Latest Custom Builds — Time Trial or Tri

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...

Bob needed a new set of wheels for Ultra Endurance riding. They needed to be light, strong and not too expensive. These days, the hubs are the most expensive part of most builds, so the XLR8 MD hubs fit the bill nicely. They are made in Taiwan by one of the world's largest hub manufacturers, feature ABEC 5 grade Enduro bearings, an alloy freehub, and readily available parts (not that they are often required). For rims, the Nextie classic series offer great value. The 45mm version is very aero, yet still rather light. Tubeless ready, toroidal aero shape, quality high Tg...

Ben had a Powertap lurking, not being used. He heard that Cam was getting some new carbon hoops so he felt a need to get some too! He is one of the last bastion of tubular users. We honestly think that tubs still ride nicer than even the nicest and most supple wide clinchers, but it's also fair to say they can be a hassle. Ben thinks they are worth the effort ... We specced tried and true tubular carbon hoops from Nextie in 45mm, specifically the NXT45RT. We laced Ben's Powertap into a 32h rear rim, and supplied a...

Paul is local rider who excels in the hills. He's very light and climbs like a "mountain goat". After hearing about our wheels from other riders in his training group, he approached us to help him with some aero hoops.  As with many pure climbers, their power to weight ratio may be strong, but their power to frontal area (aero coefficient) may not be as high. They can suffer on the flats and in headwinds. This often explains why the big guys can mash on the flats (high power to frontal area), but suffer in the hills (low power to...