Back to wheels again today (and so on).
Continuing from yesterday.
I'm rebuilding a rear wheel that was originally built with a WTB rim and XTR hub,
this time using an ONYX (Japanese hub brand) hub instead.
FH-M9111-B 28H
All Aero Star Bright 6-cross JIS spoke pattern.
The front wheel is 32H and the rear is 28H—
I'm not sure if that was the builder's preference
or the customer's request,
but since the current rebuild continues with the same spoke count
even though there was an opportunity to swap the front and rear rims,
I'll leave that alone.
This Aero Star Bright is the current production model,
and it's definitely a recent model where
the magnetic properties match those of Star Bright.
Unlike previous star spokes, the paper slip in the spoke bag
that lists the length now also includes
the shipping date/time and a traceable lot number.
Like the old Aero Star Bright III (aka Aero SB3),
these are flattened butted spokes that fit
through the standard round holes in most generic hubs.
But the square aero shape of the butted section
isn't as angular as the SB3,
so this isn't a reissue—it's a different animal.
These spokes have reliable spoke head integrity
and are advantageous in terms of spoke weight distribution
for left-right asymmetric builds,
so I'd like to reuse them on the freewheel side.
Unlike the front wheel, the rear wheel was built with high tension.
The fewer spokes you have, the higher the tension per spoke needs to be,
and with 28H instead of 32H, it's not just slightly tighter than the front—
it's noticeably tighter.
↑When you squeeze the high-tension freewheel-side final crossing,
it feels like this—wear marks are visible on the contact surfaces.
The front wheel was built with DT generic aluminum nipples,
but the rear wheel was built with bare Squorx nipples—no PHR washer.
The spoke length, like the front wheel, is on the short side.
The wheel center had shifted to the right,
but it may have just drifted over time—
it's possible the wheel was perfectly centered
when originally built.
I disassembled the wheel and pulled one reverse spoke
from each flange. They differ by 3mm,
but both are shorter than what I'd consider optimal length.
After calculating, I found that the original reverse freewheel-side spoke
can be used as the rebuilt freewheel-side spoke
in a standard 6-spoke configuration.
I temporarily reinstalled the removed spokes
back on the original hub.
I transferred the reverse spokes from the original hub's reverse side
to the rebuild hub's freewheel-side flange.
Next, I transferred the main spokes as well.
Built.
ONYX Vesper MTB BOOST ISO hub 28H
Current Aero SB/CX-RAY 6-cross JIS spoke pattern.
Aero SB couldn't be machined down to 4-spoke length.
As for spoke ties, I would have done them if the customer's use case
was short-duration XC racing, but since they're using it at Ohtaki (Japanese endurance race),
I'm skipping them this time.
↑Freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset left)
↑Non-freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset center)
↑Freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset left)
↑Non-freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset center)
The freewheel-side Aero SB prioritizes reusability,
so spoke length is on the short side,
but it reaches to the bottom of the nipple slot,
so it's technically within spec.
14 spokes from the original freewheel side.
The current Aero SB—I don't think I've mentioned this before—
has a spoke weight ratio of around 91-92%.
If these spokes at this length were 92.0%,
the estimated weight would be 95.66g,
so this batch is slightly above 92%.
As for this rim,
while it's not light by weight standards,
durability is the selling point,
and buckling resistance should exceed aluminum rims of equivalent weight.
Actually, considering this rim width and exceptional strength,
you might even call it light.
The manufacturer does offer a lifetime crash replacement guarantee,
with some specifications of course.
I'm not planning to reveal specific weight figures, though.
↑Oof, this guy's got bad vibes.
Sorry for the wait! Please take a look at this image!
32H rim!
28H rim!
↑Cut it out!
Continuing from yesterday.
I'm rebuilding a rear wheel that was originally built with a WTB rim and XTR hub,
this time using an ONYX (Japanese hub brand) hub instead.
FH-M9111-B 28H
All Aero Star Bright 6-cross JIS spoke pattern.
The front wheel is 32H and the rear is 28H—
I'm not sure if that was the builder's preference
or the customer's request,
but since the current rebuild continues with the same spoke count
even though there was an opportunity to swap the front and rear rims,
I'll leave that alone.
This Aero Star Bright is the current production model,
and it's definitely a recent model where
the magnetic properties match those of Star Bright.
Unlike previous star spokes, the paper slip in the spoke bag
that lists the length now also includes
the shipping date/time and a traceable lot number.
Like the old Aero Star Bright III (aka Aero SB3),
these are flattened butted spokes that fit
through the standard round holes in most generic hubs.
But the square aero shape of the butted section
isn't as angular as the SB3,
so this isn't a reissue—it's a different animal.
These spokes have reliable spoke head integrity
and are advantageous in terms of spoke weight distribution
for left-right asymmetric builds,
so I'd like to reuse them on the freewheel side.
Unlike the front wheel, the rear wheel was built with high tension.
The fewer spokes you have, the higher the tension per spoke needs to be,
and with 28H instead of 32H, it's not just slightly tighter than the front—
it's noticeably tighter.
↑When you squeeze the high-tension freewheel-side final crossing,
it feels like this—wear marks are visible on the contact surfaces.
The front wheel was built with DT generic aluminum nipples,
but the rear wheel was built with bare Squorx nipples—no PHR washer.
The spoke length, like the front wheel, is on the short side.
The wheel center had shifted to the right,
but it may have just drifted over time—
it's possible the wheel was perfectly centered
when originally built.
I disassembled the wheel and pulled one reverse spoke
from each flange. They differ by 3mm,
but both are shorter than what I'd consider optimal length.
After calculating, I found that the original reverse freewheel-side spoke
can be used as the rebuilt freewheel-side spoke
in a standard 6-spoke configuration.
I temporarily reinstalled the removed spokes
back on the original hub.
I transferred the reverse spokes from the original hub's reverse side
to the rebuild hub's freewheel-side flange.
Next, I transferred the main spokes as well.
Built.
ONYX Vesper MTB BOOST ISO hub 28H
Current Aero SB/CX-RAY 6-cross JIS spoke pattern.
Aero SB couldn't be machined down to 4-spoke length.
As for spoke ties, I would have done them if the customer's use case
was short-duration XC racing, but since they're using it at Ohtaki (Japanese endurance race),
I'm skipping them this time.
↑Freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset left)
↑Non-freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset center)
↑Freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset left)
↑Non-freewheel side (rim's outer hole slightly offset center)
The freewheel-side Aero SB prioritizes reusability,
so spoke length is on the short side,
but it reaches to the bottom of the nipple slot,
so it's technically within spec.
14 spokes from the original freewheel side.
The current Aero SB—I don't think I've mentioned this before—
has a spoke weight ratio of around 91-92%.
If these spokes at this length were 92.0%,
the estimated weight would be 95.66g,
so this batch is slightly above 92%.
As for this rim,
while it's not light by weight standards,
durability is the selling point,
and buckling resistance should exceed aluminum rims of equivalent weight.
Actually, considering this rim width and exceptional strength,
you might even call it light.
The manufacturer does offer a lifetime crash replacement guarantee,
with some specifications of course.
I'm not planning to reveal specific weight figures, though.
↑Oof, this guy's got bad vibes.
Sorry for the wait! Please take a look at this image!
32H rim!
28H rim!
↑Cut it out!