A customer dropped off an Aksium (Shimano training wheelset) with me for service.
Starting with the front wheel.
There was a subtle centering issue, so
I fixed it.
Separate from truing and centering,
I used my judgment to increase the spoke tension.
The overall hang was definitely loose.
Given the age of the Aksium and visible wear,
it's unlikely the spokes sagged from long-term use—this was probably just how it came from the factory.
Next, the rear wheel.
The rim was drifting toward the anti-freewheel side—a typical pattern.
I did lateral truing in the direction that would reduce centering drift.
Though I wasn't expecting a perfect fix—it's not quite that simple.
I managed to get the centering dialed in by tensioning up on the freewheel side.
Unlike the front wheel, this one is slightly tight overall,
so adding tension on the freewheel side is tough.
Aksium spokes are usually flat-section across most generations,
but this rear wheel had flat spokes only on the freewheel side.
I didn't measure exactly,
but the freewheel side spokes clearly have more mass,
which makes sense with the left-right asymmetric build philosophy.
The rim had metal shavings in it, so I cleaned them out.
Here's something interesting about this customer: they already own a Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5, yet they wanted another one. When I asked why, they said they'd "reluctantly sold their previous one." Okay, fair enough.
Then later, they asked to change their order from rear wheel only to front wheel too. Turns out they'd bought Mavic's Ksyrium UST, so they cancelled the front wheel. Then a few days later, they wanted both wheels ordered after all.
Apparently they used the Ksyrium UST just twice before deciding to sell it. I didn't ask for details, but there's apparently something wrong with it.
I've heard similar stories before—back then it was a customer from Osaka who's also a teammate. I loaned him the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5 within our team with the understanding that if he liked it he could buy it off me. But every person he lent it to already owned the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5, so sadly he had to give it back, and I ended up selling it on Yahoo Auctions instead.
This customer is from a different prefecture—different situation entirely.
Anyway, since the Ksyrium wasn't working out,
they brought the Aksium training wheel in for inspection and service.
I'm not trying to say the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5 rolls faster than the Ksyrium UST, just to be clear.
In my opinion, that road UST tubeless tire is comfortable to ride on,
but performance-wise, I think some top-tier tubular WO (wire-on) tires from other brands
might actually roll better.
So I think swapping the tire while keeping the UST tubeless setup could be worth trying—
but in both these cases, the customers decided to "sell while the market's hot," it seems.
Starting with the front wheel.
There was a subtle centering issue, so
I fixed it.
Separate from truing and centering,
I used my judgment to increase the spoke tension.
The overall hang was definitely loose.
Given the age of the Aksium and visible wear,
it's unlikely the spokes sagged from long-term use—this was probably just how it came from the factory.
Next, the rear wheel.
The rim was drifting toward the anti-freewheel side—a typical pattern.
I did lateral truing in the direction that would reduce centering drift.
Though I wasn't expecting a perfect fix—it's not quite that simple.
I managed to get the centering dialed in by tensioning up on the freewheel side.
Unlike the front wheel, this one is slightly tight overall,
so adding tension on the freewheel side is tough.
Aksium spokes are usually flat-section across most generations,
but this rear wheel had flat spokes only on the freewheel side.
I didn't measure exactly,
but the freewheel side spokes clearly have more mass,
which makes sense with the left-right asymmetric build philosophy.
The rim had metal shavings in it, so I cleaned them out.
Here's something interesting about this customer: they already own a Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5, yet they wanted another one. When I asked why, they said they'd "reluctantly sold their previous one." Okay, fair enough.
Then later, they asked to change their order from rear wheel only to front wheel too. Turns out they'd bought Mavic's Ksyrium UST, so they cancelled the front wheel. Then a few days later, they wanted both wheels ordered after all.
Apparently they used the Ksyrium UST just twice before deciding to sell it. I didn't ask for details, but there's apparently something wrong with it.
I've heard similar stories before—back then it was a customer from Osaka who's also a teammate. I loaned him the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5 within our team with the understanding that if he liked it he could buy it off me. But every person he lent it to already owned the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5, so sadly he had to give it back, and I ended up selling it on Yahoo Auctions instead.
This customer is from a different prefecture—different situation entirely.
Anyway, since the Ksyrium wasn't working out,
they brought the Aksium training wheel in for inspection and service.
I'm not trying to say the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 5 rolls faster than the Ksyrium UST, just to be clear.
In my opinion, that road UST tubeless tire is comfortable to ride on,
but performance-wise, I think some top-tier tubular WO (wire-on) tires from other brands
might actually roll better.
So I think swapping the tire while keeping the UST tubeless setup could be worth trying—
but in both these cases, the customers decided to "sell while the market's hot," it seems.