A customer dropped off a pair of wheels built with Ambrosio's X-CARBON (X-CARBO) rims.
The rim is an OEM Colima "Aero" rim.
This remained unchanged for a long time,
but at some point it was switched to ZIPP MID-V285,
and even though the sticker stayed the same, it's actually a different rim — but you can tell right away.
Both hubs are 7700s.
The front wheel is 28H all-Campagnolo, radial reverse spoked,
and the rear wheel is 28H all-Campagnolo, four-cross laced.
Since the original condition is pretty shabby, it's actually helpful because the customer will easily feel the difference when the wheels are rebuilt.
By the way, both front and rear hubs had aero slot hole specs.
It's definitely a Colima Aero rim,
but unlike the older Aero rims, this one has forward-facing holes rather than reverse-facing holes.
This rim's hole orientation is so pronounced that you can't ignore it when building.
Got the rear wheel built.
The hub is a PMP 28H hub
with a Campagnolo freebody and aero slot hole specs.
CX/CX-RAY 28H, four-cross laced with bridging.
Since the front and rear wheels had the same spoke count,
I used the spokes from the original front wheel to build the rear.
When I put the sprocket and tire on and compared the ride,
I doubt anyone would choose the pre-rebuild version.
Even if the all-Campagnolo four-cross build had some slack
and you could tighten it a bit more,
it would never match the stiffness of the rebuilt wheel.
I don't believe that "hand-built wheels can completely beat mass-produced wheels,"
but I do think that if you're building wheels this poorly,
then yeah, the mass-produced option is obviously better.
Let's do what only hand-building can do.
The rim is an OEM Colima "Aero" rim.
This remained unchanged for a long time,
but at some point it was switched to ZIPP MID-V285,
and even though the sticker stayed the same, it's actually a different rim — but you can tell right away.
Both hubs are 7700s.
The front wheel is 28H all-Campagnolo, radial reverse spoked,
and the rear wheel is 28H all-Campagnolo, four-cross laced.
Since the original condition is pretty shabby, it's actually helpful because the customer will easily feel the difference when the wheels are rebuilt.
By the way, both front and rear hubs had aero slot hole specs.
It's definitely a Colima Aero rim,
but unlike the older Aero rims, this one has forward-facing holes rather than reverse-facing holes.
This rim's hole orientation is so pronounced that you can't ignore it when building.
Got the rear wheel built.
The hub is a PMP 28H hub
with a Campagnolo freebody and aero slot hole specs.
CX/CX-RAY 28H, four-cross laced with bridging.
Since the front and rear wheels had the same spoke count,
I used the spokes from the original front wheel to build the rear.
When I put the sprocket and tire on and compared the ride,
I doubt anyone would choose the pre-rebuild version.
Even if the all-Campagnolo four-cross build had some slack
and you could tighten it a bit more,
it would never match the stiffness of the rebuilt wheel.
I don't believe that "hand-built wheels can completely beat mass-produced wheels,"
but I do think that if you're building wheels this poorly,
then yeah, the mass-produced option is obviously better.
Let's do what only hand-building can do.