would be quite useful as they seem to share a lot of similarities

[seraph]

Great video. I'm fine with my shallow aluminium wheels.