Wheel Builds …

Derek's Reynolds carbon clincher re-built to PowerTap hub

Derek sent his Reynolds carbon clincher rear wheel down from Auckland to have it rebuilt with a PowerTap SL+ rear hub.

First things first – measure the wheel’s spoke tension, then remove tension from the spokes and cut-out the old spokes. This is to get a benchmark for the tension which the wheel has been under and is especially important with carbon rims.

Then measure the ERD and hub dimensions and calculate spoke length. Spokes get cut and rolled to the precise length on my Morizumi. Now lace and tension the wheel! It sounds easy but it takes a couple of hours to do correctly.

The wheel is then boxed up in my custom wheel boxes and returned to Derek. There might even be a Wheelworks waterbottle or two in there….

Some other misc photos I take when I do rebulids

Mark's red Pro2 hubs laced to Arch rims

Mark is an ex-pat living in Melbourne and enjoying working on the other side of the ditch. He was returning to NZ for some Christmas riding and ordered a new pair of wheels for his Trek Remedy to collect while here.

He chose Hope Pro2 hubs for their front axle options, excellent seals, and great durability. Oh, and their bright red colour.

Rims are Stan’s Arch – the Arch is neglected with most people choosing the Crest because of it’s lighter weight but the reality is that with clever spoke options the Arch can often be built up nearly as light as the Crest but with better stiffness, tracking and durability. Win-win.

Alternating red and black spoke nipples finish off the build.

These hubs arrived late on Christmas eve and I came into the workshop on Christmas day to build the wheels – the last pair I built in 2010.

Mark's Hadley hubs laced to Stan's Flow 29er rims

Mark supplied the 29er Flow rims and Hadley hubs and needed them built into a top quality pair of wheels for wet rides in the Akatarawas.

Hadley hubs are made in the USA and are top quality. The company doesn’t have a website but they’ve developed a cult following due to their high quality.

I used silver DT Swiss Competition spokes and brass nipples as Mark’s priorities were durability and stiffness rather than light weight.

As with all the wheels I build my initials and the invoice number are engraved at the valve hole – this shows the wheels are built to the highest possible standards and are guaranteed not to break a spoke for at least 5 years.

Andrew's 20-inch carbon rim, Lefty wheels

Andrew approached me after having these two wheels built for a recumbent trike. Unfortunately the wheels had been built twice and neither was up to Andrew’s standards (bent spokes aren’t a good look!)

I rebuilt the wheels with Sapim CX-Ray spokes…there weren’t many options for a light spoke in the very short lengths required.

The wheels came out really well and look great.

I love doing left-of-field jobs like this – it’s very interesting and quite often I either learn a lot or apply knowledge learned elsewhere to the job.

Wheelworks.co.nz – Handbuilt wheels

Handcrafted Wheels

Wheel Builds …

Derek's Reynolds carbon clincher re-built to PowerTap hub

Mark's red Pro2 hubs laced to Arch rims

Mark's Hadley hubs laced to Stan's Flow 29er rims

Andrew's 20-inch carbon rim, Lefty wheels