Latest Custom Builds — Gravel

We heard from Dylan after an unfortunate accident where he managed to bend the IS 6 bolt rotor mounts on his front hub of his Polygon Bend gravel rig. Polygon were unable to supply a new hub, but we came to the rescue with a quality Bitex BX201FG Centrelock replacement. A step up in quality, and a handy reduction in weight. He chose Centrelock for the replacement as he already had a spare rotor to suit that standard. We laced his original rim onto this new hub with Sapim Race spokes and Dylan was riding again in no time.

Bec is a former Australian SingleSpeed National Champ who has decided to make the leap across to big travel and (gasp!) gears! She has a custom made steel Starling Murmur that she is putting together as her ultimate build, and asked for our advice on the best wheels.  We've known and ridden with Bec for years, so understand her riding style well. As a result, she asked us to spec "what you would spec - if you were me". Easy then! White Industries XMR Boost hubs laced to Nextie Premium Carbon 36mm wide 29er rims (29mm internal width) for double duty as an...

Kwesi was piecing together his ultimate road bike - a Wilier Cento 10NDR. Another customer recommended he seek our advice. He needed some light and aero disc road wheels, that would be stiff and super reliable (he's a big guy). We chose the White Industries CLD hubs for this build, as they are light, tough and dependable. The finish is awesome and seems to weather far better than other premium offerings. Add to that an indestructible titanium freehub, simple maintenance, and they're a solid bet if you want to still to Centrelock rotors. The Nextie Classic 45mm deep and 25mm wide...

The brief was simple, could this once ridden pair MTB hubs be reused in a pair of Gravel/Grandfondo wheels for a road bike? At XLR8 we relish these challenges. These hubs had been ridden once on a test ride, and then the wheels parked. They were a 10s hub, but we had the freehub and the hub body machined to ensure that an 11s cassette would clear (note this is not possible on all hubs*), and adapted the front 15mm thru axle front hub to 9mm quick release (using White Industries adaptors). The Hplusson THE HYDRA is an excellent choice for lightweight disc...

Graham called us up and described his new fascination with riding gravel. We concur, it's awesome to get out on the "Strade Bianche" (Italian for "White Road") - less traffic, more challenge! He advised us that he had recently replaced a broken rear rim with and entire wheelset. The old Italian Bianchi Reparto Corse (Miche) hubs were fine, and we suggested they be re-used as a basis for a wider gravel focussed wheelset. Not needing tubeless, the Hplusson Archetype is the logical choice. They are light, wide, nicely finished, and the braking surface is so smooth. Of course, we used...