Steve’s been riding MTB for years, and just last weekend came runner up in the SRAM Qld Enduro State Champs (on a set of wheels we had repaired for him).
He had taken a chance and ordered a set of super wide 650b carbon all mountain hoops from one of the “more reputable” Chinese wheel builders. He came to us for advice on the spokes and hubs he’d received for his hard earned.
Unfortunately, the hubs in the delivered wheels were not at all what he paid for (they looked similar, but they certainly were not the Novatecs he’d been promised), and the spokes only mid level quality, at best.
The alloy nipples? Well let’s say we decided they were not a good idea – they were of indeterminate origin, and we know from experience that often, carbon and alloy nipples don’t mix.
Hiding in his garage was a set of unused Giant factory wheels, being a reasonable quality rim, laced using DT Swiss straight-pull double butted spokes, and a good quality hub, using a DT Swiss XD1 freehub mechanism.
We decided that a rebuild of the carbon rims onto the DT hubs and spokes would be a great upgrade on the wheelset he had received. He’d also be sure that the hoops had received a good quality build, and we could replace those unreliable alloy nipples, with something more robust.
Following disassembly of both sets of wheels, we rolled a few extra millimetres of thread on the straight-pull spokes, and ensured they were nice and clean for reassembly. The extra threads would ensure full penetration of the spokes through the nipple – enhancing reliability.
Black brass nipples were used to preserve that stealth look, and the whole wheelset came together at a very competitive 1650g.