Fulcrum Racing 3 Vs Rolf Prima Elan

tubsolard

I decided to opt for a new set of wheels and bought a pair of Fulcrum Racing 3 Clinchers because I saw a deal for £300 (from £450) and the review for these wheels were excellent:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/ ... -1558g-450

Since I placed the order I put an offer on eBay for a pair of Rolf Elan Clincher (not really expecting it to be accepted) of £400 for a pair of Rolf Prime Elan. Bearing in mind the RRP is £750 I was shocked when the offer was accepted but majorly pleased.

My question now is, which ones do I keep?

I intend on keeping the Rolf's because they look amazing and I've not read any bad reviews, plus £400 for a £750 set of wheels is a bargain but I couldn't find that much info / reviews on them.

The FR3 however have excellent reviews so I know I won't be let down by them, but the RRP is £300 cheaper and they (in my opinion) won't look as smart on my Cannondale Super Six Evo.

Am I right to go with the Rolf's considering the bargain that presented itself or am I better suited to a tried and trusted set of Fulcrums!?

Please help!

mlgt

Surely with new wheels you have a 30 day return policy? If so perhaps give the Fulcrums a go?

I haven't had any experience with Fulcrum, but do own the Rolf Vigor Alpha set and find these very good. However more suited for a sportif rather than everyday riding. For everyday riding. I purchased a pair of Mavic Ksyrium SL's.

The Rolfs are quite robust and spin very quickly. But I haven't seen that many on bikes so I guess that could make you stand out more. Try both. For the sake of it. I would keep both

rolf_f

mlgt wrote:

Surely with new wheels you have a 30 day return policy? If so perhaps give the Fulcrums a go?

Well that's nice - I'm sure any shop will be really grateful to have a set of brand new, fairly expensive wheels made unsaleable just so someone can 'give them a go'. :roll:

I guess it depends on whether you ever break spokes. I'd have thought a broken spoke on a Fulcrum would probably still let you get home with care and not be too difficult to true (if not cheaply). However much I quite like the idea of riding a bike with wheels which have my name on them, I just can't take those spoke lacing patterns seriously and I can't imagine one of them failing not being an instant ride over situation.

That said, I tend to agree with mlgt - if I had both knocking around I'd probably just keep both!

ugo.santalucia

mlgt wrote:

Surely with new wheels you have a 30 day return policy? If so perhaps give the Fulcrums a go?

I think you must have misread this part of the consumer rights... you have the right to return an item within 2 weeks and unused in the original packaging... which has nothing to do with you using the wheels and returning them.

As for the Fulcrum 3... yes, nice wheels, outside the warranty period and when things start to go wrong, an absolute joke though...

Rolf wheels are a rule of thumb are meant for someone seriously light... with my 73 Kg I would consider myself too lardy for a set of Rolf, unless they are for time trialling/race day only

tubsolard

The review here (only one I could find but this is a pre-ride review!) states that there is no ride weight limit:

"Either way, that’s a light wheelset – one which comes without a rider weight limit"

http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/rolf-prim ... -look.html

ugo.santalucia

tubsolard wrote:

The review here (only one I could find but this is a pre-ride review!) states that there is no ride weight limit:

Weight limit is meaningless... nobody can stop you from buying wheels because you are overweight, therefore it is at the discretion of the manufacturer to put a weight limit or not... voiding a warranty based on rider weight is unrealistic too, therefore some prefer to avoid the issue altogether.
A catastrophic failure leading to severe injury due to the rider being overweight is also very unlikely and probably unprecedented, therefore there is no need for legislation on the matter... Shimano also don't put (or didn't) weight limits... that doesn't mean that a 100 Kg rider on a set of DA CL 24 is a good idea

tubsolard

thanks for your reply, you seem to know what you are talking about when it comes to wheels so appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I'm 75kg but hoping to drop below 70 over the winter as weight is obviously important when buying the Rolf's. I'm just a bit none-the-wiser about them as there is no real suggested rider weight to help me, all I have is your rule-of-thumb advice that I'm probably too heavy for them.

Would I be right in assuming that excessive weight just reduces the milage of the wheel and basically means it won't last as long, or are there significant performance problems when riding on a wheel not suited for your weight?

ugo.santalucia

tubsolard wrote:

thanks for your reply, you seem to know what you are talking about when it comes to wheels so appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I'm 75kg but hoping to drop below 70 over the winter as weight is obviously important when buying the Rolf's. I'm just a bit none-the-wiser about them as there is no real suggested rider weight to help me, all I have is your rule-of-thumb advice that I'm probably too heavy for them.

Would I be right in assuming that excessive weight just reduces the milage of the wheel and basically means it won't last as long, or are there significant performance problems when riding on a wheel not suited for your weight?

At your weight you will be fine... I prefer wheels that last many (rather than few) thousands of miles, therefore my statement above. 20 laser spokes is a severely underbuilt rear wheel. My advice is be realistic with your mileage: if these are meant to do 2,000 per year then fine, but if you plan 6,000 per year on them, then get something more robust.
People seem to worry a lot about road conditions, forgetting that it's mileage that kill wheels

tubsolard

Thanks, I think I should be ok then as I have an old set of Easton EA30 wheels that I intend to use for most of the winter and for training. I can then stick the Rolf's on for longer rides or races. I don't race as such, more organised rides and a few triathlons.

So I can easily limit my riding on the wheels to under 2,000 miles in a year.

mlgt

ugo.santalucia wrote:

mlgt wrote:

Surely with new wheels you have a 30 day return policy? If so perhaps give the Fulcrums a go?

I think you must have misread this part of the consumer rights... you have the right to return an item within 2 weeks and unused in the original packaging... which has nothing to do with you using the wheels and returning them.

As for the Fulcrum 3... yes, nice wheels, outside the warranty period and when things start to go wrong, an absolute joke though...

Rolf wheels are a rule of thumb are meant for someone seriously light... with my 73 Kg I would consider myself too lardy for a set of Rolf, unless they are for time trialling/race day only

Thanks for the correction Ugo

I wasn't trying to stir the OP to take the mick. I just wasn't sure and it came across wrong. Apologies all.

I would agree on the Rolfs, although I have used them in the summer and they were great. I was around 82kg that point. I've since given them to my younger brother who managed to hit a pothole and the back wheel had a small crack(he is 72kg) Rolf fully replaced the rear wheel with a brand new one as it was within a year.

Either way let us know how you get one with either (or both)