Rolf Prima question.
09-09-20, 08:17 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Rolf Prima question.
With Rolf Prima having been around a while, I am assuming that their wheelsets do not suffer the same cracking issues that the Bonterager Race Lites did?
09-09-20, 11:54 AM
#2
Senior Member
A friend who makes custom steel bikes uses them frequently but personally I would stick to Campagnolo or Fulcrum wheels. Fulcrum is made by Campagnolo.
09-09-20, 12:41 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
One thing I really like about the Rolf Primas is the paired spokes and the color options. They offer colored stickers for the logos on the hoops, and a few color options for cerakote on the hubs, bonus for having the accent color I am planning for my next frame build. Plus, the hubs and hoops (at least the ones I am looking at) are made in the US.
09-09-20, 02:45 PM
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I've heard a lot of good things about the RolfPrima wheels. I had the old Rolf (Trek made) Sestriere wheels for a long time and never had any issues. I thought they were great wheels. I almost bought a new set of RolfPrimas this year. And part of me still wishes that I did.
09-09-20, 10:19 PM
#5
Clark W. Griswold
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Correct they don't have the same issues as older designs. I think early on in Rolf Prima they did have some hub issues but I haven't heard of any major issues for a long long long time.
Their MUSA stuff was made by White Industries who I think make some of the finest hubs out there in terms of quality and price in Petaluma, CA.
Though I am always on the fence with their stuff. I like it but I do worry about durability as a larger rider but others have assured me it is fine and certainly Rolf has put me at ease, so it is a struggle on what I want to do.
Their MUSA stuff was made by White Industries who I think make some of the finest hubs out there in terms of quality and price in Petaluma, CA.
Though I am always on the fence with their stuff. I like it but I do worry about durability as a larger rider but others have assured me it is fine and certainly Rolf has put me at ease, so it is a struggle on what I want to do.
09-09-20, 10:52 PM
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Correct they don't have the same issues as older designs. I think early on in Rolf Prima they did have some hub issues but I haven't heard of any major issues for a long long long time.
Their MUSA stuff was made by White Industries who I think make some of the finest hubs out there in terms of quality and price in Petaluma, CA.
Though I am always on the fence with their stuff. I like it but I do worry about durability as a larger rider but others have assured me it is fine and certainly Rolf has put me at ease, so it is a struggle on what I want to do.
Their MUSA stuff was made by White Industries who I think make some of the finest hubs out there in terms of quality and price in Petaluma, CA.
Though I am always on the fence with their stuff. I like it but I do worry about durability as a larger rider but others have assured me it is fine and certainly Rolf has put me at ease, so it is a struggle on what I want to do.
09-09-20, 10:55 PM
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I have a pair of Rolf Vector Pros - not sure what they have in common with Bontrager Race Lites apart from the paired spoke design, but they’re from the Trek era. They have carried my 185 lb arse around for >50,000 miles/16 years with only a replacement front bearing in that time. Absolutely rock solid wheels - still true as the day I bought them. The hubs are DT 240s modified for the low spoke count (14F/16R) - still super smooth
Last edited by Litespud; 09-09-20 at 10:59 PM.
09-10-20, 07:05 AM
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I used to be a huge Rolf fan on my old Trek 5200 until my paired-spoke rear wheel self-destructed (spoke pulled a huge chunk of the rim out) and I was stuck having to phone a friend to get home. Granted, this was years ago when Trek and Rolf were buddies, so hopefully Rolf has improved things since then (hopefully).
Since then, I've really questioned the paired spoke design, especially on an aluminum rim wheel. Paired spokes look neat but put a lot of stress on the rim in a central spot rather than distributing the load like "normal" spoked wheels do. If you break a spoke on Rolf wheels, you're screwed... the wheel will be so bent and you have so few spokes that you can't even hobble your way home. I haven't seen any data to support the paired spoke design being radically superior to conventional spoke lacing (other than perhaps from Rolf themselves), so I can only assuming that the paired spoke design is really more of a marketing gimmick than an actual design benefit.
In addition to the paired spoke issue, Rolf also uses their own brand of hubs (and perhaps spokes). Hence, if any part of the wheel gets damaged, you have to go to them for parts
I ended-up selling my destroyed Rolf Vector Pro wheelset so that some other poor slob could salvage them for parts. I have since converted to sticking with wheelsets that use hubs and spokes that are readily available, even years after I bought the wheels.
In this year of 2020, I'm convinced that Light Bicycle wheels offer the best-bang-for-the-buck at this time... I can't see why one would go with Rolf wheels over LB wheels unless you just really love paired spokes for some reason. LB lets you color customizations the decals and spoke nipples if that's your thing (I went with blue and purple alternating spoke nipples... and I love it!) My LB wheelset uses DT Swiss hubs and Sapim spokes so unless the rim itself fails, I can easily find replacement spokes and hub parts and would likely be able to find a replacement rim even if LB stops selling the model I have as long as the depth is similar.
My 2 cents...
Since then, I've really questioned the paired spoke design, especially on an aluminum rim wheel. Paired spokes look neat but put a lot of stress on the rim in a central spot rather than distributing the load like "normal" spoked wheels do. If you break a spoke on Rolf wheels, you're screwed... the wheel will be so bent and you have so few spokes that you can't even hobble your way home. I haven't seen any data to support the paired spoke design being radically superior to conventional spoke lacing (other than perhaps from Rolf themselves), so I can only assuming that the paired spoke design is really more of a marketing gimmick than an actual design benefit.
In addition to the paired spoke issue, Rolf also uses their own brand of hubs (and perhaps spokes). Hence, if any part of the wheel gets damaged, you have to go to them for parts
I ended-up selling my destroyed Rolf Vector Pro wheelset so that some other poor slob could salvage them for parts. I have since converted to sticking with wheelsets that use hubs and spokes that are readily available, even years after I bought the wheels.In this year of 2020, I'm convinced that Light Bicycle wheels offer the best-bang-for-the-buck at this time... I can't see why one would go with Rolf wheels over LB wheels unless you just really love paired spokes for some reason. LB lets you color customizations the decals and spoke nipples if that's your thing (I went with blue and purple alternating spoke nipples... and I love it!) My LB wheelset uses DT Swiss hubs and Sapim spokes so unless the rim itself fails, I can easily find replacement spokes and hub parts and would likely be able to find a replacement rim even if LB stops selling the model I have as long as the depth is similar.
My 2 cents...
09-10-20, 08:43 AM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I used to be a huge Rolf fan on my old Trek 5200 until my paired-spoke rear wheel self-destructed (spoke pulled a huge chunk of the rim out) and I was stuck having to phone a friend to get home. Granted, this was years ago when Trek and Rolf were buddies, so hopefully Rolf has improved things since then (hopefully).
Since then, I've really questioned the paired spoke design, especially on an aluminum rim wheel. Paired spokes look neat but put a lot of stress on the rim in a central spot rather than distributing the load like "normal" spoked wheels do. If you break a spoke on Rolf wheels, you're screwed... the wheel will be so bent and you have so few spokes that you can't even hobble your way home. I haven't seen any data to support the paired spoke design being radically superior to conventional spoke lacing (other than perhaps from Rolf themselves), so I can only assuming that the paired spoke design is really more of a marketing gimmick than an actual design benefit.
In addition to the paired spoke issue, Rolf also uses their own brand of hubs (and perhaps spokes). Hence, if any part of the wheel gets damaged, you have to go to them for parts I ended-up selling my destroyed Rolf Vector Pro wheelset so that some other poor slob could salvage them for parts. I have since converted to sticking with wheelsets that use hubs and spokes that are readily available, even years after I bought the wheels.
In this year of 2020, I'm convinced that Light Bicycle wheels offer the best-bang-for-the-buck at this time... I can't see why one would go with Rolf wheels over LB wheels unless you just really love paired spokes for some reason. LB lets you color customizations the decals and spoke nipples if that's your thing (I went with blue and purple alternating spoke nipples... and I love it!) My LB wheelset uses DT Swiss hubs and Sapim spokes so unless the rim itself fails, I can easily find replacement spokes and hub parts and would likely be able to find a replacement rim even if LB stops selling the model I have as long as the depth is similar.
My 2 cents...
Since then, I've really questioned the paired spoke design, especially on an aluminum rim wheel. Paired spokes look neat but put a lot of stress on the rim in a central spot rather than distributing the load like "normal" spoked wheels do. If you break a spoke on Rolf wheels, you're screwed... the wheel will be so bent and you have so few spokes that you can't even hobble your way home. I haven't seen any data to support the paired spoke design being radically superior to conventional spoke lacing (other than perhaps from Rolf themselves), so I can only assuming that the paired spoke design is really more of a marketing gimmick than an actual design benefit.
In addition to the paired spoke issue, Rolf also uses their own brand of hubs (and perhaps spokes). Hence, if any part of the wheel gets damaged, you have to go to them for parts
I ended-up selling my destroyed Rolf Vector Pro wheelset so that some other poor slob could salvage them for parts. I have since converted to sticking with wheelsets that use hubs and spokes that are readily available, even years after I bought the wheels.In this year of 2020, I'm convinced that Light Bicycle wheels offer the best-bang-for-the-buck at this time... I can't see why one would go with Rolf wheels over LB wheels unless you just really love paired spokes for some reason. LB lets you color customizations the decals and spoke nipples if that's your thing (I went with blue and purple alternating spoke nipples... and I love it!) My LB wheelset uses DT Swiss hubs and Sapim spokes so unless the rim itself fails, I can easily find replacement spokes and hub parts and would likely be able to find a replacement rim even if LB stops selling the model I have as long as the depth is similar.
My 2 cents...
1. Larger portion of US made parts. To my knowledge, most hubs, all aluminum hoops, and top carbon hoops are US made, and US assembled.
2. Better warranty and crash replacement.
3. Love the paired spoke look.
Likes For Melvang:
09-10-20, 09:02 AM
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I used to be a huge Rolf fan on my old Trek 5200 until my paired-spoke rear wheel self-destructed (spoke pulled a huge chunk of the rim out) and I was stuck having to phone a friend to get home. Granted, this was years ago when Trek and Rolf were buddies, so hopefully Rolf has improved things since then (hopefully).
Since then, I've really questioned the paired spoke design, especially on an aluminum rim wheel. Paired spokes look neat but put a lot of stress on the rim in a central spot rather than distributing the load like "normal" spoked wheels do. If you break a spoke on Rolf wheels, you're screwed... the wheel will be so bent and you have so few spokes that you can't even hobble your way home. I haven't seen any data to support the paired spoke design being radically superior to conventional spoke lacing (other than perhaps from Rolf themselves), so I can only assuming that the paired spoke design is really more of a marketing gimmick than an actual design benefit.
In addition to the paired spoke issue, Rolf also uses their own brand of hubs (and perhaps spokes). Hence, if any part of the wheel gets damaged, you have to go to them for parts I ended-up selling my destroyed Rolf Vector Pro wheelset so that some other poor slob could salvage them for parts. I have since converted to sticking with wheelsets that use hubs and spokes that are readily available, even years after I bought the wheels.
In this year of 2020, I'm convinced that Light Bicycle wheels offer the best-bang-for-the-buck at this time... I can't see why one would go with Rolf wheels over LB wheels unless you just really love paired spokes for some reason. LB lets you color customizations the decals and spoke nipples if that's your thing (I went with blue and purple alternating spoke nipples... and I love it!) My LB wheelset uses DT Swiss hubs and Sapim spokes so unless the rim itself fails, I can easily find replacement spokes and hub parts and would likely be able to find a replacement rim even if LB stops selling the model I have as long as the depth is similar.
My 2 cents...
Since then, I've really questioned the paired spoke design, especially on an aluminum rim wheel. Paired spokes look neat but put a lot of stress on the rim in a central spot rather than distributing the load like "normal" spoked wheels do. If you break a spoke on Rolf wheels, you're screwed... the wheel will be so bent and you have so few spokes that you can't even hobble your way home. I haven't seen any data to support the paired spoke design being radically superior to conventional spoke lacing (other than perhaps from Rolf themselves), so I can only assuming that the paired spoke design is really more of a marketing gimmick than an actual design benefit.
In addition to the paired spoke issue, Rolf also uses their own brand of hubs (and perhaps spokes). Hence, if any part of the wheel gets damaged, you have to go to them for parts
I ended-up selling my destroyed Rolf Vector Pro wheelset so that some other poor slob could salvage them for parts. I have since converted to sticking with wheelsets that use hubs and spokes that are readily available, even years after I bought the wheels.In this year of 2020, I'm convinced that Light Bicycle wheels offer the best-bang-for-the-buck at this time... I can't see why one would go with Rolf wheels over LB wheels unless you just really love paired spokes for some reason. LB lets you color customizations the decals and spoke nipples if that's your thing (I went with blue and purple alternating spoke nipples... and I love it!) My LB wheelset uses DT Swiss hubs and Sapim spokes so unless the rim itself fails, I can easily find replacement spokes and hub parts and would likely be able to find a replacement rim even if LB stops selling the model I have as long as the depth is similar.
My 2 cents...
