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IB14: Rolf Prima Rolls Out Budget Carbon Road Wheels, Adds Wider 27.5″ Ralos CXC Mountain Bike Wheels

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2015-Rolf-Prima-Ares-ES-budget-carbon-road-wheels

Rolf Prima knows their carbon wheels aren’t the cheapest on the market (they’re also not the most expensive), so they wanted to help more people get on their paired spoke design and excellent carbon rims.

The new Ares ES series wheels do that by lacing their same Ares carbon fiber rims as the top level models to standard hubs and higher spoke counts to drop the price by $650 per set. The new build is available on the Ares6 (60mm deep) and Ares4 (42mm deep), both 27mm at their widest. Inside width is 17mm at the bead.

The ES wheels go from 16/16 spoke counts to 16/20, but use the same bladed Sapim CX Speed spokes. Total weight gain is just 70g, but none of that’s at the rim save for four more nipples. Even their folks admit the ride quality is very, very similar, you’re just saving a lot of money…

2015-Rolf-Prima-Ares-ES-budget-carbon-road-wheels

You can still do custom decal colors on the ES wheels, too. And they’re still hand built in Eugene, OR. So, you get a very, very similar ride quality with a big savings. And for heavier riders, it’s another option to go high end thanks to the extra spokes out back.

2015-Rolf-Prima-Ralos-CXC-carbon-650B-mountain-bike-wheels

The carbon rimmed Ralos CXC gets a 27.5″ size to join the existing alloy Ralos models. The rim width is a bit wider than the 29er ones we reviewed, coming in at 29.5mm external and 22.2mm internal.

2015-Rolf-Prima-Ralos-CXC-carbon-650B-mountain-bike-wheels

We reviewed the 29er Ralos CXC wheels last summer and they’re phenomenal. Check out the abuse and results here, they come highly recommended.

RolfPrima.com

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Wat
Wat
9 years ago

How are these guys still in business? Who is buying enough of these things to keep the lights on?

Tom
Tom
9 years ago

Being from Oregon, they’re my first stop when shopping new wheels. Why not at least consider stuff made by fellow local riders first? Now I just need them to build something with a 148 rear hub (crazy Trek!).

CJ
CJ
9 years ago

Used Rolf wheels for a long time as part of a team. I really felt good wheels and have been suprised why they have not been more popular. They are a solid, US made option.

Jim O
Jim O
9 years ago

Been riding Vigors for years now. Love the way they roll. Fantastic all around wheelset.

Ozzie Ferreira
Ozzie Ferreira
9 years ago

Truly a superior wheel especially for African roads which aren’t like those US highways. Definitely will buy another set of Ares as they are bomb proof. Keep up the good work.

Frippolini
Frippolini
9 years ago

I have good experience with the Rolf wheels, can highly recommend them. Perhaps not the most popular or flashiest set if wheels, but very nice.

Duane
Duane
9 years ago

Over the years I’ve owned four wheelsets from Rolf and love them. They stay in business because they have a small, but not insignificant, following among cyclists. I have a set of ~14 year old Rolfs that came with a Trek I bought that I still ride today. They are true and roll pretty well after over 100,000 km of varied riding.

Half wheel
Half wheel
9 years ago

Rolf’s are also the strongest wheels out there. How strong? They produce some of the lightest tandem wheels out there. Mavic or enve haven’t come close to that engineering challenge.

DRC
DRC
9 years ago

My first aftermarket set of wheels were Echelons and I loved them. Even with 16/20 spokes, they put up with my ~200lb weight and only required a 5 minute truing after I broadsided a car at 20 mph.

I could just never convince myself to spend $2800 on a set of Ares 4’s, nor any other brand’s wheels. Now that the CC’s are going to be a bit cheaper, it’s time to reconsider.

scott Greninger
scott Greninger
9 years ago

I have Rolf Primas elan’s on my road bike and ralos cxc on my mountain bike. These are the best wheels I have ever used. The Elans are super stong and light and the Ralos cxc are unbelievable tough and very predictable They have brought my riding to a whole new level.

Hotep
Hotep
9 years ago

I have a buddy who’s a clyde and former bike shop owner. Sez Rolf’s were the only wheels that could handle his mass, and he was always breaking stuff. Good enough for me.

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