John has been riding these Mercury carbon wheels for a while. They have seen some use, and need a little love, so he decided to have XLR8 fix a few problems that had emerged.
The front hub bearings were loose in the hubshell, and would not stay put. Plus, the rear wheel had started to break spokes. The general rule here is that if a wheel breaks a couple of spokes, it's worth investing in a full rebuild.
John's on a budget, and saving up for an XLR8 custom build. To help him out, we used an inexpensive but perfectly functional Shimano R500 front hub to replace the ailing Mercury. We slotted the hub for the Pillar 1432 bladed spokes. These are a thick 3.2mm bladed spoke, which means that we need to hand machine the spoke holes to slide the spokes through. All part of the XLR8 service.
We relaced the rear wheel with ever reliable Sapim Race spokes on the non-driveside, and plain gauge Sapim Leader spokes on the driveside. Mach1 France Black brass nipples save a little extra cost, without sacrificing reliability or the "murdered out" looks.
The outcome is that these wheels will roll trouble free from now on, and well beyond John's planned new wheel purchase!
