The first pair of Rolf Prima wheels to arrive at RCUK bears the Aspin label, meaning it is pretty much intended for all-round use with a nod to climbing. No more than a nod, mind, for with a wheel pair weight of over 1600g, they are by no means the lightest wheels in the Rolf Prima range.
What they do have is a sturdy 22mm deep rim with thick walls designed to offer increased durability and impact resistance attached to the hubs by black “aero” 14/15 gauge spokes that have internal alloy nipples with Nylon inserts to prevent loosening.
The spokes, of course, are the best-known feature of Rolf-designed wheels, meeting in pairs at the rim to equalise their axial pull. This allows Rolf to use a lighter rim section without worrying about the axial runout that would otherwise result from having high spoke tension and a low spoke count of, in this case, 20 front and 24 rear.
The rear hub has odd-sized flanges, which are a long-time Rolf patented feature. In any case, the idea is to balance spoke tension between the drive and non-drive sides of the wheel and allow the tangent spokes on both sides to share the task of transmitting drive torque, which is applied through a forged aluminium freehub body available in either Shimano/SRAM or Campagnolo spline pattern.
Oversized spindles and cartridge bearings carry both hubs, which further boast optimised flange contours to support the spoke elbows. The wheels come with Rolf-branded reinforced rim tape and steel quick release skewers.
So, plenty of interesting features on this mid-range wheelset, which promises to be a deal of fun to ride with, if all goes well, enough durability to allow it to commute as effectively as time trial or even road race. We shall see.
Rolf Prima Aspin wheelset £440
