Latest Custom Builds — Sapim

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.

We’ve known Steve since the turn off the century when both he and XLR8 worked as bike messengers in Sydney. He’s a big unit and got in contact to discuss some new carbon hoops for his road bike, to service him on the rural roads of mid western New South Wales.Those roads are somewhere between awful and terrible, and Steve wanted a shallow depth carbon wheel that would still be stiff to accomodate his considerable power output. Having owned a retail bike store, and currently working as a mobile mechanic, he knows his stuff but appreciated our spec advice.Bigger guys...

Ben is another ex bicycle courier (messenger) who XLR8 worked with in a past life. We remember he was always a big fan of Paul Components hubs, and when he ordered a new Singlespeed frame, they were a given. He came to use for advice on a solid carbon 27.5" wheel build. Light, but not too light. Wide, but not too wide (he wanted to keep the bike spritely), at reasonable price and with good warranty. We suggested Nextie Classic XC rims with a 25mm internal width. These work well with narrower tyres, and are super light and stiff. They'll bag...

David needed a tricky new wheelset for his Pivot 459. It uses a SuperBoost rear axle setup, so Project 321 hubs were the logical choice. They are beautifully machined out of top quality alloys, house excellent bearings, and have 216 points of engagement. And they come in Purple! David was keen on a premium alloy rim, so we recommended the Spank Oozy Trail 350. This is an updated version of their older 345 rim, that is a tiny bit wider, and a bit lighter. Tough and look great as well. David is fairly light and a smooth rider, so in...

We built a pair of Hope hubs on Spank rims for a mate of Nick’s and he was so impressed he came to us for advice. He advised us of a history of smashing wheels on Sydney’s Upper North Shore - trails we at XLR8 know well. Hope Pro4 hubs and Spank Spike rims are logical choices. Both are not the lightest product out there, but they are good value and super tough! Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples are all that is required to keep the front wheel together, laced in an uber reliable 3x pattern. On the rear...