Another day of wheel building (details omitted).
ONYX is a brand name, and I built wheels using hubs from this brand.
By any logic, it should really be read as "Onyx Racing Products,"
but in Japan it apparently runs into trademark issues,
so the import distributoras a last resort calls it ONYX,
and I'm following suit for this post.
ONYX is a dedicated hub manufacturer.
What sets them apart from other makers is that
their freewheel bodies use a special clutch in the ratchet mechanism,
creating a nearly stepless, smooth coasting function, and
they offer custom color options on their hubs.
This particular hub isn't one, but there's a HERIX model for front hubs
with slot-shaped cutouts in the hub shell that leave the axle fully exposed.
With that design, you can do custom colors on
three locations: hub shell, front hub axle, and end cap.
The axle and end cap come from preset anodized colors,
while the hub shell can be finished with either anodizing or powder coating
from a set color range.
The customer originally ordered in pink anodized, but
according to the manufacturer, the pink color finish was too inconsistent,
so it was discontinued and no longer available. They switched to blue anodized instead.
If they'd chosen black, I was going to title this post "The Black Onyx."
↑From the manufacturer's website. It's true.
By the way, the hub shell in that image above is from the HERIX front hub.
On front hubs without exposed axles,
there's no axle color customization available.
Also, some rear hubs have lightening cutouts in the freebody
with the axle showing (like this one), but
rear hub axles don't have color customization either.
Starting with the front wheel.
ONYX Road Hub, 20H, CX-RAY spokes, non-radial lacing.
Next, the rear wheel.
ONYX Road DS Hub, 24H, semi-tangent lacing.
I'll do the truing later.
I'll explain what DS means later.
The flange width on the non-drive side is quite narrow, so I was wondering
whether to suggest semi-tangent lacing,
but the customer actually requested it themselves.
Heh heh. Perfect.
Though I should say, they're already using a rear wheel I built with semi-tangent lacing,
so they knew what to expect.
Narrow flange makes me think of Gokiso hubs, but
↑Comparing the right flange
↑The left flange looks like this
ONYX is slightly wider.
The ONYX marking is on the thicker part of the hub shell, and when that section is wider,
it's a Road DS hub; when it's not, it's a Road hub.
Both exist in Shimano freebody specs,
but for Campagnolo freebody hubs, only the Road DS hub is available.
The freewheel mechanism on this rear hub
uses a sprag-type one-way clutch, and
the DS hub has two of these arranged in tandem,
hence "dual sprag" for DS.
If you actually search for "dual sprag," ONYX hub pages dominate the results.
Per the customer's request, I used blue aluminum nipples.
There was a blue shade similar to the hub shell, which worked out nicely.
↑Rear rim weight.
The front rim is similar.
The bearings are fully exposed, and
the lightening cutouts here and there give it a flimsy appearance, but the construction is remarkably meticulous.
Speaking of Gokiso, I have no argument with the idea that
Gokiso makes the world's lightest-rolling hubs.
The product itself has such convincing evidence of that quality
(you can feel it the moment you touch the hub).
In fact, I'm confident enough to declare it the best
even though I couldn't specifically name the world's second, third, or fourth lightest-rolling hubs.
And while I think the second, third, fourth, and beyond are
so far behind Gokiso that they all blur together in a pack,
I believe these ONYX hubs—both front and rear—
belong in that light-rolling position.
They spin with almost no resistance, smooth and slick.
ONYX is a brand name, and I built wheels using hubs from this brand.
By any logic, it should really be read as "Onyx Racing Products,"
but in Japan it apparently runs into trademark issues,
so the import distributor
and I'm following suit for this post.
ONYX is a dedicated hub manufacturer.
What sets them apart from other makers is that
their freewheel bodies use a special clutch in the ratchet mechanism,
creating a nearly stepless, smooth coasting function, and
they offer custom color options on their hubs.
This particular hub isn't one, but there's a HERIX model for front hubs
with slot-shaped cutouts in the hub shell that leave the axle fully exposed.
With that design, you can do custom colors on
three locations: hub shell, front hub axle, and end cap.
The axle and end cap come from preset anodized colors,
while the hub shell can be finished with either anodizing or powder coating
from a set color range.
The customer originally ordered in pink anodized, but
according to the manufacturer, the pink color finish was too inconsistent,
so it was discontinued and no longer available. They switched to blue anodized instead.
↑From the manufacturer's website. It's true.
By the way, the hub shell in that image above is from the HERIX front hub.
On front hubs without exposed axles,
there's no axle color customization available.
Also, some rear hubs have lightening cutouts in the freebody
with the axle showing (like this one), but
rear hub axles don't have color customization either.
Starting with the front wheel.
ONYX Road Hub, 20H, CX-RAY spokes, non-radial lacing.
Next, the rear wheel.
ONYX Road DS Hub, 24H, semi-tangent lacing.
I'll do the truing later.
I'll explain what DS means later.
The flange width on the non-drive side is quite narrow, so I was wondering
whether to suggest semi-tangent lacing,
but the customer actually requested it themselves.
Heh heh. Perfect.
Though I should say, they're already using a rear wheel I built with semi-tangent lacing,
so they knew what to expect.
Narrow flange makes me think of Gokiso hubs, but
↑Comparing the right flange
↑The left flange looks like this
ONYX is slightly wider.
The ONYX marking is on the thicker part of the hub shell, and when that section is wider,
it's a Road DS hub; when it's not, it's a Road hub.
Both exist in Shimano freebody specs,
but for Campagnolo freebody hubs, only the Road DS hub is available.
The freewheel mechanism on this rear hub
uses a sprag-type one-way clutch, and
the DS hub has two of these arranged in tandem,
hence "dual sprag" for DS.
If you actually search for "dual sprag," ONYX hub pages dominate the results.
Per the customer's request, I used blue aluminum nipples.
There was a blue shade similar to the hub shell, which worked out nicely.
↑Rear rim weight.
The front rim is similar.
The bearings are fully exposed, and
the lightening cutouts here and there give it a flimsy appearance, but the construction is remarkably meticulous.
Speaking of Gokiso, I have no argument with the idea that
Gokiso makes the world's lightest-rolling hubs.
The product itself has such convincing evidence of that quality
(you can feel it the moment you touch the hub).
In fact, I'm confident enough to declare it the best
even though I couldn't specifically name the world's second, third, or fourth lightest-rolling hubs.
And while I think the second, third, fourth, and beyond are
so far behind Gokiso that they all blur together in a pack,
I believe these ONYX hubs—both front and rear—
belong in that light-rolling position.
They spin with almost no resistance, smooth and slick.