Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

Back in May I wrote about some Phil Wood track hubs which I had ordered for a customer…well the rims arrived so I managed to get them built.

The wheels are for a restoration fixie which Oli over at Roadworks had been putting together for a Wellington client.  The client had chosen 27″ Jalco alloy rims from England so as to match the period of the bike, and wanted the slotted high-flange Phil Wood hubs.  I suggested silver DT Swiss Competition spokes and brass nipples, and of course 3-cross lacing on both wheels.

The Gillot frame had been repainted by Bob Jackson in the UK but unfortunately didn’t survive the trip to NZ without some damage to the dropouts.  Oli managed to cold set the dropouts so the project was back on track.

The wheels look great and will sit well on the bike.

After the pictures of Chris Kendall wearing the Wheelworks kit I’ve had a few requests to purchase similar kit.

I’ve done a few batches of that kit however I’ve got very little of it left. I do have a few Wheelworks tops left from the last order: I have a couple of pairs of Med bib shorts, one pair of Small bibs, a few medium jerseys (full zip) and one medium vest.

The kit is made by Tineli and is very good quality. Despite being mostly white it does wash very well and dirt does come out.

I had a very hard time taking good photos of the kit, however I’ve attached the design for the vest which is the same design as the shirts. The first picture is the front of the vest, the second is it overlaid on a shortsleeve jersey. The back of the clothing is the same but with “www.wheelworks.co.nz” across it, and the W logo on the left pocket. My graphic designer did a fantastic job and It’s great looking kit..you’re sure to get comments on it!

I am tempted to do another run of clothing. If you’re interested in this then let me know, the previous turn-around times have been around 6-8 weeks so it should arrive with plenty of time for the N-Duro’s and Taupo.

I’ve also been working with a graphic designer on getting some Wheelworks casual cotton t-shirts.

This is the first wheelset that I’ve built with the Kinlin XR-270 rims. As with the XR-300 they build up very well and are much stiffer than a traditional box-section rim.

This pair is for Chris Kendall’s new Bianchi when he’s not racing on his Tune / XR-300 wheels. Hubs are Formula sealed-bearing units and they’re laced with 28 DT Swiss Revolution spokes front and rear. Front and non-driveside spoke nipples are alumium with brass used on the driveside.

Total wheelset weight is 1605g which is very good for a pair of $800 built-to-order wheels! For lighter riders the Alex R400 rim can be used to save weight and improve ride quality and for heavier riders the XR-300 and stiffer spokes can be used to increase strength and stiffness….the common sense approach to handbuilt wheels!

It’s been busy this week and one of the highlights was building two pairs of Tune King MK 20mm front hubs and Kong Ti rear hubs onto Stan’s rims.

The King MK is Tune’s freeride / downhill 20mm front hub. At 155g it’s about half the weight of most of it’s competitors. The shell and endcaps are both aluminum.

The Kong Ti hubs use an aluminum shell and axle paired with a titanium freehub body for a total weight of 238g. This is Tune’s most versatile mountain bike rear hub and can be used for anything between XC and freeride use. For full downhill bikes they make the bolt-thru axle Kong MK and for XC racers with very deep pockets there is the carbon-flanged Princess hub.

Pair #1 use the 420g ZTR Arch rims, DT Swiss Revolution spokes, and a combination of alloy and brass nipples. These are to go on a 5″ travel All Mountain bike and weight on this pair is an incredible 1532 grams! Considering the durability and that the wheels are tubeless-ready this weight is very impressive.

The quick release is a Tune AC17 which uses a titanium axle, titanium handle and titanium centering springs. The end caps are aluminum. Weight for the quick release is 29 grams.

Pair #2 use the heavier, wider ZTR Flow rims with the same spokes, hubs and nipples. These are to go on a 6″ travel freeride bike and weigh an equally impressive 1628 grams. Most wheelsets fitted to 6″ travel bikes are over 2000g and often closer to 2500g so removing this much weight from the bike will have a huge impact on it’s performance.

The new DuraAce 7850 rear hub is becoming a popular choice because of it’s ability to accept 9 speed cassettes (the previous 7800 hub was 10-speed-only)

The 7850 uses the same titanium freehub body as the XTR 975 mountain bike hubs and has the new ‘quick engagement’ internals which means the hub picks up the next ratchet tooth quicker – this translates into less ‘dead play’ at the pedals.

Rims are the fantastic Kinlin XR-300′s: 460 grams, 30mm deep, very stiff and very durable.

These wheels are built to be an “everyday” pair which will get plenty of use in all weather conditions by a 90kg gentleman. The spoke count is on the sensible side: 32 rear and 28 front so that durability is top-notch. DT Swiss Competition spokes and brass front and rear add some weight but the wheelset still comes in at a very respectable 1757 grams. For a lighter rider or as “race / event” wheels this combination of rim and hub can weigh as little as 1520 grams.

The photos show a 9 speed Ultegra 12-27 cassette fitted.

Chris is a Pro-Elite mountain bike racer and one helluva nice guy. I’ve known Chris for quite a few years and known him to be a great ambassador for the sport so when I started Wheelworks it was a real privilege to be able to help and support Chris with his bikes: First a Turner Nitrous and recently a new Bianchi road bike (with pictures to come.) With the race season coming up Chris is going to write some of his race reports and post them on this blog.

Chris recently had the opertunity of test riding the $13,500 Stork Adrenalin Pro mountain bike on behalf of New Zealand Mountain Biker magazine and Litebikes. This is a fully decked-out German-made carbon full suspension bike with every light weight component known to man fitted…some serious bling.

Chris is looking stylish in his Wheelworks Kit on pages 45 and 46 of the June / July 08 issue which is on newsstands now.