Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

I’ll be out of the workshop until Monday November 7th.

I’m heading to Thames for the K2 road race and then taking a few days holiday.

If you’re  going to be at the race stop by and say hello afterwards, otherwise you can follow the teams progress at http://www.facebook.com/WheelworksRacing

I will have my mobile phone with me (027 494 5967) and will have limited access to email during this time. I’ll do my best to respond while away.

Thomas wanted a Powertap rear hub to measure power output. For this wheelset I used the new 2012 Pro+ hub. The 2012 version is 50 grams lighter than the 2011 version, and it comes in an awesome matt black colour. The Powertap uses Ant+ to wirelessly transmit power and cadence to any Ant+ headunit such as a Garmin.

I paired the rear hub with a 66 gram black Alchemy ELF.

The front wheel uses 24 bladed DT Swiss Aerolite spokes laced to a 23mm wide Velocity A23 rim.

The rear wheel uses 28 spokes and a Hed C2 rim. Powertap flange spacing isn’t the greatest in terms of building a stiff wheel so care needs to be taken to choose suitable parts for the rider’s weight. The Hed rim is slightly heavier and stiffer than the A23, and stiffer Competition spokes were used on the driveside to compliment the Aerolites on the non-driveside.

As with most Elite level cycling teams the contractractual obligations at Wheelworks Racing are steep; icecream can only be eaten on days ending in Y, coffee with milk is forbidden, and sock-height protocol must be obeyed at all times.

Racing for another team is also strictly forbidden, however the Wheelworks Racing board of directors has approved a sabbatical for rider Greg Taylor.

Greg will be heading to the Powernet Tour of Southland and racing with Team Ultimo / HGM.  Greg will be racing alongside Southland veteran Richard Rollinson, climber Dan Molyneux, US-professional Aaron Schneider and rookies Nick Jowsey, and Richard Lawson.

Daily updates of race progress will be published by Greg at www.facebook.com/WheelworksRacing

I build a lot of wheelsets for bigger, more powerful riders. Adam’s story is quite common – the factory wheelset started breaking spokes and cost a lot of time and money to get fixed, while reducing confidence in the wheelset.

For Adams wheelset I used my favorite big-guy hubs the American made White H3 and laced them to the 23mm wide Hed C2 rims. I used bladed DT Swiss Aerolites on the front wheel and the non-driveside of the rear wheel. For the driveside I used the stiffer DT Swiss Competition spokes.

Front spoke nipples are aluminium and I used brass on both sides of the rear wheel.

At 1568 grams this wheelset is lighter than most factory “race” pairs, but with much better ride quality and durability.

Well apparently some people do actually read what I write and want tech info!

This pair of wheels uses the exact same combination of components as Serge’s but in a far more subtle manor.

The front hub is an Alchemy ELF which I’ve written about in many other wheelbuilds – it’s a great front hub which is light, uses full-sized bearings, and nice wide flanges.

The matching rear Alchemy ORC is also US-made and has very wide flange spacing, and is also a great hub. At 218 grams they’re essentially the same weight as a DT Swiss 240s, but the wider flange spacing means they build into a stiffer wheel which is great for larger, more powerful riders. So why don’t I use less 240s and more ORCs? The ratchet mechanism in the 240s is fantastic, the bearings last forever, and it’s a tried, tested and true performer. The Alchemy is more expensive – if the extra stiffness is required then these are dollars well spent but in most cases the 240s meets (and exceeds) needs.

Spokes are bladed DT Swiss Aerolites. I use the standard Enve nipples on the front and rear-driveside, and a custom counter-bored nylock internal nipple on the rear non-drive. The nylock adds a bit of insurance on the lower tension side of the wheel.

Keen readers with calculators will notice this wheelset is 27 gram lighter than Serges which uses the same components. Why? Well the powder coated white spokes add a few grams, and as with all rims the weights vary slightly due to production tolerances. Also, Gabriel’s rear hub is a slightly lighter Campagnolo freehub body.

As with all Wheelworks wheels these are true to less than one-tenth of a millimeter in both the lateral and vertical directions, as measured with a Mitutoyo gauge which reads to hundredths of a millimeter.  Spoke tension is as even as possible and is measured with my DT Tensio which is tested and checked for calibration every two weeks.

Supplied with rim tape, Enve brakepads, and some skewers and these wheels will be boxed and shipped.

Is that enough tech info???

This wheelset has to be a contender for Bling of the Month – red anodized Alchemy hubs laced with white DT Swiss Aerolite spokes to Enve clinchers.

I was going to write a whole bunch of technical info, but lets be honest, everyone just skips to the photos anyway.

This is the second pair of wheels I’ve built for Neville in Christchurch. The first pair used very similar components and after 40,000km hasn’t needed so much as a true, but with a shiny new bike coming in a second pair of wheels was needed.

The blue decals will match the bike’s highlight colour, and the 1427 gram weight means an incredibly lively, responsive wheelset.

This pair of wheels is very similar in looks to Aidans which were built yesterday, however the small changes illustrate the differences which a custom wheelset can offer: a slightly higher rear spoke count to suit Nevilles heavier weight and training goals, brass rear spoke nipples, and of course custom decal colours.

Aidan approached me wanting a pair of race wheels for events like Taupo, Tour of Northland etc.

Aidan is quite light so a nice light pair of wheels can be built for him to take advantage of. The XR-270 rims are perfect for this role as they’ve got great durability, good aerodynamics, and good stiffness.

The front Alchemy ELF hub is laced with 20 bladed Aerolite spokes. The rear DT Swiss 240s uses 24 of the same spokes, and all spoke nipples are red aluminium nipples.

1383 grams is lighter than any ‘off the shelf’ wheelset yet as with all Wheelworks wheels these have a 3 year guarantee against broken spokes.

These wheels are whisking their way to Auckland as I type.

Tim provided this pair of H+Son rims to be laced to some Gran Compe track hubs. The H+Son is a brand-new rim which is designed with a nod to Nemesis rims with their brass counterweight at the valve. This rim is 23mm wide, and only 14mm deep.

I used 32 DT Swiss Competition spokes on each wheel. Both wheels are three-cross to keep with the retro look of the parts. All spoke nipples are brass.

I’ve built a few of the Alfine 11 speed internal hubs but this was the first one in polished silver – it looks smart!

Salsa’s Delgado rim is a solid performer for 29er or CX use – not the lightest rim out there but good quality.

I laced this wheel using 32 DT Swiss Competition spokes. Normally on a 32 hole wheel you’d use a 3-cross pattern but the large flanges of the Alfine (similar to a Rohloff) means a 2-cross pattern is more suitable.

I’ve built quite a few wheels for John over the years, and he sent this box to be re-used. This was the first box I designed and it uses two inserts to hold the wheel. The inserts have a laser-cut slot to locate the rim. They’re two-ply and I set the laser power just high enough to cut through one of the plys for the W logo so that it doesn’t go all the way through the insert.

The large W logos on the outside of the box were also laser cut.