Another day, another wheel (et cetera).
ONYX is a brand hub I built a wheel around today.
By all rights it should be read as "Onyx Racing Products,"
but in Japan it apparently runs into trademark issues,
so the import distributor has resorted to calling it ONYX,
and I'm following suit this time.
ONYX is a hub specialist manufacturer.
A couple of things that set them apart from other makers:
they use a special clutch mechanism on the freebody ratchet
that creates an almost stepless coasting action,
and they offer custom color options on their hubs.
This one is different, but they have a HERIX model for front hubs
with slot-shaped openings in the hub shell that leave the axle completely exposed.
Because of that, you can custom-order the color in three places:
hub shell, front hub axle, and end cap—
but the axle and end cap come from a set range of anodized colors,
while the hub shell can be either anodized or powder-coated
from the available color selection.
The customer apparently initially ordered pink anodize,
but the manufacturer said the color application just wouldn't stay consistent,
so pink got discontinued without warning, and since it's not an option anymore, they went with blue anodize instead.
If it'd been a black-family color, I was going to title the post "The Black ONYX."
↑From the manufacturer's website. See, it's true.
By the way, the hub shell in the image above is from a HERIX front hub.
Front hubs where the axle isn't exposed
don't offer axle color customization.
Also, there are rear hubs with lightening holes in the freebody
where the hub axle is visible (like this one),
but rear hubs don't offer axle color customization either.
Starting with the front wheel.
ONYX Road Hub 20H CX-RAY outpoke radial lacing.
Moving on to the rear wheel.
ONYX Road DS Hub 24H semi-championship lacing.
I'll do the nipple twisting later.
I'll explain what DS means further down.
The flange on the non-drive side is pretty narrow, so I was waffling
about whether to suggest semi-championship lacing to the customer,
but they actually requested it themselves.
Sweet! I like it.
Though to be fair, I've already built a rear wheel with semi-championship lacing that they use,
so they have a feel for how it works.
When you say "narrow flange," Gokiso hubs come to mind, but—
↑Comparing them at the right flange—
↑and at the left flange—
ONYX is actually slightly wider.
The Road DS Hub has a wider band where the ONYX lettering is printed
and the hub shell bulges out, while the Road Hub doesn't.
Both exist with Shimano freebody specs,
but the Campagnolo-compatible hubs only come as Road DS Hubs.
This rear hub's freebody mechanism uses a sprag-type one-way clutch,
but the DS Hub has two of them stacked inside,
which is where "dual sprag" and "DS" come from.
Actually, if you search for "dual sprag," ONYX hub pages dominate the results.
Per the customer's request, I went with blue aluminum nipples.
There was one available in a shade pretty close to the hub shell blue, which worked out nicely.
↑Rear rim weight.
The front rim is similar.
The bearings are fully exposed, and—
—there's all this lightening work and such that gives it kind of a spindly look,
but the actual build quality is meticulous.
While I'm on the subject of Gokiso, let me say:
I don't dispute that Gokiso makes the smoothest-rolling hubs in the world.
On that point alone, the physical object itself
has incredible credibility (you can feel it the moment you touch the hub).
The thing is, I can't specifically name what I'd consider
the world's second or third smoothest-rolling hubs,
yet I'm confident enough to declare Gokiso number one.
So I think the second, third, fourth, and beyond smoothest-rolling hubs
all kind of blend together in a blob some distance behind Gokiso,
but I suspect these ONYX hubs—both front and rear—
sit right there in that position in terms of rolling smoothness.
They spin with virtually no resistance, smooth as silk.
ONYX is a brand hub I built a wheel around today.
By all rights it should be read as "Onyx Racing Products,"
but in Japan it apparently runs into trademark issues,
so the import distributor has resorted to calling it ONYX,
and I'm following suit this time.
ONYX is a hub specialist manufacturer.
A couple of things that set them apart from other makers:
they use a special clutch mechanism on the freebody ratchet
that creates an almost stepless coasting action,
and they offer custom color options on their hubs.
This one is different, but they have a HERIX model for front hubs
with slot-shaped openings in the hub shell that leave the axle completely exposed.
Because of that, you can custom-order the color in three places:
hub shell, front hub axle, and end cap—
but the axle and end cap come from a set range of anodized colors,
while the hub shell can be either anodized or powder-coated
from the available color selection.
The customer apparently initially ordered pink anodize,
but the manufacturer said the color application just wouldn't stay consistent,
so pink got discontinued without warning, and since it's not an option anymore, they went with blue anodize instead.
↑From the manufacturer's website. See, it's true.
By the way, the hub shell in the image above is from a HERIX front hub.
Front hubs where the axle isn't exposed
don't offer axle color customization.
Also, there are rear hubs with lightening holes in the freebody
where the hub axle is visible (like this one),
but rear hubs don't offer axle color customization either.
Starting with the front wheel.
ONYX Road Hub 20H CX-RAY outpoke radial lacing.
Moving on to the rear wheel.
ONYX Road DS Hub 24H semi-championship lacing.
I'll do the nipple twisting later.
I'll explain what DS means further down.
The flange on the non-drive side is pretty narrow, so I was waffling
about whether to suggest semi-championship lacing to the customer,
but they actually requested it themselves.
Sweet! I like it.
Though to be fair, I've already built a rear wheel with semi-championship lacing that they use,
so they have a feel for how it works.
When you say "narrow flange," Gokiso hubs come to mind, but—
↑Comparing them at the right flange—
↑and at the left flange—
ONYX is actually slightly wider.
The Road DS Hub has a wider band where the ONYX lettering is printed
and the hub shell bulges out, while the Road Hub doesn't.
Both exist with Shimano freebody specs,
but the Campagnolo-compatible hubs only come as Road DS Hubs.
This rear hub's freebody mechanism uses a sprag-type one-way clutch,
but the DS Hub has two of them stacked inside,
which is where "dual sprag" and "DS" come from.
Actually, if you search for "dual sprag," ONYX hub pages dominate the results.
Per the customer's request, I went with blue aluminum nipples.
There was one available in a shade pretty close to the hub shell blue, which worked out nicely.
↑Rear rim weight.
The front rim is similar.
The bearings are fully exposed, and—
—there's all this lightening work and such that gives it kind of a spindly look,
but the actual build quality is meticulous.
While I'm on the subject of Gokiso, let me say:
I don't dispute that Gokiso makes the smoothest-rolling hubs in the world.
On that point alone, the physical object itself
has incredible credibility (you can feel it the moment you touch the hub).
The thing is, I can't specifically name what I'd consider
the world's second or third smoothest-rolling hubs,
yet I'm confident enough to declare Gokiso number one.
So I think the second, third, fourth, and beyond smoothest-rolling hubs
all kind of blend together in a blob some distance behind Gokiso,
but I suspect these ONYX hubs—both front and rear—
sit right there in that position in terms of rolling smoothness.
They spin with virtually no resistance, smooth as silk.