Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

Lachlan wanted a pair of light and durable cross country wheels which would be tubeless-ready. The Stan’s Crest rims fit the bill perfectly.

I suggested Hope Pro2 hubs as Lachlan’s current bike / fork use quick-release axles, however if he upgrades in the future these hubs have the ability to be converted to whatever axle standards are current at the time.

Red Pro2 hubs are matched to alternating black and red spoke nipples – a personal favorite of mine.

Spokes are a combination of DT Swiss double butted Revolutions and Competition to ensure the right balance of stiffness and light weight for Lachlan.

As with all the Stan’s wheels I build these are fitted with tubeless tape and valves and will arrive in Auckland ready for use with either standard tubes or tubeless.

This 14 speed Rohloff hub is off to New Zealand importer PureSports for one of their lucky customers.

The new Stan’s Arch EX rim takes the outer dimensions of the excellent Crest rim and adds an internal brace to stiffen the rim. This version is lighter than the old Arch, and a slightly wider.

DT Swiss Competition spokes and brass nipples build a durable, long-lasting wheel.

Craig selected Crest rims and an Alfine 11 speed rear hub to make an ultimate do-all mountain bike / commuter wheelset for him and his wife to use in Mt Manganui.

I laced these wheels up with DT Swiss Competition spokes and brass nipples on all four corners.

As with all Wheelworks wheels they’re true to less than a tenth of a millimeter (that’s about the width of a strand of hair) and should stay that way for a long time to come.

These Pro2 hubs and Crest rims are destined for the new Niner of Bushloves’ Tony teh Tiger.

Based on Tony’s weight and his gram-counting nature I use DT Swiss Revolution spokes for the front and rear non-driveside, and stiffer Competition spokes for the driveside. It doesn’t matter how light the wheel is if it doesn’t go where you point it, and these stiffer spokes really help.

Red aluminium nipples match the hubs perfectly and look great.

Antony wanted a new pair of wheels to use on Nelson’s technical trails for his SantaCruz Nomad. Wheelset stiffness was paramount while keeping the weight down as low as practical without giving up durability.

Hope Pro2 EVO hubs were used for their awesome long term durability and future proof axle setup.

Stan’s Arch rims are a very stiff rim which is well suited to freeride tyres up to 2.4″ in width.

I laced both wheels with double butted DT Swiss Competition spokes to add stiffness. The front spoke nipples are aluminium to save weight, and the rear are brass.

Angry Clive’s ZTR Gold 29er rear wheel needed a full re-build with new spokes and spoke nipples.

For all rebuilds I take some before photos in case I need to reference anything like the valve hole position, details of the lacing pattern etc. Normally these photos are in focus :-)

A combination of DT Swiss Competition and Revolution spokes will add some stiffness to the factory wheelbuild, at a weight increase of 32 grams.

Aluminium spoke nipples keep things light and right.

Chris King hubs are magical – the deep colours look almost wet, and the sound of the 72 engagement point rear hub has been likened to a swarm of angry bees. King make all of their hubs in a high-tech, eco-friendly factory in Portland, USA.

This pair of 20mm front / 150x12mm rear hub is laced to Stans Flow rims in white. Spokes are DT Swiss Competitions and I used aluminium nipples on the front wheel and brass on the rear wheel.  Originally we were going to use blue spoke nipples but the King hubs were a much darker shade of blue than the Wheelsmith or DT nipples I have and it didn’t look right so I opted for black.

This pair is heading up the Kapiti Coast for Hayden’s new DH bike.

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.

Stewart wanted a 7 speed rear wheel to fit his 135mm-spaced mountain bike for touring use. I used a Mavic XM823 rim and laced it to a Shimano 775 XT rear hub. The rear hub is 135mm spaced and will fit a modern 8/9/10sp cassette and I’ll supply Stewart with a spacer to use his 7 speed cassette. The 775 also uses a subtle Center Lock rotor which means this wheel is future-proofed if Stewart decides to get a newer frame.

36 Silver DT Swiss Competition spokes and brass nipples tie everything together.

Ideally Stewart would have preferred a silver rim and hub but modern silver parts are getting hard to find!  There was the option to use a silver 756 hub but the newer freehub body of the 775 will be easier to get parts for, and has quicker engagement.

These wheels are off to Niner bikes and then on to Canada with their new owner.

Stan’s 3.30 hubs are the new name for the ZTR hubset. This pair has a QR15 kit fitted.

A combination of DT Swiss Revolution and Competition spokes matches up to red aluminium nipples. A good looking wheelset!