Another day, another wheel (and so on).
Built a tubular wheel for cyclocross.
Apparently just the rear wheel is needed.
I built the wheel right in front of the customer, and since this customer has built wheels themselves before,
they understand the meaning of my wheel-building technique and the homemade tools I use
better than someone who hasn't.
When a fellow builder from Kyushu visited the other day, they commented on one part of my truing stand saying
"that's quite an extreme modification," and I was pleased they understood.
The hub is a BITEX (BITEX hub), the sibling of their Leaf hub (though which is the older model is unclear).
I built it 24-hole, all-black, complete comp, 1-4-6 lacing pattern with spoke twist.
The spokes are black, but the customer wanted silver nipples, so that's what they got.
With the spoke twist, the customer was watching intently so I got through it quickly (laughs).
I can only show you six twists, but please take the knowledge home with you.
More important than the spoke twist is tensioning the freewheel side to about this level, and maintaining
a certain state (which I explained to the customer) right up until the very end of wheel building—
that sort of thing is what matters. I probably said various other things too,
so I hope some of it proves useful.
I asked the customer whether the red color on just the left end cap of the hub was a special feature,
and they said it came that way from the start. It's a charming detail.
Built a tubular wheel for cyclocross.
Apparently just the rear wheel is needed.
I built the wheel right in front of the customer, and since this customer has built wheels themselves before,
they understand the meaning of my wheel-building technique and the homemade tools I use
better than someone who hasn't.
When a fellow builder from Kyushu visited the other day, they commented on one part of my truing stand saying
"that's quite an extreme modification," and I was pleased they understood.
The hub is a BITEX (BITEX hub), the sibling of their Leaf hub (though which is the older model is unclear).
I built it 24-hole, all-black, complete comp, 1-4-6 lacing pattern with spoke twist.
The spokes are black, but the customer wanted silver nipples, so that's what they got.
With the spoke twist, the customer was watching intently so I got through it quickly (laughs).
I can only show you six twists, but please take the knowledge home with you.
More important than the spoke twist is tensioning the freewheel side to about this level, and maintaining
a certain state (which I explained to the customer) right up until the very end of wheel building—
that sort of thing is what matters. I probably said various other things too,
so I hope some of it proves useful.
I asked the customer whether the red color on just the left end cap of the hub was a special feature,
and they said it came that way from the start. It's a charming detail.