If your riding calendar swings wildly between fast group rides, big mountain exploration, and long gravel detours, you’ve probably felt the pain of choosing the “right” wheels for the day. For most of us, that wheelset is a bit of a unicorn. It should be light enough to glide up climbs, wide enough to accommodate a range of tire widths, and strong enough not fold under a good gravel day. Bonus if that wheelset doesn’t cost as much as a mid-level road bike.
Rolf Prima’s EOS AR wheelset hits three out of the four of those marks.
What Are They? Rolf Prima EOS AR Wheels
The Rolf Prima EOS AR (all-road) wheels are the Eugene brand’s flagship all-road wheelset. Designed to take on most that the road (and some gravel) can throw at you without overreaching into a single category. The EOS AR has all the trademarks you’d expect from a Rolf Prima wheelset: brand-defining paired spokes, classic graphics (everyone knows they’re Rolfs anyway), and high-flange hubs. Each Rolf Prima wheelset is hand-built in Eugene, Oregon, and the EOS AR is no different.
Doesn’t Rolf already have an all-road wheelset? They do; the Aeres4 AR is another “AR” Rolf wheelset, but it lacks the high-end trimmings of the EOS. On paper, they have nearly the same rim: 40mm deep, 31mm external, and 25mm internal. But it’s the build, hubs, and price that set the two apart. If we’re splitting hairs, Rolf also has another all-road wheelset; the Hyalite Carbon. But looking at the offering on the Rolf site and seeing the all road ahead, I can imagine these will all be absorbed into one wheelset line moving forward.
Hands On – Classic Rolf Styling
Let’s start with the rim. The EOS AR centers on a 40mm-deep carbon rim with a modern 25mm internal width and a 31mm external width with a hooked design. Rolf claims the EOS AR can accomdate tire widths from 28mm-50mm, with a sweet spot in the middle. I found this to be mostly true; the 31mm external width covers the excess of the bead well, but doesn’t really cut it up to 50mm. For 50mm I would rather have a 29mm internal or something that doesn’t squeeze the tire profile into a light bulb shape. However, the middle (30-45mm) widths are where the EOS AR shines – more on that in the ride review.
The 40mm rim depth is the standard for all road and all-around aero road wheels, but Rolf has quietly offered this depth for many years. Now, however, with the slightly wider internals and a finishing package thats’s drool-worthy, they have a true top-end contender. The EOS AR is deep enough to offer meaningful aero gains on the road, but wide enough to properly support larger rubber for comfort and control. Plus, that 3mm wide rim bead can take some hits from gravel, potholes, and what have you, and still hit the group ride the next day.
What’s The Weight?
Our set came in at 1,400 grams (front 634g, rear 766g). The weight isn’t as impressive as some of the featherweight climbing wheels on the market. However, they ride like a much lighter wheel. The EOS AR 16 paired spoke design helps keep rotational weight down and gives the wheels a smooth spin-up on climbs.
Real Talk – Can Paired Spokes Cut It?
Rolf Prima’s hallmark paired-spoke design remains a defining feature. With just 16 spokes front and rear, the setup looks minimalist, but ride quality tells a different story. I had many friends ask me whether these wheels would “hold up” with only 16 paired spokes, given the rides we took them on.
Now, I’ve ridden Rolf Prima wheels many times before, I raced them on the road (many years ago), and wrote about them for a while. I’ve never had any issues with the paired-spoke design. Yes, they can be slightly tougher to treat when and if something knocks them out of true. The internal nipples mean that you can’t throw them on a truing stand and quickly dial them in. But in the hands of a solid mechanic, you’ll be just fine.
I had a pair of Rolf Prima tubular wheels that I raced for cyclocross for many seasons. They took unbelievable abuse; they only gave up with a ghost in a pile-up crash after someone stepped on the hub and broke the flange. I definitely don’t think the paired spoke design is a weakness.
The Build – Rolf Prima EOS AR
The Rolf Prima EOS AR wheels are definitely the top end of the brand’s all-road offering. The price reflects this at a cool $3,099; these wheels are going into “do I just buy another bike?” territory. But if you’ve done your research and know what you want, these wheels offer lots of top-end trimmings.
The XST 7.0 hubs are a highlight and are a White Industry design. Rolf uses Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings paired with their high-engagement T2 drive system and a titanium freehub body.
A note on Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings. The Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings are among the most resilient I’ve ever used. I’ve had them in bottom-bracket and pulley-wheel form on many bikes, and they seem to get faster with age. They, however, are not cheap (usually around $500 for a full wheelset), so Rolf Prima specing this on a wheel is advantageous for those who know.
Durability is also a focus here. The hubs come with a Cerakote finish that looks like a matte grey but shows neat flecks in the sun. The Cerakote finish is more than an aesthetic upgrade; it resists corrosion and wear. Something that you won’t see right away, but after many rides (and maybe years on the wheels), they should be the same as when you unwrapped them. These feel like hubs built for years of use rather than a few seasons of racing.
Rolf Prima EOS AR Wheelset — Tech Specs
- Claimed wheelset weight: ~1,385 g, Front: ~610 g, Rear: ~775 g
- Rim construction: Carbon clincher, tubeless-ready
- Rim depth: 40 mm
- Internal rim width: 25 mm
- External rim width: 31 mm
- Brake compatibility: Disc brake, Center Lock
- Spoke count: 16 front / 16 rear
- Spoke type: Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes
- Hub model: Rolf Prima XST 7.0 Center Lock hubs
- Hub coating: Ballistic armor finish for durability
- Drive engagement: T2 high-engagement freehub system
- Bearings: Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings
- Axle Compatibility: 12 mm, 15 mm, and QR-compatible options, 12×142 mm, and QR-compatible options
- Freehub Options: Shimano HG 10/11-speed, SRAM XDR 11/12-speed, Campagnolo 11/12-speed/N3W
- Price: $3,099
- Made in the USA
How Do They Ride?
Most, if not all, of the time on the Rolf EOS AR wheels, I spent on the road with a pair of 30mm tires. I’m a big fan of the 30mm tire; it’s big enough for exploring and fast enough for racing.
Having come off a set of 60mm deep wheels, my first rides on the Rolf Prima EOS AR felt like flying. I paired them with a set of Challenge Elite TLR tires, and I felt like I was riding tublars again. Not only because the Challenge tires can feel that way, but because the wheel felt so light and springy. But the wheels were also stiff. It surprises me every time I ride them, but the Rolf wheels are stiff and responsive. The spoke tension is fairly high on those 16 paired spokes, but still, that stiffness doesn’t translate to a harsh ride.
On terrain that would constitute an all-road greatest hits, I took the EOS AR through the paces. The rough gravel that connects flowing farm scenery and the odd double track that cuts out some dangerous high-traffic roads. The EOS AAR performed excellently. The responsiveness of the wheels is a notable sensation. Whether sitting or standing, the wheel felt light and easy to spin. On the open road with loads of wind, I never felt as much as a twitch out of them. Granted 40mm isn’t really that deep, but confidence in having a steady wheel in the cross winds is a luxuary.
As for the chattery chewed-up bits of road, the EOS AR held its own. They don’t feel like super supple gravel wheels with a 25- or 30mm depth, but they aren’t harsh either. It’s a nice mix of solid feedback and rounding off the rough edge.
Who Are They For?
This is the tricky part. Are the Rolf Prima EOS AR the one wheel to rule them all for your style, or are they a set that only comes out for special occasions? I see them as the only wheel needed for many performance riders. That said, the price is a heavy lift for most and puts them out of the affordable territory by a few thousand dollars.
However, if you believe (and I do) that you can eliminate a few wheelsets from your garage and replace them with one, that makes the price worth it.
They’re fast enough to matter on pavement and tough enough to trust when the route turns questionable. If your riding style refuses to pick a single surface, the EOS AR might be the last wheel upgrade you need for a long time.
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