I received a wheel from a customer.
It's a rear wheel built with a WH-R501 rim and a PowerTap Elite Plus hub.
They want me to discard the rim and spokes and rebuild it with an XR-300 rim,
so officially this becomes Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
It's built with black 2.0mm plain spokes from CN Spokes in a four-cross pattern,
but the non-freewheel side is quite loose.
Since we're taking it apart anyway, I didn't check the centering or tension,
but the rim itself was pretty warped.
I use a window pane as a reference surface (like a straightedge)
and check for warpage by seeing if there are any gaps when I lay the rim against it,
and this rim was already rattling around so much when laid on the floor.
I took it apart.
Inside the hub looks clean at first glance,
but the grease is so dirty that it's been washed away,
so that's a yellow flag.
They're asking for a hub cleaning.
Cleaning means that, well, I'm allowed to wash it, right?
Grease from the freewheel side has seeped into the shaft interior
through the bearing gaps.
Oops, when I washed the shaft the tape peeled off—
No choice then, I'll handle it with heat shrink tubing.
The part of the shaft that runs through the hub interior—
it's not rusted or anything.
The Elite Plus is a steel shaft model,
and this section just isn't polished.
↑That's not good.
The ring that holds down the freewheel pawls (like a clothespin spring)
has slipped over the anti-rotation lug.
↑This is the correct position.
The timeline's a bit jumbled, but I washed the hub.
The non-freewheel side bearing had a faint grinding sensation,
but after washing it was mostly gone, so I didn't replace the bearings.
I handled it with fresh grease.
The hub shell wasn't dirty, so it might not look like it's been cleaned,
but the internal condition is completely different.
Built it up.
Let me say upfront what I always say.
A shiny silver hub sure looks nice.
It's built in a four-cross-six pattern.
The customer wanted all Competition spokes,
but I took the liberty of switching the freewheel side to Sapim Strong.
There's an abutment just inside the final cross.
If this were 32H I'd say all Competition would be fine,
but since they want durability as priority over weight savings,
I changed spokes to include asymmetric sizing on each side.
The non-freewheel side is DT Competition.
I also laced them.
At the same time, I also received the front wheel for Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
It was built with black Competition spokes, black nipples, and a reverse radial pattern,
but they want it rebuilt with silver Competition spokes, silver nipples, and a radial pattern.
Probably to match the rear wheel aesthetically.
How nostalgic! An Evo hub with aero slot holes.
Built it up.
It's a rear wheel built with a WH-R501 rim and a PowerTap Elite Plus hub.
They want me to discard the rim and spokes and rebuild it with an XR-300 rim,
so officially this becomes Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
It's built with black 2.0mm plain spokes from CN Spokes in a four-cross pattern,
but the non-freewheel side is quite loose.
Since we're taking it apart anyway, I didn't check the centering or tension,
but the rim itself was pretty warped.
I use a window pane as a reference surface (like a straightedge)
and check for warpage by seeing if there are any gaps when I lay the rim against it,
and this rim was already rattling around so much when laid on the floor.
I took it apart.
Inside the hub looks clean at first glance,
but the grease is so dirty that it's been washed away,
so that's a yellow flag.
They're asking for a hub cleaning.
Cleaning means that, well, I'm allowed to wash it, right?
Grease from the freewheel side has seeped into the shaft interior
through the bearing gaps.
Oops, when I washed the shaft the tape peeled off—
No choice then, I'll handle it with heat shrink tubing.
The part of the shaft that runs through the hub interior—
it's not rusted or anything.
The Elite Plus is a steel shaft model,
and this section just isn't polished.
↑That's not good.
The ring that holds down the freewheel pawls (like a clothespin spring)
has slipped over the anti-rotation lug.
↑This is the correct position.
The timeline's a bit jumbled, but I washed the hub.
The non-freewheel side bearing had a faint grinding sensation,
but after washing it was mostly gone, so I didn't replace the bearings.
I handled it with fresh grease.
The hub shell wasn't dirty, so it might not look like it's been cleaned,
but the internal condition is completely different.
Built it up.
Let me say upfront what I always say.
A shiny silver hub sure looks nice.
It's built in a four-cross-six pattern.
The customer wanted all Competition spokes,
but I took the liberty of switching the freewheel side to Sapim Strong.
There's an abutment just inside the final cross.
If this were 32H I'd say all Competition would be fine,
but since they want durability as priority over weight savings,
I changed spokes to include asymmetric sizing on each side.
The non-freewheel side is DT Competition.
I also laced them.
At the same time, I also received the front wheel for Nomu Lab Wheel #1.
It was built with black Competition spokes, black nipples, and a reverse radial pattern,
but they want it rebuilt with silver Competition spokes, silver nipples, and a radial pattern.
Probably to match the rear wheel aesthetically.
How nostalgic! An Evo hub with aero slot holes.
Built it up.