by Greg Evans
Rolf’s new Hyalite adventure road wheelset comes with a 22mm internal width, and weighs in at 1505 grams for the pair. © Greg Evans / Cyclocross Magazine
We've reviewed wheels from Rolf Prima in the past and had generally good impressions, so we were excited to see that Rolf Prima had something new on display at their booth during NAHBS. The new offering came in the form of their new adventure road wheel offering, the Hyalite and Hyalite ES.
Both wheelsets feature rims that are made in-house at Rolf in Eugene, Oregon. The wheels are laced with custom Sapim spokes to Rolf-branded hubs. While Rolf designs the hubs, their production actually takes place at White Industries in Petaluma, California. With the exception of the Belgian spokes and nipples, the wheelset is entirely US-made.
The Hyalite comes with a CNC machined 3-pawl titanium freehub body that boasts 48 points of engagement. As with all of Rolf’s hubs, the Hyalites feature sealed cartridge bearings. The disc-specific rim measures in at 23mm deep and 22mm wide (internal) with 20 spokes front and rear. The front wheel is available with a 9mm QR, a 12mm thru-axl, or a 15mm thru-axle. The rear wheel is offered with either 135 QR or 142x12 thru-axle, and will ship with your choice of a Shimano 10/11spd or SRAM XD11 freehub body. With a claimed weight of 1505 grams for the set, the wheels can be had for $1199.00 USD.
The Hyalite ES wheelset features the same rims, spokes and hubs as the Hyalite. However the ES version replaces the Ti freehub with an alloy freehub body and has 24 points of engagement. The set suffers slight weight gains, coming in at a claimed 1645 grams. However, as with many products in this industry, heavier means less expensive, and the Hyalite ES wheels will cost $899.00 USD.
Tubeless users fear not, as you will be happy to know that both wheelsets will ship with Stans tape and valves for your nerve-racking tire-seating convenience. Pop! Pop!
Both wheelsets will be available in June.
Specifications
Rims: Rolf Prima alloy
Rim width: 22mm (internal)
Hubs: White Industry built to Rolf Prima's specifications, 48 engagement points (Hyalite), 24 (Hyalite ES)
Freehub: titanium (Hyalite), alloy (Hyalite ES)
Disc rotor compatibility: Centerlock
Weight: 1505 grams (Hyalite), 1645 (Hyalite ES)
Price: $1,199.00 USD (Hyalite), $899.00 USD (Hyalite ES)
More info: rolfprima.com
The Hyalite features a titanium freehub body with 48 points of engagement, while the Hyalite ES trim sports an alloy freehub body with 24 points of engagement. © Greg Evans / Cyclocross Magazine
