The Nomu Lab wheels are running seriously behind schedule.
I'm truly sorry about this.
The root cause is long-term stockouts of materials like hubs and rims,
and I'm still building wheels from June orders (at the old pricing).
Right now we're experiencing stockouts of Tni Evolution hubs in front 20H and rear 24H,
and the next shipment isn't due until the end of January next year.
That's obviously not acceptable, so I've been hunting around for a hub that could work as a Tni Evolution substitute,
but it's proving difficult.
The Tni Evo rear hub is equivalent to a Novatech 482,
but the hub dimensions are exceptionally good.
When you look at the finished wheel statically, there are aspects where it outperforms Dura-Ace, Record, DT, and Gokiso.
The flange width and high-low geometry are why.
Dynamically speaking (hub rotation smoothness, bearing wear after heavy use, etc.),
the evaluation changes, but with the qualifier "for the price,"
it still comes out as an outstandingly superior hub.
I'm building wheels thinking "the Tni Evo hub is what I want,"
not "the Tni Evo hub will do."
So if I'm going to set up a replacement, it has to be a hub with dimensions that satisfy me
when assembled into a finished wheel.
Price matters too.
Using a cheap substitute would be disrespectful to customers accepting the replacement,
and if it's too expensive, the margin disappears.
Nomu Lab wheels at the old price are barely breaking even anyway
So I ordered a small batch to test it out.
I built a wheel just now—figuring if the quality is good, I'd stock it regularly—
and it delivered that Tni Evo hub feel convincingly,
so I'm going to go with this for a while.
Right now I'm treating it strictly as a replacement for the Tni Evo front 20H/rear 24H,
so I won't be selling these as individual units.
I'm also not planning to stock other spoke hole counts.
Though if there's demand, maybe I'd reconsider...
I'll price it the same as the Tni Evo hub.
For the foreseeable future, Nomu Lab wheels in front 20H/rear 24H
will be built with this replacement hub. Thank you for your understanding.
Front hub
Actual measured weight is 64g.
The flange hole diameter is the same as the Evo hub,
flange width is just over 1mm wider on this hub.
Though the difference isn't noticeable in actual lateral stiffness.
Too wide a flange actually creates extra hassle.
When doing inpoke lacing, you have to check for interference with the fork.
With this flange width, that's not an issue at all.
Rear hub:
the freewheel-side flange hole diameter matches the Evo hub,
while the non-freewheel side is smaller than the Evo hub.
Flange width is just over 2mm wider than the Evo hub.
That's about one flange's width difference.
The left endcap looks long visually, so I thought it might be narrower,
but actually it's wider—I was surprised.
Shimano freewheel is 11-speed and works with the included spacer for 10, 9, or 8-speed.
We've also stocked Campagnolo freewheels.
Both came in at 186g actual measured weight.
I've been calling it the "replacement hub" or "this hub" for a while now,
but it's inconvenient not having a proper name, so going forward I'll call it the "Leaf Hub."
Leaf as in the English word Leaf.
Searching "Leaf Hub" or "Leaf Hubs" doesn't turn anything up.
There's a different product with the same name (Leaf Cycle) that shows up, but nothing to do with us.
I didn't come up with the name—I was told "sell it under this name,"
so I just went with it.
On a separate note from this hub, I'm currently declining bicycle assembly work.
The wheel building workload is so heavy I can't get to anything else.
I'll keep it that way until wheel work settles down (if it ever does).
I'm in the middle of a "clear shop space by finishing the frames we have on hand" campaign right now.
I delivered one yesterday.
I still have several frames here,
but since wheel building is attached to those assemblies, progress is a bit slow.
Unlike wheels, I don't write many posts about "check out this bike I built" because
I'm trying to keep from getting outed as a traitor to customers
by a certain shop's perspective.
That shop loses customers partly because they make significant blunders
(like left cranks coming off mid-ride or hand-built wheels coming apart),
which aren't the customers' fault and have nothing to do with me.
I'm truly sorry about this.
The root cause is long-term stockouts of materials like hubs and rims,
and I'm still building wheels from June orders (at the old pricing).
Right now we're experiencing stockouts of Tni Evolution hubs in front 20H and rear 24H,
and the next shipment isn't due until the end of January next year.
That's obviously not acceptable, so I've been hunting around for a hub that could work as a Tni Evolution substitute,
but it's proving difficult.
The Tni Evo rear hub is equivalent to a Novatech 482,
but the hub dimensions are exceptionally good.
When you look at the finished wheel statically, there are aspects where it outperforms Dura-Ace, Record, DT, and Gokiso.
The flange width and high-low geometry are why.
Dynamically speaking (hub rotation smoothness, bearing wear after heavy use, etc.),
the evaluation changes, but with the qualifier "for the price,"
it still comes out as an outstandingly superior hub.
I'm building wheels thinking "the Tni Evo hub is what I want,"
not "the Tni Evo hub will do."
So if I'm going to set up a replacement, it has to be a hub with dimensions that satisfy me
when assembled into a finished wheel.
Price matters too.
Using a cheap substitute would be disrespectful to customers accepting the replacement,
and if it's too expensive, the margin disappears.
So I ordered a small batch to test it out.
I built a wheel just now—figuring if the quality is good, I'd stock it regularly—
and it delivered that Tni Evo hub feel convincingly,
so I'm going to go with this for a while.
Right now I'm treating it strictly as a replacement for the Tni Evo front 20H/rear 24H,
so I won't be selling these as individual units.
I'm also not planning to stock other spoke hole counts.
Though if there's demand, maybe I'd reconsider...
I'll price it the same as the Tni Evo hub.
For the foreseeable future, Nomu Lab wheels in front 20H/rear 24H
will be built with this replacement hub. Thank you for your understanding.
Front hub
Actual measured weight is 64g.
The flange hole diameter is the same as the Evo hub,
flange width is just over 1mm wider on this hub.
Though the difference isn't noticeable in actual lateral stiffness.
Too wide a flange actually creates extra hassle.
When doing inpoke lacing, you have to check for interference with the fork.
With this flange width, that's not an issue at all.
Rear hub:
the freewheel-side flange hole diameter matches the Evo hub,
while the non-freewheel side is smaller than the Evo hub.
Flange width is just over 2mm wider than the Evo hub.
That's about one flange's width difference.
The left endcap looks long visually, so I thought it might be narrower,
but actually it's wider—I was surprised.
Shimano freewheel is 11-speed and works with the included spacer for 10, 9, or 8-speed.
We've also stocked Campagnolo freewheels.
Both came in at 186g actual measured weight.
I've been calling it the "replacement hub" or "this hub" for a while now,
but it's inconvenient not having a proper name, so going forward I'll call it the "Leaf Hub."
Leaf as in the English word Leaf.
Searching "Leaf Hub" or "Leaf Hubs" doesn't turn anything up.
There's a different product with the same name (Leaf Cycle) that shows up, but nothing to do with us.
I didn't come up with the name—I was told "sell it under this name,"
so I just went with it.
On a separate note from this hub, I'm currently declining bicycle assembly work.
The wheel building workload is so heavy I can't get to anything else.
I'll keep it that way until wheel work settles down (if it ever does).
I'm in the middle of a "clear shop space by finishing the frames we have on hand" campaign right now.
I delivered one yesterday.
I still have several frames here,
but since wheel building is attached to those assemblies, progress is a bit slow.
Unlike wheels, I don't write many posts about "check out this bike I built" because
I'm trying to keep from getting outed as a traitor to customers
by a certain shop's perspective.
That shop loses customers partly because they make significant blunders
(like left cranks coming off mid-ride or hand-built wheels coming apart),
which aren't the customers' fault and have nothing to do with me.