This is a set of wheels similar in many respects to a build blogged previously. The rims are the same but the weight is about 1% more at 1520 grams. That’s in spite of lighter hubs and eight fewer spokes, which goes to show counting grams is not the same as counting spokes. This build uses a mix of Sapim Race and Sapim Laser spokes to deliver the stiffness required.
These wheels will get two layers of Stan’s yellow tape and Stan’s road tubeless valve stems, which I sell. They’re getting the updated Schwalbe One tubeless rubber in a 25mm width. Very nice!
White Industries T11 hubs and Stan's Alpha 400 rimsStan's Alpha 400 rims, great for road tubelessT11 rear hub with titanium freehub bodyT11 front hub laced radially
We’re seeing more and more road disc bikes on the market. The scene is changing quickly but not all hub manufacturers are on trend. DT Swiss makes excellent hubs that are easily convertible between axle standards and freehub specifications. You can take a DT Swiss mountain hub and swap in a Shimano/SRAM 11 speed freehub body with no fuss. Unfortunately because DT is late to the party, you can’t buy their hubs ready to ride. You have to buy the freehub body separately and do the swap yourself, leaving you with a 10 speed freehub body in hand. Not ideal.
These are photos of a recent wheelset — DT Swiss 350 hubs laced to H Plus Son Achetype rims with DT Swiss Competition double-butted spokes. Freehub swapped to support Shimano 11.
DT Swiss 350 hubs and H Plus Son Archetype rimsDT Swiss 350 hubs and H Plus Son Archetype rimsDT Swiss 350 rear hub converted to Shimano 11H Plus Son Archetype rims
These are lightweight wheels designed to rejuvenate a bike that gets a lot of use but has considerable life left. If you’re still using OEM wheels, you’ll be surprised how new hoops transform your ride. Components were chosen for weight and these wheels hit 1500 grams with valves and tape. The front hub is an uncommon 25mm thru axle model, which matches the owner’s fork.
Stan's Crest rims with Sapim Laser spokesLightweight DT Swiss 240S rear hubStan's tubeless valve and rim alloy nipplesStan's yellow tape for tubeless setup
The wheelset pictured below is particularly strong to meet the needs of a particular rider. It uses Velocity Cliffhanger rims and White Industries MI6 hubs. The 26″ wheel size and wider 135mm rear spacing offer relevant benefits.
Spokes are a key consideration with every build. In this case I’ve chosen 40 spokes per wheel and I’m using single-butted Sapim Strong, which are 2.3mm at the elbow where most breakage occurs. The strength of a spoke is proportional to its cross-sectional area so a 2.3mm section is stronger than you might imagine. Put in other terms, 40 spokes with a 2.3mm diameter offer more strength than 52 spokes with a plain 2.0mm end. Sapim Strong are 32% stronger says (π×(2.3÷2)²) ÷ (π×(2.0÷2)²).
It’s not common practice but I chose nipple washers for this build, which allow me to take tension to the limit of the rim with greater safety. Sapim Polyax washers also allow nipples to re-orient slightly for a better spoke path — I like them when building with single-butted spokes.
Velocity Cliffhanger rims and White Industries MI6 hubsVelocity Cliffhanger rims and White Industries MI6 hubsVelocity Cliffhanger rims are built for strengthWhite Industries MI6 investment-grade hubs
I’ve built quite a few Hope wheelsets lately. Here’s another set with my favorite brand of mountain rims — Stan’s. Shipped with Stan’s tape and valve stems installed.
Beefy Stan's Flow rims and Sapim Race butted spokesStan's tubeless valve stem installed, Sapim brass nipplesHope hubs are good performers on a budgetHope hubs are good performers on a budget
These are sweet 29er race wheels but great fun in general, especially on the climbs. The Hope hubs were the riders’s own and I supplied Stan’s Crest rims and Sapim Laser spokes. With aluminum nipples they add up to 1615g, that is 732g front and 883g rear (DT Swiss 240S hubs would push it under 1475g total). Because of the rim weight and resultant low tension ceiling, build quality is extra important on a wheelset like this. These wheels were built with tension balanced to ±7% or better. In getting there both wheels were stress relieved multiple times, which causes tension to relax so I can bring it up as much as possible. Lateral alignment is nearly perfect with a 0.1mm rise at the decals being the limiting factor.
I’ve built this make of rim before. I’m really happy with the quality. The nipple seats are reassuringly thick and the rims were round out of the box. The manufacturer makes carbon rims for a major league brand so production is mature. This particular model is 45mm deep with a hybrid toroidal shape, virtually identical to the Zipp 303. They lack the dimples found on Zipp Firecrests but sell for a fraction of the price.
Go fast with lightweight carbon wheelsAerodynamic profile, 45mm deepBuilt to tight tolerancesYou can't go wrong with White Industries T11
The first wheelset is destined for a vintage mountain bike restoration project. Velocity Aeroheat rims offer a good strength-to-weight ratio and Shimano Ultegra hubs help manage the budget. It’s not easy finding sweet 26″ wheels for rim brakes and a 130mm rear end.
The next set is loaded touring wheels designed for journeys without limitation. They are based on White Industries MI5 hubs equipped with a titanium freehub body, Velocity Dyad rims and butted spokes. With 40 spokes each, these wheels are capable of carrying the kitchen sink.
Velocity Aeroheat 26 inch wheelsVelocity Aeroheat 26 inch wheelsVelocity Dyad rims and White Industries MI5 hubsVelocity Dyad 700c rims are tough stuff
Identical to a previous wheelset, these have more to offer than most OEM wheels. Their stiffness is excellent, the star-ratchet hubs are high quality at an affordable price, and spokes are butted. Butted spokes decrease weight and increase fatigue life. This set is 28h with alloy nipples — a recipe for durability with a nod to weight. These are nice parts and I like to think they’re put together as well as a wheel can be, which is an important determiner of maintenance requirements and lifespan.
H Plus Son Archetypes are amazing rimsWheels are built to tight tolerancesDT 350 hubs are built to lastBlack rims and spokes with silver nipples
My rims are shot so I’m looking for new rims and spokes. My hubs are going strong so I’d like to re-use them. This time I’d like to lace the front wheel radially…
It’s a pleasure to ride nice hubs and, as this rider knows, they can survive many sets of rims. But only re-use your hubs with the same lacing pattern used before. This is for safety. Changing from a cross pattern to radial is the most dangerous case and a notorious cause of hub flange cracks.
