# Aluminum Clincher Advise: ROL, BOYD, or WILLIAMS



## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

*Aluminum Clincher Advice: ROL, BOYD, or WILLIAMS*

Hello everyone. Looking to upgrade my wheelset and the ROL sl, BOYD vitesse, and the WILLIAMS ws 30 are the three that I have been most researching. Price is where I would like to be and there are lots of options for wheels in this category. I will also say I do not want to go the custom wheel route. I am not leaning towards any one and would love to hear some thoughts on which way I should lean. I ride all sorts of terrain and I am 6'4" 180ish lbs. I will say this I emailed Williams wheels last night around 830pm (EST) and got a reply from Keith Williams (Owner) at 10pm. I thought that was something else and impressed me. Cheers.


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## bobonker (Feb 12, 2011)

I haven't dealt with Rol (but many have), but Boyd and Williams are both solid companies and their builds are essentially custom builds using off the shelf spokes.

At your weight I'd go with the 24/28 option for the Boyd Vitesses or the Wiliams System. The added weight over the 20/24 setup is minimal and but the benefits are large.

Bob


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## johnnydm (Mar 11, 2010)

I am in a similiar situation. I have spoken to the owners of Williams, Boyd and Rol. They were all quick in response and very helpful. In my experience I would give the edge to Sean at Rol. As for wheels, you have wider design at Rol and Boyd. The two wheels that caught my attention are: 
1) The Boyd Vitesse with the wider rim profile, sapim spokes and a unique new hub design. 
2) The Rol D'Huez has their own custom designed tubeless compatibel wider rim.

Depending on your budget, they all seem to have good options. I agree with Bobonker with the 24/28 option. I will be choosing between Boyd or Rol in the next few months.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Consider Neuvation 22mm wide rim, Sapim CXray spokes, new hubs, 1440 gm/set. under $500.


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## Kodiak21 (Jan 30, 2012)

Consider wheels from HOOPs too. I am not affiliated with the owner in any way, shape, or form - I am in the same position you're in, and have come across these wheels.

HOOPs Wheels - Wheels


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

I've had experience with ROL Race SL's, and I was very pleased. The owner, Sean, called me a few weeks after ordering to make sure I was happy with them. I don't have experience with Boyds or Williamms, but I've read plenty of good things about Boyds specifically. The only difference between the ROL Race SL's and the Boyd Vitesses are your preference of decals.


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## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

Thanks for all the input and am very intrigued by the Hoops suggestion and I thank you Kodiak21. Never came across them in all my searches. Very much enjoyed their website and info. Needless to say I am still uncertain, but most likely leaning towards the Williams. Leaves me a bit of room to upgrade my skewers, rim tape, and tubes. I sent an email back to Keith at Williams asking what the width of the System 30's is? I been reading a lot that wider rims appear to be commonplace now and in the future. As informative as the Williams site is, they don't disclose the rim widths. Man...now I got Hoops on the brain. And agree that Rol and Boyd are essentially the same wheel with different graphics.


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## johnnydm (Mar 11, 2010)

I don't think it's fair to say that Rol SL and Boyd Vitesse are completely the same. I believe Boyd's hubs are different.


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## bobonker (Feb 12, 2011)

The 23mm wide x 28mm deep rim looks similar (the same?) in the case of Rol's SL and the Boyd Vitesse. November Cycles also uses the same profile in their FSW23. The Kinlin XC-279 matches these dimensions, so they may all be using the same rim.

I had a set of H+ Son wheels (2325) built by Hoops. They were solid. The 2328 Hoops build would be comparable to the Rol SL, Boyd Vitesse, or November FSW23. The hubs are different (November uses Novatec also, but uses Laser spokes), but you have to decide for yourself if you think the hubs are worth the extra cost.

Bob


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## SprinterX (May 21, 2012)

You say you don't want custom wheels but the builders you're considering are really "custom" builders when compared to factory built wheels. No biggy b/c you get far better options when buying.
I too am impressed with what Hoops has to offer. I'd be inclined to go with the very popular Pacenti SL23 rim for its lower weight, strength, wider profile and depth. If you don't need the CX-Ray bladed Sapim spokes they can be had with Race spokes in the mid $400 range and that includes rim tape and skewers. Can you say "deal".
I just recently bought wheels from prowheelbuilders.com with the Pacenti SL23 rims, CX-Ray spokes, alloy nips and the WI T11 hubs (love the Ti hub body), 24/28 count. Great wheelset indeed and came in just under 1500 grams.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

Another ROL Race SL owner. So far I have been very pleased with them. Only having put 900 or so miles on them thus far, I cannot talk of longevity but I can address quality. Not only was ROL's customer service very nice to deal with and helpful, the shipping was quick as well.

The build of the wheels is extremely high quality and the fact that they come with Sapim CX Ray spokes in a wheel set costing less than $700 is another plus. If you can handle a set of them somehow...give them a look, they are very well made. I've taken the bike to a couple LBS for minor service and both times comments were made about the high quality of the wheels.

They ride well and the wheel width makes for a great ride with 23mm tires (I may try 25mm tires next year for the heck of it).

Long story short...for the $625 I gave for them, I cannot complain a bit, they are really nice wheels.


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## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

Well, I pulled the trigger on the Boyd Vitesse today and will be here Thursday. As I've encountered reading numerous times with all these companies, customer service is top notch. I called Boyd today and, even at the Interbike Show in Vegas, picked up the phone and took the time to chat with me. In the end he stated they may not go out until next week due to the fact everyone was at the show. Needless to say, I received an email from his wife Nicole informing they shipped today. Booya! I am happy with my decision as I felt I was running around in circles ad nauseum tracking down every little tidbit of info on all my front runner choices. I was flip flopping constantly in my mind. It was kind of funny. Basically is came down to brass nips vs alloy on the ROLs and Boyd's graphics better match my ride. Thanks all for all the valuable input and to everyone here....BE SAFE OUT THERE!!!


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## johnnydm (Mar 11, 2010)

Pontimax: Great choice! I would love to hear back after some miles in them..thinking that maybe the ones for me.
Happy riding!


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## bobonker (Feb 12, 2011)

Pontimax: I agree. Good choice! I have one of the first new style Vitesse on the wider rim (but the older hubs). I don't think you can go wrong with these wheels. Boyd was great to deal with and when I asked if these wheels would up my wattage, he offered to send a light bulb. LOL

Bob


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## greg12666 (Mar 29, 2012)

I have put 6800 miles on my Boyd's vitesse wheels in 13 months. I can say that they are bullet proof and climb like a dream. Very smooth.


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## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

Thanks guys. I cannot wait to put them to good use and hopefully I feel a dramatic change over my current wheelset. When I mounted my GP400s a few weeks ago the change was literally night and day over my Kendas I was running. I was shocked. I am a newb to cycling, but not too long ago raced cross country for a while. Unfortunately I had a very bad crash and went over my bars, cracked a few ribs, and tore my scapholunate ligament in my right wrist. I vowed to never have my tires leave the ground again. I remember just lying there absorbing the pain. Well, been pining for a road bike for some time - much to the chagrin of my mountain riding buddies. I put my tax refund to good use this year and put together a nice ride and kit for myself. A tic over 3500 miles later, my life has irrevocably been changed. I am forever addicted to the cult of the Velominati. Cycling requires no coordination. I come home from the office and I'm out the door. I live in Bucks County, PA and there are some great roads in these parts. Just signed up for my second group ride on October 6th...The Bicycling Magazine's Fall Classic. I'm pumped. Had a great experience two weeks ago turning over the pedals at the Buck County Classic's Cyclosportif 100k. Later that day was the UCI Pro Criterium. Effin incredible. Was a great way to watch cycling, running a 1.5 mile loop through the heart of Doylestown 36 times. It was packed. Anyway, I digress. I had to change my delivery date for the wheels to Monday as I have to leave unexpectedly for work later today till Saturday. I will post up my impressions and some photos. Again, thanks all. Appreciated.


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## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

Alright fellas. The wheels arrived yesterday and got all my new little trinkets mounted up. Unfortunately, I am not feeling well with a chest cold I picked up, but still found the strength to get it all done and tune everything up just the way I like it. So needless to say...I have yet to tool around on these wheels. They arrived beautifully packaged and ordered then with the SwissStop BXP pads for the extra $25. Along with the pads I had ready to go a new Ultegra cassette, Woodman Gator TiZ QR's, Far and Near lock ring, and Michelin AirComp Tubes for the build. Workmanship on the wheels is Top Notch and noticeably lighter than the stock wheelset they are replacing. They fit my GP4000s 23mm like a glove. The freewheel sounds great, but will have a better opinion of things once I get out on the road. Overall I am super happy with the purchase.


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## SprinterX (May 21, 2012)

Congrats. Wheels look real nice. 
I would be very curious to find what your GP4000S 23mm tires measure width wise on these rims?


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

This may sound silly...but dealing in the OEM speaker world (as in audio speakers) it becomes evident that "world" of parts is much smaller than most think.

Those Boyd wheels look almost identical to the ROL Race SL:

2013 Vitesse alloy clincher - Boyd Cycling

http://www.rolwheels.com/wheels/wheel/race-sl

Same weight, same looking hubs, same spokes, same dimensions, almost the same price...hell...they even come in the exact same kind of shipping box

Now..in the grand scope of things, it really doesn't matter but I'd be willing to put $$ on the fact these are branded OEM wheels that are nearly (if not completely) identical.

When I saw those pics of the unboxed wheels I immediately though "Man...that looks just like my ROL wheels..."

Either way...if they are the same as the Race SL then I'm sure they'll be great, I love mine so far...congrats.


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## johnnydm (Mar 11, 2010)

Typetwelve: The "new" Boyd hubs on the Vitesse are different than the Rol Sl hubs. When you click on the 2013 revamped hubs incon it will show you the detailed description and photos of their hubs. The rest of the wheel, ie rims and spokes maybe the same...brass and aluminum nipples difference too.


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## dave2pvd (Oct 15, 2007)

Typetwelve said:


> This may sound silly...but dealing in the OEM speaker world (as in audio speakers) it becomes evident that "world" of parts is much smaller than most think.
> 
> Those Boyd wheels look almost identical to the ROL Race SL:
> 
> ...


I can tell you that Boyd assembles the Vitesse wheels in Greenville, SC. I (and several of my teammates) have a pair of the 2013 Vitesse. No complaints after 1000s of miles of hard use.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

dave2pvd said:


> I can tell you that Boyd assembles the Vitesse wheels in Greenville, SC. I (and several of my teammates) have a pair of the 2013 Vitesse. No complaints after 1000s of miles of hard use.


Yeah...and the ROLs are assembled in Texas (I believe)...I was just guessing they come from the same manufacturer is all. My drivers are made in California but my speakers are assembled by me...by hand...


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## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

Hello again. Still feeling under the weather, but I couldn't wait to get out on my new bike. And "new" is the operative word here. My bike feels completely different all in a most excellent way. As soon as I got to the top of my street (about 300yds) from my drive I already knew I was in for a treat. They spin up so fast over my lead oem wheels. Granted this is my first ever aftermarket set of wheels, so I can only compare to what was rolling on my bike before. Pedaling was effortless. I was easily spinning in higher gears on grade and on the one real climb on my chosen route this morning. Logged a little over 2000ft elevation gain 15% max on a 31 mile ride. They even sound soft and butter smooth. It's weird. They sound like a whoosh when rolling over the roads. No creaks or pings or any sounds of growing pains. Brakes with the new pads were silent. Shifting was even perceptively better with the new Ultegra cassette. Sprinter X asked for a tire width measurement with the 23mm tires mounted and the wheels stretch them out to 25mm on the money. Photo below. I stopped a few times to play with tire pressure and am running Around 100 in the front and around 105 in the rear. This will be a work in progress I log more mileage. One note...the freewheel is going to take some getting used to. Audibly loader than the oem sound. Kind of a tinny sharp clicking. It definitely screams you have aftermarket wheels. Soo happy and without a doubt the best upgrade to my bike. She's so much fun to ride. Lively. Be safe out there!!! Cheers - PM


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## Pontimax (Sep 16, 2013)

Oh yeah....OK I'll give you a topic....anyone see the new Williams 23mm wide wheel? The System 28 at 1614g's. Came out this week. Ok....go....Lol.


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## TadashiatROLWheels (Nov 22, 2013)

ROL Wheels are absolutely built in Austin, TX. I am one of the builders and dave2pvd, glad to hear that your Race SL's are loved.


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## masornia925 (Jan 14, 2011)

Are the decals on ROL wheels removable? (above clear coat?)


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