Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

Barry supplied me with this used Chorus hub to be rebuilt into a new rim as a training wheel. This is the last generation of the Chorus hub and it shares all the same internals and freehub body as Record but without the external grease port. These are great hubs and if looked after will last decades.

I used a DT Swiss RR1.1 rim to fit with the traditional shape of the hub.

Spokes are double butted DT Swiss Competition and brass nipples are used on both sides.

This wheel is ready for some miles…

This is the ‘race’ front wheel for Ash’s Yeti ARS Carbon. I used an Alpine rim and DT Swiss bladed spokes to match his existing rear wheel.

The DT Swiss 240s hub fits the QR15 fork and is holding a Shimano XTR disc rotor with the aluminium ICE center section.

The Stan’s ZTR hubs are becoming a popular item and have proven themselves over the past year. They’re light, durable, and they work very well.

I laced the Crest rim using DT Swiss Competition spokes on the driveside and lighter Revolution spokes on the non-driveside. Aluminium nipples on both sides keep the weight down.

As with all the Stan’s wheels I sell I fit the yellow sealing tape and a tubeless valve so that they’re ready to use when they arrive.

Made with top quality American Apparel t-shirts so they look great and will last ages. Gary at The Gas Project designed a few prints and the famous icecream was selected by you to go into production.

64B is our street address here in Lyall Bay.

These shirts are available in red or white for $45 each with another $5 for shipping inside NZ. Give me a call to order.

Quentin was looking for a pair of all-around wheels for his Serotta which would be a similar weight to his Reynolds but without the hassle of constantly breaking spokes.  These wheels will replace his race / event wheels as well as his daily-drivers.

I used the White Ind H3 hubs which are my favorite for larger fellas. These hubs simply work very well.  When laced to the XR-270 rims the combination is a very solid, durable setup.

Front spokes are DT Swiss Revolutions while the rear are heavier, stiffer Competitions. Both wheels are laced 28 x 2.  To save weight we used aluminium nipples on the front wheel and heavier brass on the rear wheel.

White decals will match the outline of the Serotta text on his titanium and carbon Ottrott.

Andrew needed a new front wheel. I laced and Alchemy ELF hub into a Kinlin XR-270 rim using 20 DT Swiss Revolution spokes. Red aluminium nipples and red decals will tie in with his bike and existing rear wheel.

Wheel weight was 610 grams.

Sarah from Roadcycling.co.nz met the Wheelworks Racing team at the Tour of Wellington this year and wanted to find out a little more about what brought our team together and where we’re heading.  She dropped past the workshop last week for a coffee and a chat.

Her first article focuses on the teamwork and camaraderie of Wheelworks Racing

http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TeamTalk/team-overview-wheelworks-racing.html

Her second focused on me, the business of Wheelworks, and handbuilt wheels

http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/GearTalk/hand-building-a-wheel-that-works.html

Many thanks to Sarah for stopping in and giving me the opportunity to share and explain with her readers what the race team and business are all about.

Jason needed a new pair of all-around wheels for his SantaCruz BlurXC and the Stan’s ZTR hubs fit the bill perfectly with their great weight and price.

I laced them to Crest rims with DT Swiss Competition and Revolution spokes. The driveside spoke nipples are brass and the rest are alloy to save weight. This keeps the durability of brass nipples where they’re needed but reduces weight around the rest of the wheelset.

The stealth all-black colour scheme matches his anodized black Blur perfectly.

As with all Wheelworks wheels Jason’s name is engraved near the valve hole, and the wheelset number is recorded.  The Stan’s yellow tape and valves are also fitted ready for the wheels to be used.

After damaging a pair of Zipp wheels Wheelworks Racing team member Daniel Coombes needed a new race wheelset.

Daniel has a sit-and-grind riding style with low cadence and huge power and he excels on flattish course like Taranaki. The goal was to give him a wheelset with plenty of stiffness and good aerodynamics, but to keep the weight as low as possible to help with accelerations and climbs.

The DT Swiss 240s hubset is a great starting point for a wheelset. They’re light but they use large bearings which last well and roll smoothly – afterall most people want to spent their time riding their wheels not maintaining them.

DT Swiss Aerolite bladed spokes were used to keep weight and aerodynamic drag down. Spoke nipples are internal and are a combination of the 14mm no-nylock nipples with a small counter-bore and a 12mm nylock nipple with a custom counter-bore. The counter-bore effectively moves the first thread away from the section of spoke which bends as it enters the rim. On an internal nipple rim this is the highest stressed part of the spoke and is the most likely to snap if poorly built and these nipples eliminate that risk.

The rims are a 50mm deep, 360 gram full-carbon tubular made by a top-quality manufacture. They build up very well and have a thick bed where the nipple sits to prevent them cracking at this common spot. The rims are stiff, reasonably light, and offer great value.

Daniel is an all-black kind of guy so some simple white decals on the hubs were all that was required.

I glued on some awesome Vittoria Evo KX tubulars and Daniel used these wheels at the recent Tour of Wellington.

I’m running out the door to head to the Sevens so rather than type about this awesome bike I’ll leave you with some photos to enjoy: