Wheels again today (and so on).
A customer brought in a WH-7801C rear wheel.
The freewheel body is dedicated 10-speed only, so 11-speed sprockets won't fit.
They want me to rebuild it with an 11-speed hub.
This freewheel body is literally "10-speed only" — neither 9-speed nor 11-speed sprockets will attach.
By making the 9-speed titanium freewheel body out of aluminum instead, we get a slight weight savings,
but aluminum splines with low teeth raise durability concerns,
so they raised the tooth height partway up the spline.
Because of this, only 10-speed sprockets with matching geometry will fit
(originally just the new Dura-Ace 7800),
meaning: if you want to use Dura-Ace wheels, you have to update your whole drivetrain.
At this time, when mounting 10-speed sprockets on the 10-speed dedicated aluminum freewheel body
(other makers like Easton also made these),
a 1.0mm low spacer isn't needed
(or rather, can't be used because it jams on the step),
but when mounting 10-speed sprockets on traditional 9-speed freewheel bodies, it is needed.
Because of this annoying situation, from then until now
there have been countless customer troubles from forgetting to install the low spacer.
Just the other day I ordered about 10 of these spacers,
but since they're used for various things (of course for their intended purpose),
I often find the stock running low.
The source of this evil—forcing unnecessary burden on customers even now—
is this 10-speed dedicated aluminum freewheel body,
created just to stimulate replacement demand for short-term sales profit.
When installing the 1.85mm spacer for converting 11-speed freewheel bodies to 10-speed,
many people remove the 1.0mm low spacer.
The 1.85mm spacer is a hub-side part,
the 1.0mm spacer is a sprocket-side part,
each necessary for different reasons, so both need to be installed.
To complicate matters further,
13-16T top 10-speed sprockets (junior gearing)
have a raised low-spacer profile molded into the low end,
so the low spacer isn't needed. None comes with the sprocket either.
Junior gearing catches on the higher spline of the 10-speed dedicated aluminum freewheel body,
so even though it's 10-speed sprocketing, it can't be mounted on 10-speed dedicated freewheels.
↑7900 series
↑9000 series
From the 7900 series onward, by adding grooves to the 7700 series titanium spline,
they created a titanium freewheel body lighter than the 7800 aluminum (which was lighter than 7700 titanium).
Should've done it from the start.
Of course, they knew what they were doing.
Before disassembly.
The left flange width is widened from the dust cap down to flush with the rim.
I thought that would be the end of wide-flange fraud,
but it narrowed again with the 7900, then 9000 said "We've widened it!" and did it all over again.
Should've done it from the start.
Of course, they knew what they were doing.
By the way, this hub's ball race adjustment nut takes a hub wrench,
while the end nut takes a hub wrench or 5mm Allen key,
with a thin washer sandwiched between them.
↑This is a CX75 rear hub,
except the end nut only takes a 5mm Allen key,
it uses the same method as the 7800 hub.
It's not a digital ratchet design like 9000 hub and later,
but a double-nut design. This isn't because this hub grade is lower,
but structurally it seems difficult to work with the center-lock rotor mount
(the XTRA quick-release hub also uses this method, not digital ratchet).
Personally, I prefer this infinitely adjustable system,
but I'm always bothered by the lack of a washer between them.
There's plenty of dimensional room to fit one anyway.
The double-nut washer is technically a functional part,
so it has far more purpose than the nasty 1.0mm low spacer created for commercial reasons.
Of course, it's also true that if you tighten it firmly, it basically won't loosen.
The black spokes up through the 7800 series rust really badly.
...I've already written what I wanted to before disassembly,
so let's get on with the wheel rebuild.
Built.
Evolite hub, 20H, semi-comp 4-cross laced with spoke nipples.
Unlike before the rebuild, the silver spokes are per the customer's request.
I wondered if we could build a 7801C rim with a generic hub,
but there's a precedent (→here).
Per the customer's request, I'm posting the rim weight and finished wheel weight.
↑The rim. There's a weight label on it,
though it's probably around 10g even with it.
Nomo Lab Wheel No. 6 is roughly the same weight or slightly lighter,
so I'd like to say it's excellent with higher rim height,
but this rear rim is an offset rim, so it loses on that count.
↑Wheel weight.
The same customer also brought in a Zonda rear wheel.
There's a suspicion that the rim is misaligned on the freewheel side.
They also want inspection of the freewheel pawl return spring and such.
The hub grease is virtually uncontaminated.
No deformation in the pawl return spring.
Centered perfectly, with virtually no runout.
A customer brought in a WH-7801C rear wheel.
The freewheel body is dedicated 10-speed only, so 11-speed sprockets won't fit.
They want me to rebuild it with an 11-speed hub.
This freewheel body is literally "10-speed only" — neither 9-speed nor 11-speed sprockets will attach.
By making the 9-speed titanium freewheel body out of aluminum instead, we get a slight weight savings,
but aluminum splines with low teeth raise durability concerns,
so they raised the tooth height partway up the spline.
Because of this, only 10-speed sprockets with matching geometry will fit
(originally just the new Dura-Ace 7800),
meaning: if you want to use Dura-Ace wheels, you have to update your whole drivetrain.
At this time, when mounting 10-speed sprockets on the 10-speed dedicated aluminum freewheel body
(other makers like Easton also made these),
a 1.0mm low spacer isn't needed
(or rather, can't be used because it jams on the step),
but when mounting 10-speed sprockets on traditional 9-speed freewheel bodies, it is needed.
Because of this annoying situation, from then until now
there have been countless customer troubles from forgetting to install the low spacer.
Just the other day I ordered about 10 of these spacers,
but since they're used for various things (of course for their intended purpose),
I often find the stock running low.
The source of this evil—forcing unnecessary burden on customers even now—
is this 10-speed dedicated aluminum freewheel body,
created just to stimulate replacement demand for short-term sales profit.
When installing the 1.85mm spacer for converting 11-speed freewheel bodies to 10-speed,
many people remove the 1.0mm low spacer.
The 1.85mm spacer is a hub-side part,
the 1.0mm spacer is a sprocket-side part,
each necessary for different reasons, so both need to be installed.
To complicate matters further,
13-16T top 10-speed sprockets (junior gearing)
have a raised low-spacer profile molded into the low end,
so the low spacer isn't needed. None comes with the sprocket either.
Junior gearing catches on the higher spline of the 10-speed dedicated aluminum freewheel body,
so even though it's 10-speed sprocketing, it can't be mounted on 10-speed dedicated freewheels.
↑7900 series
↑9000 series
From the 7900 series onward, by adding grooves to the 7700 series titanium spline,
they created a titanium freewheel body lighter than the 7800 aluminum (which was lighter than 7700 titanium).
Should've done it from the start.
Of course, they knew what they were doing.
Before disassembly.
The left flange width is widened from the dust cap down to flush with the rim.
I thought that would be the end of wide-flange fraud,
but it narrowed again with the 7900, then 9000 said "We've widened it!" and did it all over again.
Should've done it from the start.
Of course, they knew what they were doing.
By the way, this hub's ball race adjustment nut takes a hub wrench,
while the end nut takes a hub wrench or 5mm Allen key,
with a thin washer sandwiched between them.
↑This is a CX75 rear hub,
except the end nut only takes a 5mm Allen key,
it uses the same method as the 7800 hub.
It's not a digital ratchet design like 9000 hub and later,
but a double-nut design. This isn't because this hub grade is lower,
but structurally it seems difficult to work with the center-lock rotor mount
(the XTRA quick-release hub also uses this method, not digital ratchet).
Personally, I prefer this infinitely adjustable system,
but I'm always bothered by the lack of a washer between them.
There's plenty of dimensional room to fit one anyway.
The double-nut washer is technically a functional part,
so it has far more purpose than the nasty 1.0mm low spacer created for commercial reasons.
Of course, it's also true that if you tighten it firmly, it basically won't loosen.
The black spokes up through the 7800 series rust really badly.
...I've already written what I wanted to before disassembly,
so let's get on with the wheel rebuild.
Built.
Evolite hub, 20H, semi-comp 4-cross laced with spoke nipples.
Unlike before the rebuild, the silver spokes are per the customer's request.
I wondered if we could build a 7801C rim with a generic hub,
but there's a precedent (→here).
Per the customer's request, I'm posting the rim weight and finished wheel weight.
↑The rim. There's a weight label on it,
though it's probably around 10g even with it.
Nomo Lab Wheel No. 6 is roughly the same weight or slightly lighter,
so I'd like to say it's excellent with higher rim height,
but this rear rim is an offset rim, so it loses on that count.
↑Wheel weight.
The same customer also brought in a Zonda rear wheel.
There's a suspicion that the rim is misaligned on the freewheel side.
They also want inspection of the freewheel pawl return spring and such.
The hub grease is virtually uncontaminated.
No deformation in the pawl return spring.
Centered perfectly, with virtually no runout.