Ben Wallis is a great frame refinisher, operating out of northern Brisbane. His work is excellent, and when seeking some wheels for his new (restored) ride, he came to us!
He had a lovely pair of late 90s Campagnolo hubs, and asked what the best rim choice would be, for a slightly more modern frame. Easy peasy! The Hplusson Archetype in a modern (but still a little retro) “Grey Ano” finish.
The Archetype is the stiffest rim we’ve ever built, for it’s weight. The quality of finish is as good as (if not better then) the higher priced alternatives, and the price is competitive too. The only downside we can see, is that the rim is not marketed as tubeless ready (though we have built these rims for national level CX racers who use them very successfully with tubeless tyres).
Add to that, the rim profile is very aero, and looks very similar to the Campagnolo Omega Strada Hardox rims of the 90s – especially in Grey Ano!
The anodised finish is applied by Hplusson after the rim sidewalls are machined which means that the rims have an extra long life, but over time the brake wall anodising will wear off. However, on the grey rims, this tends to happen slower than the black finished rims, and the aesthetic “difference” is less pronounced.
Naturally, we used Sapim Race double butted spokes on the front (2x lacing) and rear (3x), with brass nipples for ultimate reliability.