Luxe Wheelworks Tech Journal no.18

Wow, I really built a lot of wheels this week. NAHBS is approaching and these wheels are mostly for bikes being featured there. I am very lucky to have good friends who make nice bikes. 

I feel tubeless tire technology will be the way of the future. I will be using them myself to gain a better understanding of how they work and perform. This is a dealer application I am in the process of completing to submit for approval at Stan's No Tubes. 

Chris King R45 hubs with HED Belgium rims should make for a classy custom wheel build.

 HED rims feature a 23mm wide rim. That's 4mm wider than Mavic's standard 19mm width. 

I sometimes need to use this dremel to remove metallic burs on the inside of rims. 

This rim had a bur in it that may have compromised the rim/nipple interface. I'm very careful when I do this as not to remove excess material. This may or may not even be necessary but I will keep experimenting with this process. 

I am very careful not to let any oil get on these decals. 

My most recent build is a set of Chris King Classic hubs to a pair of Velocity A23 rims.

These wheels are for a Gaulzetti Cicli Corsa. 

Chris King fabricate their bearing in-house. 

Their in-house machining capability is of a very high standard.

Bontrager XXX steel internal cam skewers can withstand a lot of clamping force. I don't know exactly how much force but they hold a wheel better that external cam skewers. 

Here is a picture of the wheels without the color distortion. I highlight the colors in an effort to give my photos a distinct look. As I become a better photographer I will probably stop relying on this editing trick and let the photos speak for themselves. 

Here is the finished product.

I used Wheelsmith spokes for this build. 

The wheels are laced in a three cross pattern. 

Also, I fitted each wheel with Ritchey Nylon rim strips. 

Justin Spinelli
www.luxewheelworks.com