Wes sent me a pair of Mavic XM819 UST rims and the new Hope Pro2 EVO hubs to be built up for a Queenstown trail bike. The front hub is a 20mm thru-axle and the rear is a 10mm thru-axle.
Two white spokes add some bling.
The rims on Kirsten’s old Kysrium wheels were worn down well past the wear-indicator marks and it was time for a new pair.
Renowned for her descending skills this pair of 23mm wide A23 rims will further increase her confidence when the road pitches downward, and with a light weight of only 1460 grams these wheels will drop around 500 grams which will only help her going uphill.
DT Swiss Aerolite bladed spokes and a combination of brass and aluminium nipples will keep weight down and durability high.
This wheel will be used for some long distance touring.
The Mavic rim uses FORE eyelets to ensure UST tubeless compatibility. Mavic recommend 16mm nipples however I generally use 12mm so that the spoke extends all the way through the nipple rather than stopping 4mm short and leaving the nipple’s head unsupported. The longer nipples are suggested so that a spoke can be removed and the nipple won’t be able to fall into the eyelet – this is only an isssue for the wheelbuilder and not the customers in my opinion.
Black DT Swiss Competition spokes and black brass nipples will keep things strong and they look great with the red hub.
Jed had an FSA front wheel with seized spoke nipples and some cracks in the rim. The hub was still in good shape so I suggested rebuilding it into a new rim.
Jed is light so a 20 hole Stan’s Alpha 340 rim is a great match. I used bladed DT Swiss Aerolite spokes and aluminium nipples. A special coating on the spoke threads will stop them seizing this time.
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