# Does anyone actually ride ROL wheels?



## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

...or do they just review them on RBR?

I just picked up a 1983 Trek 560 as my N+1 bike, and am thinking about getting a new set of wheels, as the rear one has a pretty good lump in it.

I considered ROL Race SL's (actually ROL Race SLR's but they didn't call them that at the time) last year when I bought my 2011 Felt F3. I decided to go custom hand built from Joe Young since I'm about 250 lbs. The Felt came with SRAM S30 Race wheels which I rode once before the wheels were ready.

Just for kicks, I swapped the front SRAM S30 onto the Trek tonight to see how it looked. Except for the red clash (see below), I think it looks great, and want to go with a 30mm rim when I get the new ones.

View attachment 244167


Any feedback on the ROL's would be appreciated. And I can already hear the keys clicking suggesting XR-300's as well. 

Whadda ya know?!


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

For that matter, I'm also open to other ideas that would be similar in profile.


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## aimlesscyclist (Oct 29, 2011)

*thinking about it too*

I've also considered the race sl wheelsets, but not really sure about them. The guy at my lbs hadn't even heard of them, but said they were comparable in weight to the mavic elites


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## AlexCad5 (Jan 2, 2005)

I bought a pair of Rol Volants, and really liked them. They were replacing American Classics Sprints that cracked after I got to 180 lbs. Strong, true, and reasonably light, well priced. I didn't notice any weight addition. 
Now stolen. I'd buy them again if I needed wheels.


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## fyrmng (Mar 21, 2010)

Have you looked at the Williams System 30X? 

I'm in the market for a new wheelset and have narrowed my choices to the Rol Race SLR, Volant RT or the System 30X. I don't race but at 195 lbs I want a bulletproof set for training miles on the roads in SoCal.


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## vortechcoupe (Jun 6, 2006)

I'm not sure what freehub or freewheel body that old trek uses but I doubt it's a normal 8/9/10 speed style freehub body. You better check before you buy any wheels.

edit add, oh and a bunch of people ride ROL wheels around here in Austin, where they are from.


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## nismo73 (Jul 29, 2009)

Been lovin' mine...They're a pound lighter than my Askium Race wheel that came with the bike. Wasn't sure if it would make a difference when riding, but I wouldn't want to go back the the stock wheels. I'm 190-195 lbs and have the Race Sl.


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## fyrmng (Mar 21, 2010)

nismo73 said:


> Been lovin' mine...They're a pound lighter than my Askium Race wheel that came with the bike. Wasn't sure if it would make a difference when riding, but I wouldn't want to go back the the stock wheels. I'm 190-195 lbs and have the Race Sl.


Nismo,
I ride a '10 Roubaix Expert and was wondering if you spoke to Sean before you purchased and why you chose the SL over the SLR?


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## nismo73 (Jul 29, 2009)

fyrmng said:


> Nismo,
> I ride a '10 Roubaix Expert and was wondering if you spoke to Sean before you purchased and why you chose the SL over the SLR?


I emailed ROL stating my weight and asking whether or not the SL would be fine and they said yes. I will fluctuate b/t 185 -195 lbs. If I was 200+, I would probably get the SLR though... The SL feels plenty stiff and strong to me. 
As an added bonus, they look great on the bike!


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

vortechcoupe said:


> I'm not sure what freehub or freewheel body that old trek uses but I doubt it's a normal 8/9/10 speed style freehub body. You better check before you buy any wheels.
> 
> edit add, oh and a bunch of people ride ROL wheels around here in Austin, where they are from.


Current dropout spacing is 126mm, planning on "making" it 130mm. It's currently rocking a 6-speed Maillard Helicomatic rear hub.

Already had to true the fork...


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## vmoonan (May 10, 2009)

*ROL Race SLR*

I put 1500 miles on a pair of ROL Race SLRs, at 230 lbs. The reviews do not overstate the ride quality of this wheel set. Smooth as hell, lively, responsive.... just an overall great ride!
After 1500 miles, dead on straight and true, zero issues. The 24 / 28 SLR spoke combo makes for a very strong, stiff wheel, but not the least bit harsh. Hands down a great wheel set. :thumbsup:


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## stover (Apr 24, 2010)

I have a set of Race SLs. Nice wheelset. I'd buy another set if I needed to.


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## Egads (Jul 19, 2010)

Considering another SL rear build with a PowerTap hub


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## ibeamcarver (Jul 1, 2011)

fyrmng said:


> Have you looked at the Williams System 30X?
> 
> I'm in the market for a new wheelset and have narrowed my choices to the Rol Race SLR, Volant RT or the System 30X. I don't race but at 195 lbs I want a bulletproof set for training miles on the roads in SoCal.


I have the Williams System 30X and they're great wheels. Very stable feeling on fast descents, solid wheel and never need truing after a couple thousand miles.


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## fyrmng (Mar 21, 2010)

ibeamcarver said:


> I have the Williams System 30X and they're great wheels. Very stable feeling on fast descents, solid wheel and never need truing after a couple thousand miles.


I would really prefer a 30mm wheel...just can't decide between the Williams 30X or the Rol Race SLR. Both get great reviews and kudos for customer service. My guess is either one would make me HAPPY!


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## wilmamiller32 (Oct 31, 2011)

that looks cool


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## 8Ring (Jul 15, 2007)

I'm 195 lbs and have around 2,500 miles on my ROL Volants. They are stiffer and lighter than the lower-end Shimano wheels that came on my Jamis aluminum bike. They have stayed completely true and the hubs still turn very smoothly. The freewheel is a little noisy when coasting but I got used to it. 

It use them now as my everyday wheels on my Ti bike. 

Chris


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## triumph.1 (Jun 21, 2011)

I have a set of race SL's on my second bike. For the money they are better than I expected. Solid, durable and run smooth.


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## Mdeth1313 (Nov 1, 2001)

I still can't see the value in these at 625 a pair, when you could have a wheel built up with stuff from bikehubstore.com for less money. If you ditch the cx-rays then you're talking somewhere around half-price (including the cost of having them built).

I'd much prefer these:

30mm Vitesse - Boyd Cycling

or these for a stronger build:

30mm Rouleur - Boyd Cycling

this guy is using the bikehubstore hubs and my understanding is he's using the extra-wide front hub for a stiffer build. This one is $225 less than the rol.


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## triumph.1 (Jun 21, 2011)

Well I paid 2 grand for one set of wheels so 625 is fairly reasonable. It's all a matter of perspective.:wink:


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## Mdeth1313 (Nov 1, 2001)

triumph.1 said:


> Well I paid 2 grand for one set of wheels so 625 is fairly reasonable. It's all a matter of perspective.:wink:


Ok, but I have 4 wheelsets at the moment (5 if you count the 1284g bikehubstore wheelset I'm selling) that run a pretty full range-
hed 3c
edge 1.45 laced to extralite hubs
c4 2.7usl (clinchers)
psimet clinchers (alchemy hubs)

I paid over 2000 for the edge set- everything else was under 1000, the last 2 one was under 500 the other was under 600.

My question is why pay that much when you can get the same (or better quality) w/ the same (or better) customer service for so much less?


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## triumph.1 (Jun 21, 2011)

Mdeth1313 said:


> My question is why pay that much when you can get the same (or better quality) w/ the same (or better) customer service for so much less?


I think it just boils down to personal preference. For me, I just wanted to try them and had the extra cash. I am not familiar with any wheel builders and the one I tried to contact never got back to me. ROL is simple, fast and super customer friendly, no disappointments for a lower end wheelset. I don't know what their top end wheels are like. The next set of wheels I buy will be another brand. I would also add that for me there is much less risk to going online read reviews about a product and purchase than to blindly have a wheel builder build something you know nothing about or cannot get a lot of info on.


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## motobecane69 (Apr 8, 2011)

bikehubstore.com stuff is great. but at 250lbs you should go with a velocity deep-v over the xr-300. you said this is an n+1 bike, I would think you wouldn't necessarily want to sink a ton of cash into it.

then there is the option of going with tubulars, I'm diggin tubbies lately and an old school bike like that would be perfect for them


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## coop (Jun 8, 2008)

So does anybody ride any of ROL's carbon wheels? I was debating the Matrix 58's. They seem a little heavy for carbon clinchers, but I was wondering if the aero benefit would offset the weight? What do the ZIPP 404 clinchers weigh?


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## Jimmynickelz (Nov 19, 2011)

ROL Race SL's are great...even for a large person.


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## Don4 (Jul 29, 2010)

Jimmynickelz said:


> ROL Race SL's are great...even for a large person.


That would be me....


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## MMinSC (Nov 19, 2011)

I've been on Race SLs for 2+ years. Probably have 10000 miles on mine. Never an issue. They are rock solid. The hubs are smooth, and the wheels are fast. 
At 185 pounds, they are plenty stiff. 

Mine weigh 1545g bare.


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## Urb (Jul 19, 2010)

I've ridden Race SL's for the last 2 years. Solid wheelset. Great hubs. I've hit more than a few large potholes and they are still true. Zero maintenance.


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## surferdude69 (Mar 28, 2010)

Someone mentioned that Rol wheels feature a wider rim like the hed ardennes.
Does anyone know the outer rim width of Rol Volante RT wheels?


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## pbanders (Feb 20, 2012)

Several of my friends ride ROL L'Alpe wheels, and I've done some work on them. They seem like decent wheels, lightweight, inexpensive, and fairly durable. Two of them have experienced rim floor cracking and failure at around 12K miles, both riders are 175 lbs or more. As-built spoke tension is rather high, which may contribute to the floor cracks. I would suspect that any sub-1500 gm Al clincher rims would be stressed similarly.


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## nsk1 (Feb 22, 2012)

good reviews. look pretty sharp. if you're not building your own set, they're pretty cheap too.


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## cinelliguy (Jan 4, 2011)

I have a set of ROL Volants. I weigh 175lbs and ride about 4-5K miles per year, I have beat the heck out of my ROL wheels on asphalt potholes, and off road with my cross bike. They are, for me, bulletproof. I also ride two sets of Easton EA90s and have found the rims and hubs to be fine, spokes are rubbish. My next set of wheels will be ROL or Williams alloy.


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## speeddemon (Oct 13, 2008)

I have had just one set of wheels the last couple of seasons: ROL Matrix 58. They're heavy, but rock solid. I have hit countless potholes, but the wheels are still true. I changed bearings in the rear wheel last year. That's all the maintenance they have needed so far.


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## shokhead (Dec 17, 2002)

Why do Rol do mostly radical lacing on the front wheels? Doesn't most others do 2x?


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## Rollingeezer (Oct 20, 2012)

I was just on the phone with Sean from Rol.... Within a month, the "race SLR" model will have the wider, deeper rim cross section (similar to HED). They weigh just over 1500 grams, and have an aero profile.. why aren't more people using these...they look great To me...I think they will be my next wheels.


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