Wheelworks.co.nz, Handbuilt wheels by Tristan Thomas

The Kinlin XR-270 is well suited as a low spokecount rim but it’s excellent stiffness and durability also make it well suited for training wheels. Nick needed a pair of daily-use wheels which would last forever and not blow the budget – he already had the Ultegra hubs so I laced them onto a pair of XR-270 rims with Sapim Laser spokes.

Normally for someone Nick’s size I would have used a lower spoke count for these rims (even as training wheels) but the Ultegra’s don’t go any lower than 28/28 so I made the 28 front, 32 rear spoke count work by using the lightest possible spokes to reduce the wheel’s stiffness and improve on ‘feel.’ Sapim Lasers are a similar spoke to the DT Swiss Revolution: 2.0mm at the head and thread and double-butted to 1.5mm in the center section. They’re difficult to build with, especially on the rear driveside, because they wind-up a lot under tension, but once correctly built they will last a very long time. With no desire to save weight we used brass spoke nipples to add to the durability.

Ultegra hubs are a great do-all hubset: They’re not especially light but they last very well and are easily servicable.

Total wheelset weight was 1724g – about the same as a mid-level pair of Ksyriums but with a lower pricetag and much greater durability.