Rolf Prima Hyalite Carbon Wheelset
The Rolf Prima Hyalite Carbon is the carbon version of Rolf's gravel workhorse. It keeps the Hyalite formula of a shallow rim, 24 paired spokes per wheel and US-made XST 4.4 hubs, but replaces the aluminum extrusion with an asymmetric carbon clincher, 25mm deep with a 23mm inner width. Rolf lists the set at 1425 grams.
Rolf describes it as equally at home outside the box or between the tape: all-road adventures, gravel grinds and cyclocross racing on one wheelset. The Hyalite Carbon is for the rider who wants the lower weight and damping of carbon for gravel, wants Rolf's full axle and freehub menu including Boost and Micro Spline, and prefers 24 spokes over the 16 or 20 found on Rolf's all-road race wheels.
Paired-spoke lacing on a carbon rim gives the Hyalite Carbon its combination of low weight and durability. Because the spokes meet the rim in pairs and cancel each other's sideways pull, Rolf can run higher and more even tension, and the asymmetric carbon rim moves the spoke bed toward center to balance drive and non-drive sides. By Rolf's figures the asymmetric rim improves tension balance by as much as 30 percent, which on the Hyalite Carbon translates to a rear wheel that holds true through a season of gravel.
Design and construction
The rim is a full carbon, asymmetric, tubeless-ready clincher, 25mm deep, 23mm inner width and 30mm at its widest. It ships taped for tubeless with a valve.
Rolf laces the Hyalite Carbon to its XST 4.4 hubs, which are designed and machined in the USA and assembled in Eugene. They run Enduro steel bearings, carry a CNC-machined 6Al-4V titanium freehub body, and use the T2 drive: a 48-tooth ring, three independently sprung steel pawls, and engagement Rolf describes as twice as fast as its 24-tooth ring.
The build is 24 round Sapim Laser spokes per wheel in Rolf's paired pattern, disc brake only. Front end cap choices are Boost 110 (15mm or 12mm), 15mm, 12mm or 9mm QR; rear choices are Boost 148, Boost 141 QR, 142mm thru-axle or 135mm QR. Driver bodies offered on the Hyalite Carbon: Shimano HG 10/11, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo, N3W and Shimano Micro Spline.
How it rides
The Hyalite Carbon feels light and quick from the first pedal stroke. At 1425 grams with a shallow rim, it accelerates like a climbing wheel, and the carbon rim takes the high-frequency buzz out of gravel in a way the alloy Hyalite cannot. The 23mm inner width supports a 38mm to 42mm tire well and lets you run lower pressure with a stable tire profile.
With 24 paired spokes and round Laser spokes, the Hyalite Carbon is stiffer than its weight suggests and more forgiving than Rolf's 16 and 20-spoke all-road wheels. It is the right carbon Rolf wheel for a heavier rider, a cyclocross racer who wants a wheel that can take a season of remounts and barriers, or anyone who values durability over the last bit of aero. On pavement it is not an aero wheel, but a 25mm rim with 24 bladeless spokes is still fast enough for a road ride on 30s.
Specifications
| Wheel type | Adventure / Gravel |
|---|---|
| Rim | Carbon Clincher, asymmetric |
| Rim depth | 25mm |
| Rim width | 30mm, internal 23mm |
| Brake | Disc Brake |
| Spoke count (F/R) | 24/24 |
| Spokes | Sapim Laser, round |
| Hubset | XST 4.4 T2 High Engagement Enduro steel bearings |
| Front axle | Boost 110mm (15mm or 12mm), 15mm, 12mm, 9mm |
| Rear axle | Boost 148mm, Boost 141mm QR, 142mm, 135mm |
| Freehub | Shimano HG 10/11, SRAM XDR 11/12, Campagnolo 11/12, N3W, Shimano Micro Spline |
| Tire size | Please refer to chart in product images |
| Weight | 1425g [650g/775g] |
| Includes | taped |
This version
This page is the Hyalite Carbon Wheelset itself, not a custom build. The choices on this page are front axle: Thru Axle 15x110mm Boost Front, Thru Axle 12x110mm Boost Front, 15mm Thru Axle Front, 12mm Thru Axle Front, 9mm QR Front; rear axle: 148mm Thru Axle Boost Rear, 141mm QR Boost Rear, 142mm Thru Axle Rear, 135mm QR Rear; driver type: Shimano HG 10/11, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo, Campagnolo N3W, Shimano Micro Spline. This listing is the complete wheelset - front and rear together, not a single wheel.
Fit and compatibility
The Hyalite Carbon is 700c and disc only. Axle end caps cover 12x100, 15x100, Boost 110 and 9mm QR fronts, and 142x12, Boost 148, Boost 141 QR and 135 QR rears. That makes it one of the few carbon gravel wheels that fits a Boost drop-bar mountain frame and an older QR gravel bike alike.
Driver choices span Shimano HG 10/11, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo, N3W and Shimano Micro Spline. Rolf says the 23mm inner width is optimized for 32c to 45c tires and can take up to 2 inches when needed. We recommend 35mm to 45mm for gravel and 30mm to 32mm for cyclocross.
What Rolf Prima says about testing
Rolf Prima builds every complete wheelset by hand at its facility in Eugene, Oregon. The company states that all orders are built by hand there by its own builders, and describes its process as building each wheel three times with two stress cycles in the build to seat and stretch all components. Rolf Prima says hand building lets it hit uniform spoke tensions that machine building cannot match, and that its design allows higher and more targeted spoke tension than a traditionally laced wheel, which it credits with increasing stiffness and improving spoke durability by decreasing the load cycle on each spoke.
The defining feature of a Rolf Prima wheel is Paired Spoke Technology, introduced in 1997. Bringing the spokes to the rim in pairs neutralizes the left and right outward pulling forces, which Rolf Prima says allows it to build true wheels on lighter rims with fewer spokes. Fewer spokes and lighter rims are the basis of the brand's aerodynamic and weight claims. The wheel systems combine paired spokes with the Delta rim profile, internal nipples, and patented details including the Jacketed Nipple, Self-Aligning Nipple, Differential Flange Diameter and Dish Reducing Design. Rolf Prima cites eleven patents behind its technology.
Rolf Prima runs an in-house engineering and testing lab and states it uses the ISO 4210 standard as a base starting point but considers it not tough enough, so it applies its own in-house standards. Published test capabilities include an in-house drum fatigue tester it calls the Thrasher, which compresses years of riding into days; an impact test using a weight calibrated steel anvil that exceeds the UCI 40 joule requirement, striking at spokes, between spokes and at the valve hole; lateral and radial stiffness measurement of rims alone and complete wheels; brake energy, distance and temperature testing developed for carbon clinchers; wind tunnel evaluation; and field testing by sponsored athletes. The Certainty page cites over 10,000 hours of lab testing to above industry standards.
On racing eligibility, Rolf Prima explains that UCI approval only matters for mass start UCI road races, UCI cyclocross and draft legal ITU triathlon. Its standard wheels (Aspin and the Elan family) do not require approval, while most of its deeper or lower spoke count models are non standard and are listed on the UCI approval registry. Rolf Prima does not publish a fixed rider weight limit; it says every wheel has limits that involve riding style and road conditions as well as weight, and directs heavier or more aggressive riders toward stiffer models such as Vigor, Echelon or Ares6. All road wheels can be set up tubeless with the brand's tubeless kit, and adventure, cyclocross and mountain models ship tubeless ready with tape and valves installed.
Rolf Prima backs its wheels with the Certainty program: a five year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship for the original owner, lifetime crash replacement at a discount for registered wheels, a 30 day trade out or return window in the USA, replacement parts availability for any Rolf Prima wheel regardless of age, and stated service response times of same day to 24 hours on calls and email with service work resolved within three days of receipt.
Rolf Prima's videos
From Rolf Prima
Warranty and certifications
- Limited warranty — Five years from original retail purchase against defects in materials and workmanship (2016 and newer wheels), original owner, non transferable; decals and bearings two years (source)
- Certainty program — Five year warranty, lifetime crash replacement, 30 day trade out or return in the USA, replacement parts for any Rolf Prima wheel regardless of age, same day to 24 hour service replies, service work resolved within three days of receipt (source)
- Crash replacement — Lifetime crash repair or replacement discount for the original owner; wheels must be registered within 30 days of purchase; proof of purchase and serial numbers required; freight not covered (source)
- UCI approval — Non standard models (rims taller than 25 mm, fewer than 16 spokes) are listed on the UCI approval registry; Aspin and Elan are standard wheels that need no approval (source)
- Test standards — ISO 4210 used as the base with tougher in-house standards; impact test exceeds the UCI 40 J requirement; in-house drum fatigue, stiffness, brake and wind tunnel testing (source)
- Hand built in USA — All wheels hand built in Eugene, Oregon; each wheel built three times with two stress cycles; eleven patents (source)
Sources on Rolf Prima's site:
- Rolf Prima: Testing
- Rolf Prima: Paired Spoke Technology
- Rolf Prima: Our Technology
- Rolf Prima: Certainty Program
- Rolf Prima: Warranty
- Rolf Prima: FAQ (UCI, rider weight, build process)
Everything in this section is published by Rolf Prima. ProWheelBuilder is the seller, not the tester, and the wheel reaches you as the maker builds it.
A note on Rolf Prima
The Vigor is Rolf's longest-running profile and their best seller, and the ES version has been a staple of triathlon wheel choices for fifteen years. A rim shape that survives that long in a market this faddish is usually telling you something.
Ordering it from ProWheelBuilder
Rolf Prima hand-builds every Hyalite Carbon to order in Eugene, Oregon. We sell it here at ProWheelBuilder in Georgia and review each order's axle caps and freehub body against your frame and cassette before it goes to Rolf. If you ride multiple bikes, tell us and we will make sure the caps you get cover them.
Astral, Rolf Prima's rim brand, is also a rim we build custom wheels on. If you want a carbon gravel rim with a different hub, a 28-spoke build, or a specific lacing pattern, we can quote that next to the Hyalite Carbon.
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. This is a complete wheelset built by its manufacturer rather than in our shop, so the maker's warranty above is the one that applies to it. ProWheelBuilder's own one-year wheel warranty covers the wheels we build. We will still handle a manufacturer claim on your behalf.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Hyalite Carbon questions
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Hyalite Carbon?
No. Rolf Prima builds the Hyalite Carbon in Eugene, Oregon. We are a reseller.
Hyalite Carbon or Hyalite ES Carbon?
The Hyalite Carbon uses US-made XST 4.4 hubs with a titanium freehub, T2 drive and QR, thru-axle and Boost options, and Sapim Laser spokes. The ES Carbon uses the XR 3.1 hub with fixed 12x100/142x12 axles. Rolf lists 1425 grams versus 1480 grams.
Does the Hyalite Carbon fit Boost frames?
Yes. Boost 110 front and Boost 148 or Boost 141 QR rear are on the option list.
What tires suit the Hyalite Carbon?
Rolf says the 23mm inner width is optimized for 32c to 45c and will take up to 2 inches.
Is the carbon rim hooked or hookless?
Rolf describes the Hyalite Carbon as a carbon clincher, tubeless ready. Rolf's tire and pressure chart on the product images governs maximum pressure for each tire width.
Is the Hyalite Carbon covered by crash replacement?
Yes. Rolf's Certainty program includes lifetime crash replacement, a five-year warranty and permanent parts availability.
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 wheels for a living.
