Wheel Builder

[Josh C]

I could use a recommendation for a good wheel builder. I've used prowheelbuilder.com in the past and have no complaints. Not sure how I landed on them. Just curious if there is another business that I should be looking into? I'm located in Indianapolis as well, and would prefer sending business to a local or at least midwest company if possible.  

I'm looking for a set of 700c wheels for my Atlantis. I'm thinking I'll do velocity cliffhangers with a SON up front and a nice rear hub. The rear is not yet totally decided as I like quiet hubs but there are not many options in rim brake, 36-40h hubs these days. I've got an onyx silent hub on my crust and love it but they only go up to 32h and I'd prefer 36 or 40 as I'm a big dude. Which is why I'm thinking about a white industry (loud as they come) rear hub in 36 or 40h. 

Anyway. I'd like to hear about your preferred wheel builders. 

[Johnny Alien]

I don't know any midwest wheelbuilders to suggest but I can comment on the rear hub. I got some wheels build by Rich at Rivendell and we paired the Deore hubs with the Cliffhangers. He likes the hubs a bunch and they have been great for me. Very quiet. No need to spend a ton to get a really well made quiet hub.

[Victor Hanson]

Gravy Wheels, 

King Kog or '

Dustinthewind bicycle repair. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/31480b39-f0a4-4cb2-9c71-76ebb8b00947n%40googlegroups.com.

--

VIctor R. Hanson

Gen Mgr

Schmier Industrial Properties

o:  510-652-0800

c:  510-207-8593

[Josh C]

Thanks Victor. 

Johnny, 

I've had loads of Deore hubs and currently have them on my Atlantis wheel set. They are a good option just not on the same level as Onyx or White Ind.

[Josh C]

Also, oddly enough Silver hubs are gone from the Riv site. Anyone know the story there? 

[Johnny Alien]

I don't remember what happened to them or why they were discontinued. I know that not too too long ago RIch had some stock that he would use on some of his build to order stuff if you wanted but it would have to be done through him AND I have no idea if they still exist. No 40 but they did come in 36 for the rear.

[Keith Paugh]

I had some wheels built earlier this year with a Son front and a Silver rear hub. 

I think they might just be out of stock? 🤞

I’ve been really happy it.

(Rich was really fun to work with btw)

k.

On Aug 11, 2023, at 8:56 AM, Johnny Alien <johnny....@gmail.com> wrote:

I don't remember what happened to them or why they were discontinued. I know that not too too long ago RIch had some stock that he would use on some of his build to order stuff if you wanted but it would have to be done through him AND I have no idea if they still exist. No 40 but they did come in 36 for the rear.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d19521a4-e35c-4146-b115-f700ee6c0e0cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Will M]

@Josh: Rich Lesnick built up a Velocity Dyad rim around a Silver 135mm hub for me in January or February this year.  No mention at all about the hub being an endangered species, and we talked at length.  (Assume supply woes?) 

@Keith: Concur about Rich being "really fun" to work with... and this Google group is filled with anecdotes over the last 15 years attesting to the robustness of his wheel builds.  He built a 32-spoke Mavic Open Pro wheel for me that I have been unable to knock out of true in over a decade (and 1000s of miles of pavement).  

Will M

[Garth]

There's little choice for quiet hubs so if you need 36 you may as well go with Deore's. For myself having a quiet hub is non-negotiable, so I've gone back to using threaded FW hubs for my future builds. The irony is that for the 7 cogs I use there's a better selection of freewheels these days than cassettes. Rich will build you fine wheels. I had him build a set of Alex DM24 rims with Deore/Suntour hubs for me but I've never used them. I also have 2 sets of Joe Young wheels. (He formerly built wheels for Riv waaaaay beck when before Rich.) He's in Granbury Texas, youngwheels.com I think. I still ride the first set he built in 1999, and of course, they're as straight as an arrow.

There's many things that Riv has that aren't on the menu as I think they're busy enough as it is and don't have much time for extensive upkeep of the website in totality. The "new" 7sp cassette hub was supposedly coming sometime, but as for noise I'd be surprised if it was quiet. Shimano is by their own words ditching most of their road and mtb groups in favor of the deathly black "Ican'tremember" line of bike parts that supposed can be used for road or mtb use. Of course, it was Shimano who messed things up by dividing them in the first place with different cable pulls.

[Josh C]

@Johnny, Keith: Thanks for the replies. I've had several wheel sets built by Rich at hands on wheels. I may go that route and shoot him an email. I'm pretty sure the wheels that I'm currently riding are from Rich. 

@Keith, Will, Garth: Not sure about the silver hubs. It'd think that if it were simply out of stock, it'd say "out of stock" just like half of the items on the Riv site. I had a silver hub on a Clem a few years ago and liked it just fine. I was thinking of having the rear built with a Silver 36h but then didn't see em on the site. Odd. 

[Josh C]

The noise of the White Ind Mi5 does concern me to some degree. Curious does anyone have both a DT 240 and a White ind. Mi5 to compare the noise level? I've got a DT 240 on a bike and would rather nothing louder than that. 

[Bones]

I do not have a DT 240 but I do have most of the other ones listed: Silver, Deore, MI5, Onyx. I'm not a big fan of loud hubs and I found my MI5 obnoxiously loud; I was having difficultly having conversations with my riding friends while coasting. I took the hub apart and applied a generous amount of Phil's Tenacious Oil and it now sounds like a different hub. Much much quieter and quite tolerable.

Bones

[Josh C]

Bones, 

Thanks. That's good to know. 

[Mike]

Hi--I recently splurged on an Onyx for my new Sam, and it is kind of life changing (my riding life anyway) how awesome it is. Which is good and bad, as now my other bicycles with very quiet vintage Deore hubs seem "loud".

In terms of finding a local wheel builder--maybe not exactly the answer you're looking for, but I taught myself to lace wheels a number of years ago and it was really not nearly as difficult as I initially thought it would be.  Each wheel build gets easier than the previous, and it has now become meditative even. And its way cheaper as you can shop around for your own parts, either buying direct from manufacturer or finding stuff on eBay.  I feel like a lot of folks here gravitate towards nice components.  For wheels in particular: nice hubs, nice rims, quality spokes (in exactly the correct length)...I've found that gets you like 75% of the way towards building a strong and true wheel.  

Happy and safe (and quiet) riding to all this weekend,

Mike

[John Dewey]

The outlier here. I just built myself some WI hubs— after years of XTR silence I rather enjoy making a little noise. 

And they’re so pretty. 

Jock

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/864548f1-b6b1-4ec9-889e-58accf47e576n%40googlegroups.com.

[Josh C]

Mike: thanks. I love the onyx hub as well. Wish it came in 36h. I do most of my bike work but I'm just not interested in building wheels. I'd rather leave that to an experienced pro. 

[Josh C]

John: I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying them. By all accounts they are the industry standard for a touring type hub. Hard to beat on paper. I've just not experienced them personally. I've had cranks, bottom brackets and headsets and they've all been great. 

[lconley]

I almost always build my own wheels, but you cannot go wrong with either Rich Lesnik (Rivendell / Hands On Wheels) or Peter White. I have had wheels from both, and they were flawless. Not local to you though, west coast and east coast respectively.

I use Velocity or Velo Orange rims; Phil Wood, White Industries, Paul, Curtis Odom or classic Campagnolo hubs (Nuovo Record or Tipo); and Wheelsmith (out of production but still out there) or Sapim spokes. Most of my wheels are now 40 and 48 spoke, but I do have quite a few 36 and even a couple 32s.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[Josh C]

Thanks Laing. I do have a set of VO rims on a bike that I recently acquired and like them so far. I've ridden on them throughout the summer quite a bit. I like that they come in a polished finish but the highest hole count is 36. I'm not sure how they will hold up just yet, but they seem nice. Wish they did 'em in a 40h. I don't mind truing a wheel, and have a truing stand, but I'd rather have a pro build the wheel. 

[Ryan Frahm]

I had several nice wheels over the years, including some Rich built. I have to recommend Sugar wheel works. I had a set of SimWorks Stand-alone rims (Velocity Cliffhanger) with CX ray spokes MI5 rear hub and Son front and they were the nicest build I’ve ever seen by far. Great to work with and the price was much better than some other options as well. 

[Josh C]

Thanks. I've heard of Sugar but didn't think of that, I'll look into them. 

[J S]

Not close to you but I used Peter White on my last wheels and have been very pleased. He is meticulous. 

[Jon B]

I have been happy with three lightweight wheels Peter White built for me.

With my first rear wheel (Mavic Open Pro rim), as I left the shop he said, "It will never need truing."  I was skeptical, but over 20,000 miles later, it has never been touched by a spoke wrench.

Jon Blum

[Josh C]

Peter White. Thanks for the recommendation guys. 

[Josh C]

To follow up. I ended up narrowing it down to Peter White or Rich at Hands on and emailed them both for a quote/recommendation. The folks at Peter White's shop were the only ones who replied, which made the decision pretty easy. Hope everything is ok with Rich. 

I'll follow up when I get the wheels. It'll be a bit as they had to order in the 40h rear hoop and hub

[Johnny Alien]

Rich had some sort of surgery a little bit ago and is pretty backed up with orders and wheels for Rivendell builds. I have been in the queue for awhile with full knowledge that there would be a wait. Health wise I believe he is doing OK.

[velomann]

Another vote here for Sugar Wheelworks. I build my own wheels, but started down that road when former owner Jude Kirstein taught me how in a class at Sugar. They're now part of Breadwinner Cycles, and the go-to source for quality hand-built wheels in Portland. 

Regarding rear hubs, I have 2 bikes running White Industry T11 hubs, one with easily over 50k miles on it, and they have been fantastic and maintenance-free. On the hub noise spectrum, I'd say they're slightly louder than my DT Swiss 350, but not as loud as my Hope Pro 4 or Pro 5 hubs (which I also love), and those aren't as loud as Chris King's "Angry Bees."

If you can find an XTR hub, those are among my favorite quality quiet hubs - I've built 2 rear XTR wheels on used hubs and they're pretty sweet and nearly silent.

Mike "Loud Hubs Save Lives" Mann

[ascpgh]

Peter White is also a very good resource for insight on hubs and rims to use for wheel builds. He always seems to have some things squirreled away that would be just the thing for your build. Have an honest assessment of your weight, riding, loads and other needs and he'll quote you up. He's built several wheel sets for me and I have nothing but compliments. several works for me too although not quite local. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Josh C]

Yeah, I saw several recommendations for Sugar but their site showed a bunch of Astral and carbon hoops. I'm sure they can get in whatever you want but that's why I didn't initially reach out to them. Also, at least Peter White is on this side of the country. Him and his wife Linda seemed quite knowledgable.  I'll report back when I get the wheels and let y'all know how they turned out. 

[Josh C]

Well, too late now, but thanks for the input. I'll have to check them out. I would have liked a local option. 

On Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 1:19:46 PM UTC-4 MM Indy wrote:

Josh,

  Stay local and checkout Owen at Clermont Cyclery.

  Owen has built several wheelsets for me that are running strong.

  The one he built for my Rosco Platy (WI MI5 Hubs + Berd Spokes + Velocity Quill Rims) is the one most dear to me.

  He is willing to build to my specs and the pricing is competitive. 

Best

[Mike Godwin]

Hi Folks

A good thread here to ask a question, somewhat related. A coworker was lamenting that a spoke broke on his Campy Nucleon rear wheel. I suggested Gerd Schraner web pages for info on the wheel (2002 era). But I could not find a link to the darn web page. Only his book.  Got link? 

Based on grainy web photos, it looks like straight pull stainless steel spokes are used, and nipples are hidden in the rim. He did not have the wheel at work. 

Mike SLO CA 

[Fullylugged]

Velocity USA builds their wheels in Grand Rapids MI.  I am very happy with the set I ride on.

[Josh C]

Reporting back on the Peter White built cliffhanger set. They look great and the White Ind rear hub sounds great, very quiet IMO. Doesn’t sound any louder than a shimano to be honest. I guess it may get louder with time, we will see

[JohnS]

Josh,

Your Atlantis looks great with the new wheels. I'm a big fan of WI hubs (I have 3 wheelsets with them now). I think you'll be very happy with them. The rear hub clicking sound doesn't bother to me either.

JohnS