# Spinergy Roks XE (12 spokes) wheel



## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

Maybe this is the forum to post since some of you vintage people might be into old Spinergy stuff. Tried the Wheels and weight weenie boards but no answers :skep: 

Okay, so I recently purchased a rear 26" Spinergy Roks XE wheel with the 6 (or 12) spokes. Spokes are carbon and rim is aluminum. Pretty swank wheel but I was a bit disappointed by the weight. It's not as light as I thought it would be. Anyway, I have some questions.


When was the last year they produced the Roks XE? 

Difference between the 8 and 12 spokes?

What is the widest tire width I can use on this wheel?

Can the spokes be adjusted or tensioned?

What was the manufacterer's weight on the rear wheel 12 spokes?

Thanks!

Btw, I got a great price on it! Got it almost 50% off what the seller wanted it for. He was cool.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

The guys at www.retrobike.co.uk would probably know. Not too many Spinergy lovers here that I know of.


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## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

We only ever sold one set of those and they were really heavy. The original 4spoke wheels did OK on the road but not so good off road. They were breaking the spokes and always coming out of true. The answer was the 6 spoke wheels which came with a replaceable rim and was able to be trued. On the 4 spoke wheels, if you dented a rim, you were done. The 6 spokes were also less easily damaged. This all made the wheels more durable but heavier. They were pretty much dismissed at the time and it hasn't gotten much better with age.


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## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*Yeah...*



djork said:


> Pretty swank wheel but I was a bit disappointed by the weight. It's not as light as I thought it would be.


The rear weighs more than a decent wheelset. None of the bladed Spinergys came close to the weight of a run of the mill Shimano-Mavic wheelset.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> The guys at www.retrobike.co.uk would probably know. Not too many Spinergy lovers here that I know of.


have you seen the latest BOM?


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

djork said:


> Maybe this is the forum to post since some of you vintage people might be into old Spinergy stuff. Tried the Wheels and weight weenie boards but no answers :skep:


As a reformed Spinergy user, I'll try to be of some help.



djork said:


> Pretty swank wheel:


Negatron.



djork said:


> When was the last year they produced the Roks XE?


98



djork said:


> Difference between the 8 and 12 spokes?


Its relative suckiness to other wheels



djork said:


> What is the widest tire width I can use on this wheel?


Any 26" specific XC-use tire should work + hybrids and slicks. I wouldn't go above 2.2



djork said:


> Can the spokes be adjusted or tensioned?


No. That being said, raised over the head and slammed on a rock produces some solid results.



djork said:


> Btw, I got a great price on it! Got it almost 50% off what the seller wanted it for. He was cool.


The Rev-X Rox pull decent money on the Bay. $300-$500, more for the rarer disc version. I'm thinking mostly people want them for commuting, which is what I used them for up until a year or so ago. The XE not so much because they are heavier and lamer.

My hatred comes from a cold morning commute in CoSpgs last winter... 8 or so degrees and my Spinergy rear wheel exploded, leaving me stranded, 30 mins from work, thumb out on a busy surface road.

In the end, I think the seller got the better of the deal.

But if it makes you happy, it cant be that bad.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

colker1 said:


> have you seen the latest BOM?


Sadly, I have. And last months winner also has me scratching my head.


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## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

Thanks for the info, guys. So I take it that the 6 spokes came later as an improvement to the 4 spokes? Was the 4 spokes called the Rev while the 6 is called the Roks? What is XE then?

Yeah, thanks for confirming the weight thing, not exactly what I wanted to hear :| but guess I wasn't imagining it. I've always thought carbon anything would be lighter. Such a disappointment, but the cool factor makes up for the heavy weight. I got it because I've always wanted one (in this case, the rear was what I preferred). And I got a steal! I wasn't really looking for one at the time but happened upon a Cannondale MTB with a rear 4 spoke in the rear and regular spoked wheel in the front on Craigslist. I e-mailed the seller if he could sell just the Spinergy, but he never got back to me about that . Seeing that set up just refreshed my interest in wanting a Spinergy MTB wheel and I really liked that wheel combo set up. The idea of having a Spinergy 4-spoke wheel got the best of me and I was even thinking about buying the bike just for the wheel and selling the rest. Then I see a guy selling a rear 6 spokes a few days later on CL, a few e-mails and it was mine! Did I say he was cool?

I was gonna put this on my semi weight weenie project but think I'm gonna stick to the Mavic X317 wheels I already have. The Spinergy will be a "show" wheel, and I plan to put a separate cassette, tires, and tubes on it so I can swap with the rear Mavic whenever. The X317 has new tires and tubes and a SRAM PG980 installed already, and I don't want to re-do everything, especially considering it was a pain putting on the Michelin CiTY tire!

As far as looks and design, I think the Roks XE has held up. It still looks cool and even "modern." Doesn't look vintage at all, at least not to me.


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

Rev-X: Popular 700c road wheel introduced in early nineties. Made its way into the pro ranks, TDF, etc., until some pros begain *****ing about the weight, the danger of them, etc. Amazingly, many still used them as late as 2000.

Rev-X Rox - 4-spoke MTB wheel introduced in 95. Again, quite popular BITD. I'm not ashamed to admit, I have never wanted any bike part more in my life.. including a tension-disc.

Rev-X Rox XE - introduced 97? I wouldn't call it an upgrade. Maybe made to create the appearance of a stronger wheel.. not nearly as popular. 

Spox - First spoked Spinergy. These sucked worse than all.

I know Spinergy has made other wheels since, and I know many people like them. IMO, weight and durability were never Spinergy's strong points, and its two places I'd never compromise when chosing a wheelset on which I plan to shred.

Edit - I will say this. Searching for a set of Rev-X Rox in the summer of 06 is what brought me to the VRC world. I'm not ashamed to say it, and I've learned a lot since.


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## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

I plan to use the Roks XE on a commuter (semi weight weenie) bike I'm putting together. I'll probably stick with the Mavic rear I have since I paid a pretty penny for the set, besides, both wheel have tubes and tires on and are ready to roll. 

The Roks EX, though heavier (still disappointed) at least will give the illusion of being light  It also has that oooh-factor, to boot!

Thanks for the info, ameybrook. I sorta like the 6 spokes over the 4 now. I've never knew the 6 existed until I found mine and started doing some research. Do you know if the 4 spoke had some sort of carbon parts on the rim because the ones I see on Ebay have a carbon look on the rim right up to the brake surface.

Btw, my set up will have disc up front and V-brake in the back, so the rear Spinergy Roks XE works nicely.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

can we get a link to the recent BOM's? 

I've been over there a few times but I get easily distracted by the Tequestas and Konas with Spins and then usually can't remember why I went there in the first place.


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

Fillet-brazed said:


> can we get a link to the recent BOM's?
> 
> I've been over there a few times but I get easily distracted by the Tequestas and Konas with Spins and then usually can't remember why I went there in the first place.


Nov. http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45169

Dec. http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46235

I'll warn you, the current run is...ut:


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

ameybrook said:


> Nov. http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45169


ouch


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

I can't fcuking believe that Spinergy GT won over Kai's Tinker replica. Its just wrong.

December is lining up to be even worse.


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

Rumpfy said:


> I can't fcuking believe that Spinergy GT won over Kai's Tinker replica. Its just wrong.
> 
> December is lining up to be even worse.


IIRC, Kai's TR has lost three times in BOM competitions.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> I can't fcuking believe that Spinergy GT won over Kai's Tinker replica. Its just wrong.
> 
> December is lining up to be even worse.


not meaning to be disrespectfull to the owner of that GT but.... well, i don't get it. not to mention it's too big for whoever is riding it.
is BOTM a joke?


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> I can't fcuking believe that Spinergy GT won over Kai's Tinker replica. Its just wrong.
> 
> December is lining up to be even worse.


if they had a car of the month, Steve McQueen's Ferrari would lose to a purple Ford Pinto.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

ameybrook said:


> IIRC, Kai's TR has lost three times in BOM competitions.


Hmm...that could be the reason. Overexposure maybe?


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

colker1 said:


> if they had a car of the month, Steve McQueen's Ferrari would lose to a purple Ford Pinto.


LOL! :lol:


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## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

The 6 spoke wheels actually did have short "spokes" and nipples so they could be trued to some small degree.


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