Another wheel day today (and so on).
A customer entrusted me with a Dura-Ace track small-flange hub,
the HB-7710 front hub.
For some reason the Dura-Ace print on the hub shell had faded,
but with 36 holes and specs usable for track racing,
it does have the NJS stamp mark.
When this stamp is positioned at the top and readable in the normal direction, treating the right side as the nominal right side
looking at the right flange,
the spoke wrench marks are in the anti-porcupine direction,
and the left flange too
has spoke wrench marks in the anti-porcupine direction,
so the original lacing pattern was reverse JIS.
The stamp mark indicating manufacturing date was JF.
This means either June 1985 or June 2011,
but given the hub's age, the former is impossible,
so it's June 2011 manufacture.
The alphabet for the year cycles every 26 years, but
if this were a large-flange hub HB-7600
U (1996 or 2022) or
V (1997 or 2023) and beyond—
if the HB-7600 isn't discontinued by 2027,
through Z (2001 or 2027)—
either year could be possible.
Without the box, if the condition were exceptionally good,
it might not be possible to distinguish the hub alone from 26 years ago.
Built it.
Definitely got it built!
The rim is a Mavic Open Pro,
the hub is HB-7710 36H in 88-spoke JIS lacing, but
the customer's note said "Italian lacing please."
Aaaargh-argh-argh-argh-argh-argh-argh-aargh-argh
I'll re-lace it later.
By the way, the customer requested DT Comp spokes,
but that length wasn't available in silver finish,
so I'm using Sapim Race instead.
The rim sticker is applied symmetrically from both sides.
With the earlier version,
like the aluminum rims on Ksyrium,
the "Made in France" text on the sticker that hides the rim seam weld mark
only faces one direction, but
these two stickers have that text string
printed on both sides, so
the basis for determining which side of the wheel is which
is the serial number sticker on the outer rim circumference—which becomes hidden once rim tape is applied—or
the NJS stamp mark on the hub shell.
. . . which are the caption-reference images above,
but since I'll re-lace this into Italian pattern later,
just looking at the spokes will make left and right unmistakable.
A customer entrusted me with a Dura-Ace track small-flange hub,
the HB-7710 front hub.
For some reason the Dura-Ace print on the hub shell had faded,
but with 36 holes and specs usable for track racing,
it does have the NJS stamp mark.
When this stamp is positioned at the top and readable in the normal direction, treating the right side as the nominal right side
looking at the right flange,
the spoke wrench marks are in the anti-porcupine direction,
and the left flange too
has spoke wrench marks in the anti-porcupine direction,
so the original lacing pattern was reverse JIS.
The stamp mark indicating manufacturing date was JF.
This means either June 1985 or June 2011,
but given the hub's age, the former is impossible,
so it's June 2011 manufacture.
The alphabet for the year cycles every 26 years, but
if this were a large-flange hub HB-7600
U (1996 or 2022) or
V (1997 or 2023) and beyond—
if the HB-7600 isn't discontinued by 2027,
through Z (2001 or 2027)—
either year could be possible.
Without the box, if the condition were exceptionally good,
it might not be possible to distinguish the hub alone from 26 years ago.
Built it.
Definitely got it built!
The rim is a Mavic Open Pro,
the hub is HB-7710 36H in 88-spoke JIS lacing, but
the customer's note said "Italian lacing please."
Aaaargh-argh-argh-argh-argh-argh-argh-aargh-argh
I'll re-lace it later.
By the way, the customer requested DT Comp spokes,
but that length wasn't available in silver finish,
so I'm using Sapim Race instead.
The rim sticker is applied symmetrically from both sides.
With the earlier version,
like the aluminum rims on Ksyrium,
the "Made in France" text on the sticker that hides the rim seam weld mark
only faces one direction, but
these two stickers have that text string
printed on both sides, so
the basis for determining which side of the wheel is which
is the serial number sticker on the outer rim circumference—which becomes hidden once rim tape is applied—or
the NJS stamp mark on the hub shell.
. . . which are the caption-reference images above,
but since I'll re-lace this into Italian pattern later,
just looking at the spokes will make left and right unmistakable.