Mike came to us with a lovely problem to have – he’d found a near new pair of Reynolds 46 Carbon clinchers but with hubs of dubious reliability. These rims are still cutting edge in terms of weight and stiffness, and the quality of construction is as good as any.
Mike’s first concern was the condition of the rims. Overzealous bike shops (and home mechanics) just don’t seem to realise the right spoke tensions either make or break (literally) carbon rims. The tensions need to be just right to ensure ongoing reliability. Too much, and the nipples will pull through those beautiful carbon rims. Too little, nipples can loosen, and spoke fatigue can actually be accelerated.
We performed a pre-purchase wheel inspection for him, and once given the all clear, began the hub transplant. Mike plans to ride these wheels everyday, so the natural choice for reliability, light weight and good looks was a pair of black anodised White Industries T11 hubs.
Laced to the rims with black Sapim Race double butted spokes, and using DT Prolock internal alloy nipples, these wheels will provide many great days of service, in years to come. Oh, and the black on black colour scheme just looks “BAD”! Don’t you agree?
