Specialized Roval Traverse AL mountain bike wheelset review

They might be flexy, but Roval’s affordable broad rimmed, lightweight trail wheels are still proving totally reliable and versatile despite two years of continuous abuse. With 24 front and 28 rear spokes, there’s a lot of twang and flex from either end when working them hard, but however hard we’ve slammed them down they bounce back up straight and still smiling.

The freehub and bearings have proved equally tough too. Despite a soft feel, their low weight makes them quick to gain speed and change direction. The 26mm wide rim fattens up trail tyres nicely and they come with adaptors for every type of front axle going. There’s a lighter, faster pick-up EL version for £599.