Astral Wanderlust Aluminum Rim
The Astral Wanderlust is the alloy gravel rim from Astral, the rim brand of Rolf Prima in Eugene, Oregon, and it is the rim we build for adventure and bikepacking bikes that want a wide, tubeless alloy wheel from a company that builds wheels for a living. It has a wide inner bed for 38 to 50mm tires, Astral's Tubeless Easy bead that seats a tire with a floor pump, and the slightly over-built construction Astral rims are known for, in 700c and 650b.
This page covers the Astral Wanderlust Aluminum Rim in 700c. The Wanderlust comes from us only as a finished wheel: pick the hub, spokes and nipples, and we lace, tension and true it by hand in Georgia before it ships.
Design and construction
The Wanderlust is a welded double-wall aluminum rim with a 24mm-class inner bed that gives a 42mm gravel tire a square, stable shape at low pressure, a Tubeless Easy bead shelf that seats and holds a tubeless tire without drama, and spoke holes angled toward the hub flanges so the nipples sit straight and the wheel builds to even tension. The section is deep enough to be stiff under a loaded bike and the walls are thick where rock strikes land. Standard nipples, J-bend spokes, disc only.
Astral is part of Rolf Prima, which has built wheels in Oregon for decades, and the Wanderlust carries that habit of being slightly over-built in the places that matter.
How it rides
A Wanderlust wheel on a 45mm tire is comfortable, stable and quick enough for gravel racing. The wide bed lets you run pressure low for dirt roads, the Tubeless Easy bead never burps, and the welded rim stays true on washboard with a bikepacking load. It is the Astral alloy rim for gravel, adventure and bikepacking; for road and light gravel the Radiant and Solstice are narrower.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 700c |
|---|---|
| ERD | 581 (29in), 559 (27.5in) |
| Inner width | 22 mm |
| Depth | 23 mm |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h, 32h |
| Weight | 450g (700c/29in), 425g (650b/27.5in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | Clincher Tubeless Compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
About this listing
Version notes. 700c, 24h, 28h, 32h, about 450g, 22mm inside, 23mm deep, disc. The other sizes and brake versions of the Wanderlust have their own listings; this page is for this one.
This is the disc-brake Wanderlust: plain sidewalls, no brake track to wear, a touch lighter. It fits any disc-brake bike and it is the version most of our customers now build; the rim-brake version is a separate listing.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Astral Wanderlust Aluminum Rim comes in 700c and 24h, 28h, 32h drilling. It is a disc-brake rim. We build the Wanderlust on DT Swiss 350 and 240, White Industries CLD, Industry Nine 1/1 and SOLiX, Bitex BX 106, Hope RS4 and Son dynamo hubs, usually with Sapim Race, D-Light or CX-Ray spokes or DT Competition, and brass nipples.
Tire range on the Wanderlust is 38 to 50mm. Pick gravel or bikepacking as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Astral Wanderlust Aluminum Rim — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this rim pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed and touring builds.
Spoke head is decided by the hub, not the rim: this rim builds equally well with J-bend or straight-pull spokes, and the configurator only offers the spokes that match the hub you pick.
Testing, standards and warranty at Astral
Astral Cycling is the rim brand of Rolf Prima; both operate from one facility in Eugene, Oregon, where Rolf Prima states alloy rim production has been in-house since 2014. Astral joins alloy rims with a press-fit sleeve about 2.5 inches long weighing 4-5 g that doubles the wall thickness at the joint, avoiding the heat-affected zone of welding. All wheels are hand-built in Eugene. Rolf Prima states it does not farm out testing and has logged "over 10,000 hours of lab testing to above industry standards."
Astral and Rolf state they use ISO 4210 "as a base starting point but it is not tough enough." Their drum fatigue tester runs at 47 mph against the ISO 15 mph, putting over 3 times the energy into the wheel, with a life requirement 66% higher than ISO. Impact tests use a calibrated steel anvil to the UCI 40 J standard and then a higher in-house level, at spokes, between spokes and at the valve hole, including pre-heated rims. Rolf's carbon brake protocol runs ISO 4210 dry and wet tests, 300 W for 15 minutes twice, 400 W for 16 minutes twice, 450 W and 500 W for 16 minutes, and 500 W for 3 minutes followed by the UCI impact test with no failure allowed. No rider weight limit is stated.
Astral's videos
From Astral
Certifications
- Made in USA (alloy rims and wheels) — Astral and Rolf Prima state alloy rims are rolled and all wheels hand-built in their Eugene, Oregon facility; rim production in-house since 2014 (source)
- ISO 4210 base + in-house standard — Fatigue drum at 47 mph vs ISO 15 mph, life requirement 66% above ISO; UCI 40 J impact plus higher in-house level; ISO 4210 dry/wet brake tests (source)
- UCI note — Rolf Prima FAQ: Aspin and Elan family are 'Standard' wheels not requiring UCI approval; no approved-model list verified (source)
- Rolf Prima Certainty — In-house engineering and testing lab, eleven patents, over 10,000 hours of lab testing, 5-year warranty, lifetime crash replacement (source)
Sources on Astral's site:
- Testing – Astral Cycling
- FAQ's – Astral Cycling
- Astral Rim Warranty – Astral Cycling
- Technology – Astral Cycling
- Rim Joining: The Process and the Mystery – Astral Cycling
The figures, certificates and media above are Astral's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the rim.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Astral makes the Wanderlust; ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia and not the manufacturer. We measure the rim before we cut a spoke, bring the wheel up in three or four rounds with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last, then tape it and fit a valve if you want it tubeless.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is live.
Warranty
Manufacturer's warranty. Rolf Prima gives a one-year limited warranty on its wheels under normal use. Astral is Rolf Prima's rim brand; ask us and we will confirm the current terms for the exact rim before you buy.
ProWheelBuilder. Any wheel we build on this part carries ProWheelBuilder's one-year warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Broken spokes are replaced for a year whatever the cause, and all wheel-side labor is included - truing, re-tensioning, rebuilding. Where the maker covers a failed rim or hub we handle that claim for you; where they decline, an eligible replacement comes at 25% off current retail. The customer covers shipping in both directions. Components supplied by the customer are not covered.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Wanderlust Aluminum Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
22mm inside is the all-road and gravel width. Think 32 to 45mm tires: wide enough to support a gravel casing properly so it holds its shape at low pressure, narrow enough that a 30mm road tire still sits right if you swap wheels between bikes.
Is the Wanderlust tubeless?
Yes. Astral's Tubeless Easy bead seats a tubeless tire with a floor pump; we tape and fit a valve on request.
What tires fit the Wanderlust?
38 to 50mm. A 42 to 45mm gravel tire is the usual pairing.
Wanderlust or Outback?
Wanderlust is the alloy gravel rim; Outback is Astral's carbon gravel rim, lighter and stiffer at a higher price.
Who is Astral?
The rim brand of Rolf Prima, the wheel company in Eugene, Oregon; Astral rims are designed by wheel builders for wheel builders.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Astral lists the Wanderlust Aluminum Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
Which spoke count should I choose?
It depends on your weight, terrain and the hub, not the rim alone. The configurator recommends a count from your bike type and rider weight, within the drillings this rim is made in.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
