Jaun rides MTB with us occasionally, and recently scored a late 80s Concorde road frame to build into a fixie.
The old wheels he planned to use were not up to the task. The period Suzue track hubs badly needed a rebuild, and polish. The Alesa rims were still straight and round, so could be reused. The generic spokes were rusty and proving unreliable.
We disassembled the old wheels, and polished and rebuilt the hubs, using new grade 25 ball bearings. They run silky smooth now.
The rims got a thorough inspection prior to the disassembly, and again once they were unencumbered. All being well, we relaced the wheels using DT spokes custom cut to lenght on our Morizumi spoke machine.
Being a heavy duty high flange hubset, coupled with low(er) spoke tensions required by these light rims, radial lacing can work well (you be surprised how often this pattern should be avoided). As a result, the front wheel and rear driveside were laced radial for a cool retro look.
Of course, Sapim brass nipples ensure ultimate reliability, and keep the cost down.
Lookin’ cool Juan. Remember to fit your brakes before you test ride!