Sean’s a great supporter of XLR8. You might remember the superlight 29er build that we did for his Siren Twinzer?
He got in contact regarding a new set of hoops for his gravel grinder. The factory wheelset freehub has given up, and a replacement was proving impossible to source.
As usual, we discussed his needs, and listened intently. The primary goal was a competitive weight, disc hubs (to future proof the wheels for a future frame/fork upgrade), and of course – a great price/performance ratio!
The XLR8 Rouleur rim was selected. They are wide (to support a fat tyre for dirt road use), strong, and have a nice thick brake track – so they’ll last a long time (until the disc frame upgrade).
Sean decided on an XLR8 “Medium Duty” front disc hub. At very light weight, these hubs still have a strong hubshell with thick flanges. They are designed to be compatible with heavy gauge spokes (for downhill and freeride applications), and as such have a larger than usual 2.6mm spoke hole. In order to use the hub with a lighter (and thinner) spoke, we use spoke washers to ensure the spoke head and elbow seats well, and longevity is assured.
For the rear wheel, we reused a hub that Sean had provided, in order to save some cost. The DT Swiss 350 hub (specced in Giant colours) will serve him well.
Sapim Race spokes were used, 2x on the 28 hole front wheel, and 3x on the 32 hole rear. Brass nipples assure reliability, on a wheelset that has been built to take years and years of use (and abuse).