Another wheel day (and so on).
A customer dropped off a wheel built with a Tni ROAD38 rim and
a Gokiso hub.
This rim is the same as the one on my Lab Wheel #2,
but it seems it's also supposedly my Lab Wheel #2.
In other words, they were saying it's a wheel I built in the past,
but that's definitely not right.
The customer wasn't the original owner of this wheel—
they bought it because it was supposedly built at our shop—
but I had multiple reasons to know I didn't build it.
The rear wheel is a 28H full CX-RAY right-drop 46-spoke Italian laced, no reinforcement,
but I've never built a wheel with this Gokiso hub in 28H.
There's no history of it in past blog posts either,
or in my spoke length calculation formulas.
There's a possibility that when they said it was built with the Lab Method
(in reference to the 46-spoke lacing on the rear),
they misunderstood it as being a Lab-brand wheel. But anyway—
The customer's first request was to switch to black spokes,
and second, if possible, to build it tighter.
For the front wheel, I'd use the same spokes in a different color with the same lacing pattern, so
I thought I could get away with just doing that,
but it wasn't that simple.
The rim is a 2013 Equinox WH007,
but it's definitely not an Equinox-brand SP38 rim—
it's a Tni-brand sticker strip job, no question.
There's no other WH007 with this particular rim side finish.
And it's definitely not a Gokiso rim either.
If it were a Gokiso rim, the warning sticker shown in the image would say
"Use Gokiso brake pads..." instead of "Use Equinox brake pads..."
Also, even though this is a 38mm-deep rim,
it's specified for 100 kgf spoke tension.
From experience, I know problems don't come up, so
I actually tension it to more than 100 kgf in practice.
And the wheel I received was already well over 100 kgf.
Both wheels were built with reverse dish (hole offset).
The rear wheel was also 46-spoke Italian laced on the right drop,
built with reverse dish—this too is proof it wasn't my work.
I do have a personal Lab Wheel #2 front wheel with reverse dish that I built,
but.
The holes on the inner side show no offset,
but the outer side clearly shows offset, so
if you built it the opposite way
the tools rub on the rim.
Since I'm not reusing the spokes, I cut them.
To release the tension, I loosened 17 out of 20 nipples completely first,
then started snapping spokes.
Looking at the three nipples I didn't loosen at all,
I can see the spoke length is on the longer side.
The wheel was built with decent tension,
so there shouldn't be major further tightening needed,
but if it had been built loose, tightening from there would
use up all the threads on the nipples.
Also, it was built with brass nipples (the internal type),
but I don't use those nipples.
Built.
Gokiso hub 20H, black CX-RAY, dish, outpoke radial laced.
I was going to move on to the rear wheel next, but I couldn't.
It's DT black Competitions, but
the wholesaler's regular stock runs 300 down to 292mm in 2mm increments,
then jumps to 266 to 254mm in 2mm increments.
If I could cut 267mm from the 292mm spokes,
that gap would essentially disappear,
and Competitions do have a long cuttable range, so that's possible.
I keep 300mm in stock at the shop,
and I try to also stock 292mm, the shortest of the longer group,
but right now both are out.
It turned out that the free-side length needed for this rear wheel
is longer than 267mm, yet falls within the gap that can't be cut from 300mm.
↑becomes a #15 partway through, so
the nipple bottoms out and the spoke pulls inside—diagram
Tomorrow morning I'm going to the DT wholesaler and picking up some 292mm spokes.
A customer dropped off a wheel built with a Tni ROAD38 rim and
a Gokiso hub.
This rim is the same as the one on my Lab Wheel #2,
but it seems it's also supposedly my Lab Wheel #2.
In other words, they were saying it's a wheel I built in the past,
but that's definitely not right.
The customer wasn't the original owner of this wheel—
they bought it because it was supposedly built at our shop—
but I had multiple reasons to know I didn't build it.
The rear wheel is a 28H full CX-RAY right-drop 46-spoke Italian laced, no reinforcement,
but I've never built a wheel with this Gokiso hub in 28H.
There's no history of it in past blog posts either,
or in my spoke length calculation formulas.
There's a possibility that when they said it was built with the Lab Method
(in reference to the 46-spoke lacing on the rear),
they misunderstood it as being a Lab-brand wheel. But anyway—
The customer's first request was to switch to black spokes,
and second, if possible, to build it tighter.
For the front wheel, I'd use the same spokes in a different color with the same lacing pattern, so
I thought I could get away with just doing that,
but it wasn't that simple.
The rim is a 2013 Equinox WH007,
but it's definitely not an Equinox-brand SP38 rim—
it's a Tni-brand sticker strip job, no question.
There's no other WH007 with this particular rim side finish.
And it's definitely not a Gokiso rim either.
If it were a Gokiso rim, the warning sticker shown in the image would say
"Use Gokiso brake pads..." instead of "Use Equinox brake pads..."
Also, even though this is a 38mm-deep rim,
it's specified for 100 kgf spoke tension.
From experience, I know problems don't come up, so
I actually tension it to more than 100 kgf in practice.
And the wheel I received was already well over 100 kgf.
Both wheels were built with reverse dish (hole offset).
The rear wheel was also 46-spoke Italian laced on the right drop,
built with reverse dish—this too is proof it wasn't my work.
I do have a personal Lab Wheel #2 front wheel with reverse dish that I built,
but.
The holes on the inner side show no offset,
but the outer side clearly shows offset, so
if you built it the opposite way
the tools rub on the rim.
Since I'm not reusing the spokes, I cut them.
To release the tension, I loosened 17 out of 20 nipples completely first,
then started snapping spokes.
Looking at the three nipples I didn't loosen at all,
I can see the spoke length is on the longer side.
The wheel was built with decent tension,
so there shouldn't be major further tightening needed,
but if it had been built loose, tightening from there would
use up all the threads on the nipples.
Also, it was built with brass nipples (the internal type),
but I don't use those nipples.
Built.
Gokiso hub 20H, black CX-RAY, dish, outpoke radial laced.
I was going to move on to the rear wheel next, but I couldn't.
It's DT black Competitions, but
the wholesaler's regular stock runs 300 down to 292mm in 2mm increments,
then jumps to 266 to 254mm in 2mm increments.
If I could cut 267mm from the 292mm spokes,
that gap would essentially disappear,
and Competitions do have a long cuttable range, so that's possible.
I keep 300mm in stock at the shop,
and I try to also stock 292mm, the shortest of the longer group,
but right now both are out.
It turned out that the free-side length needed for this rear wheel
is longer than 267mm, yet falls within the gap that can't be cut from 300mm.
↑becomes a #15 partway through, so
the nipple bottoms out and the spoke pulls inside—diagram
Tomorrow morning I'm going to the DT wholesaler and picking up some 292mm spokes.