I'll try not to get too carried away with self-praise, but here are my thoughts on my personal Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
I've been using the front wheel with a Tni AL300 rim for commuting and training, and
it's a really nice rim.
Up until around the 1980s, 36H wheels were standard, and
even in the mid-1990s, just before mass-produced wheels became popular,
32H and 28H were still the mainstream.
These days, the technology for aluminum forging and extrusion has improved so much compared to back then
that you can find 16H front wheels on mass-produced wheelsets.
For hand-built wheels, I judged that 20H on the front isn't too risky,
so I decided to make 20H front and 24H rear the standard for Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
When I have one on display at the shop, people often ask "how does it ride?" so
I couldn't really say "I don't know," and just quickly built up a 20H front wheel.
Compared to the Ksyrium ES, the thinner spokes and less bulky nipples give
a sense of better air flow through the front wheel while riding.
Though I should admit there's probably some bias in my perception here.
There's none of that ultra-light rim's "swooshing acceleration feel,"
but there's no lateral stiffness concerns either, and it just rides normally.
For flat terrain, I actually prefer this over the Ksyrium.
On climbs it's not heavy, but it's not particularly light either.
Heavy rims feel "heavy," so this might actually be on the lighter side.
I have race wheels like the Cosmic Carbone Ultimite, ENVE, and ZIPP,
so I'm thinking "this is all I need for my training WO wheels."
Just now when I tried to type "race," the autocorrect suggestion was "wiring."
I can't say this loudly (but I can say it quietly since no one's listening)
the rim sticker peels off. This is the same for Nomu Lab Wheel #2 as well.
The Cosmic Carbone knockoff rear wheel isn't really my favorite,
and I've been meaning to take it apart eventually.
I made 24H the standard for the Nomu Lab rear wheel because
20H seemed a bit low for the rear, and I wanted to do
the "46-spoke lacing" that becomes possible with 24H.
But the 24H rim is out of stock...
There's a 20H rear on display at the shop right now,
but I'm thinking I'd like to put a weight limit on that one.
I'm currently around 72kg, so
I figured I'd just build up a 20H rear wheel and test it myself
to make a judgment call, but then the 20H is also out of stock...
So, I decided to tear down the front wheel and build the rear wheel!
I was planning to reuse the hub from the Cosmic Carbone knockoff Wing Hub (ceramic bearings).
I disassembled the front wheel carefully, but the rear wheel got the dynamic treatment.
But for various reasons, I ended up going with an Evolution Hub (steel ball bearings) instead.
There was no need to take apart the Cosmic Carbone.
Well, I would've had to eventually anyway, so it's no big deal.
I basically never use the rear brake.
Since the start of this year I haven't even pulled the rear brake lever while riding.
The rear rim's braking zone is always shiny, but
since I moved the rim from the front wheel, that wasn't going to be the case.
I didn't like that, so I polished the braking zone with Mavic soft stones.
Since the rim is barely used, it comes out looking new.
Even well-used rims get pretty clean with this.
I'd recommend it when giving wheels to someone else too.
Yahoo Auc... wait, never mind.
For the impressions to be meaningful, it has to be exactly the same as the stock version.
I soldered the non-freewheel-side crossing.
The only difference is that I used black anodized nipples.
The water droplets on the wheel are from washing it after soldering.
All built up. That's when it hit me—
There's no front wheel! How am I supposed to get home?!←Self-roast
I'll share my impressions of the rear wheel later.
I've been using the front wheel with a Tni AL300 rim for commuting and training, and
it's a really nice rim.
Up until around the 1980s, 36H wheels were standard, and
even in the mid-1990s, just before mass-produced wheels became popular,
32H and 28H were still the mainstream.
These days, the technology for aluminum forging and extrusion has improved so much compared to back then
that you can find 16H front wheels on mass-produced wheelsets.
For hand-built wheels, I judged that 20H on the front isn't too risky,
so I decided to make 20H front and 24H rear the standard for Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
When I have one on display at the shop, people often ask "how does it ride?" so
I couldn't really say "I don't know," and just quickly built up a 20H front wheel.
Compared to the Ksyrium ES, the thinner spokes and less bulky nipples give
a sense of better air flow through the front wheel while riding.
Though I should admit there's probably some bias in my perception here.
There's none of that ultra-light rim's "swooshing acceleration feel,"
but there's no lateral stiffness concerns either, and it just rides normally.
For flat terrain, I actually prefer this over the Ksyrium.
On climbs it's not heavy, but it's not particularly light either.
Heavy rims feel "heavy," so this might actually be on the lighter side.
I have race wheels like the Cosmic Carbone Ultimite, ENVE, and ZIPP,
so I'm thinking "this is all I need for my training WO wheels."
Just now when I tried to type "race," the autocorrect suggestion was "wiring."
I can't say this loudly (but I can say it quietly since no one's listening)
the rim sticker peels off. This is the same for Nomu Lab Wheel #2 as well.
The Cosmic Carbone knockoff rear wheel isn't really my favorite,
and I've been meaning to take it apart eventually.
I made 24H the standard for the Nomu Lab rear wheel because
20H seemed a bit low for the rear, and I wanted to do
the "46-spoke lacing" that becomes possible with 24H.
But the 24H rim is out of stock...
There's a 20H rear on display at the shop right now,
but I'm thinking I'd like to put a weight limit on that one.
I'm currently around 72kg, so
I figured I'd just build up a 20H rear wheel and test it myself
to make a judgment call, but then the 20H is also out of stock...
So, I decided to tear down the front wheel and build the rear wheel!
I was planning to reuse the hub from the Cosmic Carbone knockoff Wing Hub (ceramic bearings).
I disassembled the front wheel carefully, but the rear wheel got the dynamic treatment.
But for various reasons, I ended up going with an Evolution Hub (steel ball bearings) instead.
There was no need to take apart the Cosmic Carbone.
Well, I would've had to eventually anyway, so it's no big deal.
I basically never use the rear brake.
Since the start of this year I haven't even pulled the rear brake lever while riding.
The rear rim's braking zone is always shiny, but
since I moved the rim from the front wheel, that wasn't going to be the case.
I didn't like that, so I polished the braking zone with Mavic soft stones.
Since the rim is barely used, it comes out looking new.
Even well-used rims get pretty clean with this.
I'd recommend it when giving wheels to someone else too.
Yahoo Auc... wait, never mind.
For the impressions to be meaningful, it has to be exactly the same as the stock version.
I soldered the non-freewheel-side crossing.
The only difference is that I used black anodized nipples.
The water droplets on the wheel are from washing it after soldering.
All built up. That's when it hit me—
There's no front wheel! How am I supposed to get home?!←Self-roast
I'll share my impressions of the rear wheel later.