WHEELS

It is hard to make money in the bike industry. It's clear why this is. People are willing to work at a discount to be in this business. Let's face it, what would you rather do, own "[your name]'s Septic Service," or "[your name]'s Pro Bike Shop"? Not only is it plain which business cycling enthusiasts would rather own, they're willing to do it at a big discount over what they'd require to own a business dealing with less pleasant inventories.

Therefore, you have to take your hat off to a company like Trek. Not only has it grown up into a $400 million (or so) company in the last 20 years, it's done so in a very difficult market. Plenty of bike companies have gone bust during Trek's tenure, including Schwinn, which has gone under once and is teetering again.

Furthermore, Trek has nimbly gone from road bike company to MTB company and back––at least partway––to road bikes. In so doing it has done a variety of things right.

First, fifteen years ago, when its management got its first look at a new Kestrel, it realized that this was the pro bike of the future. So it copied it, and copied it well. The OCLV series rocks.

Next, it has done a fine job of creating its own line (Icon) of stems, handlebars, etc., so that it can better control its own margins.

Finally, it bought the rights to make Rolf wheels. This was a smart move, because it deftly devised a way to make a sexy original equipment wheel while again omitting the need to buy name-brand hubs, spokes, and rims (saving itself a bundle of money).

So what's the deal with these Rolfs? Are they any good? You bet they are. But before you run out and buy them, read below. Analyze for yourself what exactly it is Rolf wheels do well, and in what ways they're mortal. Then you'll know exactly what you've got, or what you will get if you invest in a pair (or in a Trek Hilo, on which these wheels come standard).

VECTOR

This is the introductory wheel in the Rolf line, and used to be called the Vector Sport. What is good about this wheel? It is, by all accounts, bulletproof. You can ride this wheel around the circumference of the earth three times and at that point you may or may not need to touch up the true. This is an outstanding achievement for an OE wheel.

Plus, they look great. If they were women, they'd be pin-ups. This is important because, as we all know, fast-looking equipment will actually make you go faster. Right?

You were waiting for the other shoe to drop. If you married these wheels you'd give yourself a hernia carrying them across the threshold. Ksyriums they're not. Why is that? Three reasons. First, with the spokes so close together (at the rim) you've got to have a particularly beefy rim. There's a lot of spoke tension in that one spot. Second, with the long distance between unpaired spokes, you've again got to have a strong rim to keep the wheel from flattening out inbetween the spokes. Third, there are certain components that are tough to source in Taiwan. One is the freehub. I once bought an entire company just because it had found a way to make good rear hubs in Taiwan. Finding a good, strong, light freehub with a good ratchet mechanism is easy, so long as you confine yourself to either the Shimano or Campagnolo factory. Otherwise, you're in for a long search. All that said, Trek has done a pretty good job with the Rolf Vector, and, okay, it weighs, but it's a very good OE wheel. You definitely get what you pay for ($300/pr) here.

How do we square our comments above with the comments on the Vector found on the Rolf website?

INCREDIBLY LIGHT
Rolf's Paired Spoke Technology,
reduced spoke count,
aerodynamic rim and patentedTorque Transfer hub create a
wheel that weighs 33 grams less than standard 32 spoke wheels.

We didn't weigh the wheels ourselves. But assuming the weight Rolf gives is accurate, the front Vector is a couple of grams heavier than my standard front straight-gauge training wheel, and the rear Vector is 92g heavier. I wonder which "standard 32-spoke wheels" they're talking about? (Note: unless specific exception is made in the text, all weights herein are given in their 700c clincher iterations).

All that said, the wheels aren't really as heavy as we're making them out to be. They're just heavy compared to the aftermarket aero race wheels against which Rolf competes, and compared to its own website rhetoric. But really, for a wheel which comes OE on a tri bike selling for under $2000, the weight is about right and the wheel is rock solid in every way that term can mean.

The one problem with this wheel––if you consider this a problem––is that it's not outstandingly aerodynamic. It's average. It's not bad. It's just not a race wheel, in the way that a Hed or Zipp is a race wheel. May we take the opportunity, though, to pass the buck. We say this not because we know this from any empirical evidence of our own, but because we're relying on the evidence of those who've brought these wheels to the wind tunnel and tested them (and who were kind enough to allow us to debrief them).

So, here's the skinny. If you want a fine, reasonably priced wheel, this is it. If you want to replace what you've got with something that's a lot more aerodynamic, you're best off looking on the Zipp, Hed, or Corima pages. One caveat, tho: If you like the whole idea of Rolf wheels, you might find an aero option a little further below.

(Shimano compatible).

VECTOR COMP

The rear hub is Swiss-made and is nicer on the Comp, and the weight has come down to 820g on the front and 1080g on the rear. That's still 70g a pair heavier than my training wheels, but Rolf claims these wheels are "55g lighter than standard 32 spoke wheels." Hmm.

Rolf also claims this wheel has "47% less drag than that "standard 32 spoke wheel." To anybody who has seen a few wind tunnel tests, this is woefully inadequate information. The questions one must ask are: At what windspeed? At which yaw angle? Compared to what wheel precisely? Who did the study? Where is the study?

Here's the thing, tho. We have heard that this is a pretty decent wheel from an aero perspective. Having the spokes close together doesn't, it seem, particularly help a wheel become more aero. In the case of this wheel––and of the Vector above––the spokes aren't adjacent. They're actually an inch or so apart (more on that below). It appears that maybe the distance of the spokes from each other plus the extra depth of this Comp's rim may conspire to give this wheel fairly decent aerodynamics. Again, we're just speculating, and relying on the statements made to us by those who have tested the wheel.

This wheel set has 18 spokes in the front and 20 in the rear, compared to 20 and 24 for the Vector. Also, these spokes are bladed, compared to the Vector's round spokes. The wheelset comes in at a reasonable $450/pr.

If I was a road racer, I'd probably love this wheel. While aerodynamics doesn't mean too much to me if I'm in with seventy of my closest friends, indestructability does. So does having a wheel that isn't going to decide it suddently wants to become on intimate terms with both my brake pads once or more per revolution. The Comp does all this, while exhibiting the happy feature of some pretty good drag numbers.

Not only is it a good road race wheel, it is also probably the best wheel of the Rolf bunch––all things equal––for a triathlete. Again, you'll get your money's worth.

Alas, it appears this wheel is not available as a tubular (for those who wish to go that way). While the Rolf website does not indicate availability in the 650c wheelsize, several Slowtwitch readers have written in to say this smaller Comp is readily available.

(Shimano compatible).

VECTOR PRO

This wheel is different. For one thing, these wheels really are pretty light. They're 150g lighter than my standard training wheels. At 1680g per pair they fare favorably to Zipp 404s (1608g), but are a bit weightier than Hed Alps (1350g).

The spokes––14 and 16 bladed––are paired in this wheel, which is to say that they truly are Rolf wheels insofar as most closely resembling the Rolf patent idea of paired spokes.

This wheel can be had in all variations: tubular or clincher, 650c or 700c. But they are expensive at $950/pr. For that price I'm going to get something with a lot of carbon and a much deeper rim.

(Shimano and Campagnolo compatible).

SESTRIERE

This wheel is lighter still, at 1490g per pair. But at 23mm the rim isn't as deep. It's probably not going to be a serious consideration for triathletes, who're looking for aerodynamic advantage.

It's spoked up as a round butted 20/24.

Funny thing, for a wheel that is reasonably light, it's not available as a tubular, only clincher, and also only in 700c. This would be a great wheel for road racers. It is also not cheap, tho, at $950/pr.

(Shimano compatible).

VECTOR CARBON

This wheel is the one in which a triathlete might have the most interest, if it is an aftermarket aero race wheel he's looking for. They weigh in at 1290g per pair, but these wheels are only made in a tubular variety. For comparison, a pair of Corima X-1 tubulars tip the scales at 1170g, Alps are 1310g per pair, 404s are 1318g per pair, and so on. You certainly can buy a pair of carbon wheels that are lighter––a pair of 700c Hed's Stinger sew-ups hover around a thousand grams––but the Vector Carbon definitely fits into the desired weight category. (Shimano and Campagnolo compatible).

This is legitimately a deep rim, at 42mm. It's not as deep as the 404 or the Alps, but it's equivalent to the Lew rims.

As a matter of fact, they ARE Lew rims––or were. We've heard that the Rolf/Lew relationship, or Trek/Lew, or whatever that relationship is, no longer is. Therefore, this wheel is currently unobtanium. It shall be obtanium at some point in the future, one assumes, when Trek resources the rim.

Rolf's website can be found, but not easily. If you go to rolfwheels.com you get a message that says, "For warranty service on your Rolf Wheels see your authorized dealer or go to www.trekbikes.com to the customer service section....."

To get to Rolf Wheels, you must go here: http://www.rolfwheels.com/home.html.

If you try to get to the Rolf website via a link from the Trek website, you'll be disappointed (at least we were). Perhaps it's possible, but we searched around for a half an hour without success.

There was a rumor earlier in the year that Rolf––which is to say Rolf Dietrich, the Rolf behind Rolf––and Trek may be near the end of their relationship. We don't know. We called Mr. Dietrich some months ago for clarification, and when we reached him we were told we'd get a call back, but none was forthcoming.

When speaking to a Trek customer service person who is specifically knowledgeable about Rolf Wheels, I asked why the website was so hard to find. The answer was, "So that we can keep the traffic down, for when our retailers need to go to the site for info."

That didn't sound right. Surely Trek can afford to have a big enough pipe for all who'd want to visit the Rolf website.

I offered the customer service fellow a different explanation. "Could it be that you're not going to be re-upping your licensing deal with Rolf, and that you're intentionally downplaying the Rolf presence on Trek's site, because next year the wheels on your bikes are not going to say Rolf?"

"No comment."

"Are the paired spokes on the Vector and the Comp intentionally separated by about an inch so as to circumvent the Rolf patent, so that the wheels can remain as they are, yet with a new name––Matrix, whatever––and yet not infringe on Rolf's patent?"

"No comment."

Regardless of what label the wheels will carry next year, Trek has done a fine job with them, and will no-doubt continue to improve them each year, as has been the case with all the other products Trek makes.