Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

It’s no secret that carbon wheels are here to stay on road bikes – and making their way to mountain bikes.  4 years ago I was wheelbuilding for a Wellington start-up company who were using the Gigantex range of carbon tubular and clincher rims and this gave me a huge amount of experience with carbon rims when they were still a relatively new concept.  What I learned from these wheelbuilds made me wait and look for a quality rim to come along before jumping head-first into offering me-too carbon wheels: Carbon wheels are expensive (even the cheap ones!) and any problems quickly lead to disappointed customers.  For this reason I waited patiently for the technology to progress and for superior products to be developed.

I’ve done my homework with Edge and I’m immensely proud to be aligning with Australian distributor Cycling Edge to exclusively offer these rims in New Zealand.  Edge rims have proven to strike the balance of being light-weight, stiff, and durable.

Cycling Edge are the largest Edge stockist outside of the factory in the USA.  Cycling Edge also distribute Moots, Parlee and Isaac; all top-shelf companies with a reputation for quality and integrity.

50b is an intermediate wheel size – it’s bigger than a standard 26″ wheel but smaller than a 29″.  650b wheels are actually as old as the hills; French touring and utility bikes have used this wheel and tyre size for decades however with mountain biking branching out from traditional 26″ wheels it looks like the 650b will be resurrected.

Those who sing its praise claim the 650b has the smooth rolling characteristics of a 29er but without the extra weight and inertia.  650b wheels fit in some 26″ forks (like the Fox F-series this wheel is used in) and there are a handful of manufacturers producing 650b frames.

Tyres seam to be the limiting factor as only a few brands and models are available.

All in all it’s an interesting development but I’m certainly not predicting the demise of the 26″ wheel ;-)

Want more info on 650b?  http://650b.com/