Skip to main content

Roval Traverse Fattie 650b wheels


Specialized’s Roval Fatties were some of the first wider trail wheels available and their light weight and flowing ride feel will suit longdistance cruisers. They’re too flexy and slow on the uptake for pinners though. The shallow rim comes well-taped and with valves installed, so tubeless inflation is immediate and easy. At 28mm, it supports 2.4 to 2.5in tyres well. The carefully thought out spoke arrangement gives a soft, forgiving ride over rough terrain. They’re light and easily hopped around, and the DT Swiss rear internals are totally dependable. Excessive flex means steering accuracy and front tyre feedback is woeful though, and they feel mushy and lacking in muscle under both braking and driving torque. The freehub is slow to engage too, creating a clunky lag on the trail.

Weight 810g+920g= 1,730g
Width 28mm/32mm
Freehub lag 15°
Sizes 650b, 29in

Price $660


Popular posts from this blog

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

CANYON NERVE AL 8.0

  S ince their entry into the UK market a few years ago, Canyon have made a name for themselves as purveyors of well-made bikes that exhibit often extraordinary value. The secret (or catch, depending on your point of view) is that the brand don’t have dealers – they ship bikes directly to your door.

COMMENCAL EL CAMINO 3

Commencal are going from strength to strength at the moment and they’ve taken their tough trail hardtail bang up to date with 650b wheels. With its skinny rims, crankset and fork, the El Camino certainly isn’t perfect and it’s the least hardcore bike here. The handling, smoothness, speed and all-round agility of the basic bike still make it a real blast for technical trail riding though, and it’s a great base for upgrading over time.

Merida Big Nine 100

Wit the bikes swapped over, we head out on the same loop again, this time on the 29in Big Nine 100. Whereas the Big Seven was snappy off the line, the 29er takes a couple more pedal strokes to get up to speed. That said, once it's up there, it's easy to keep the big wheels rolling, allowing us to cover ground with ease. The fire road is at times a little rough, and the bigger wheels roll over the imperfections so we barely notice them.