Rolf Wheelz
 

My new steed is coming with Rolf Prima echelon wheels. They sure do look sexy! How are Rolfs? It is cool they are all hand built in Eugene, OR and the hubs made by White Industries. I have travled the super information highway for reviews and opinions on Rolf, read and digested them all, but am seeking more current opinions on their wheels.

The HED c2/pacenti/dt swiss rr440 + CK hubs + spokes is a $1k build. Wondering if I should sell the Rolfs while they're new so it can go towards the nicer wheelset.

I have been running my 07 Rolf Vigor RS on my rain bike with 700x23 some Vredestein Fortezza TriComp tires. These wheels have a lot of miles on them and are still holding up fine. They spin up and hold speed well. I am glad I hung on to them after I got a set of Reynolds carbon wheels for my Orbea Orca.

So no funny business with the paired spokes? I read their website and watched the videos. They made a solid case about why they use that design (I know very little about wheels fyi).

I've been running Rolfs since 2000. Never had a problem with them other than a couple bearing replacements from riding in the rain. Spokes were fine: they stayed truer than most wheels. I've weighed 150-165 during that period.

I have a set of the older Rolf wheels from their days with Trek. The Vector Pro. Excellent wheels. Still ride them and they are very fast, particularly at speed. The paired spokes are fine. Never have I had to true these wheels. I am 6'2" and 190 pounds.

Do you know that for sure?

On their website their 2 upper end hubsets specifically say "manufactured in the USA" and have rear steel axels and Ti freehub bodies typical of White Industries. But the USA claim is not made on the 3.0 set from the Echelon or their lowest set, neither has a Ti freehub and the 3.0 rear has an Al axel.

Priceless. You're not related to Yogi Berra, are you. See here: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au...ogi_berra.html

Had a pair of Rolf Prima Vigor α for 6 months or so, they are really nice wheels, but for the full retail, there are better value wheels out there. Have had a few issues them, both F&R seemed to loose a lot of material from the braking surface in the first few rides, even with clean pads at the start, after a few brakes, there would be aluminum in the pad, have not experience this with Shimano, Fulcrum, Mavic or Rigida rims. The front also seems to exhibit a lot of vibration, and need to be trued regular, again, seen much less in other factory wheels I have ridden.

For value for money, in the UK, my set retails at £999.99, you can pick up a set of Shimano RS81 C35's which are carbon laminate for less than half this, and only weigh a little more. For what I paid (was working at an LBS & the distributor was doing a promo) I got a very good deal, but wouldn't consider them at retail.

For the older Trek Rolf wheels, the current Rolf Prima don't have anything to do with them, they were nice wheels BITD, I have a MTB Dolomite wheel, which is still as true as the day I got it.

I had a couple sets of the original Rolf wheels and they were fantastic. I'm told the new stuff is even better I just can't part with that much $$$ for a set of wheels:-)

yes, there is a factory tour that explains that the hubs are made by White Industries. My LBS also confirmed this.

If it matters to you I hope you are right. Personally I'm unconvinced. Note in the video he specifically points out the Ti hubs hell which is absent on the hubs I'm questioning. That feature is one reason I use White hubs more than the made in the usa thing.

If they really do make the lower end hubs they should change their website language to say "made in the usa" instead of "designed in the usa" because designed is exactly what one would say if it wasn't actually made here.