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Strong and Light
When it comes to building wheels, it’s all about attention to detail. Here at Bicycles East, we have honed our skills over many years, learning more and more from every wheel we build. Rather than building the wheel the traditional way by “feel”, we have developed a systematic process of wheel lacing, truing and tensioning that results in the strongest wheel possible while keeping weight at a minimum.
Preparation is the key
When we build a wheel, we begin by using linseed oil on the spoke’s threads. Initially, the linseed oil provides lubrication for the interface between the spoke and the nipple, allowing us to bring the wheel up to proper tension without risk of damaging the spoke nipple. Then, after the linseed oil dries, it acts as a mild thread locker, keeping the spoke nipples from loosening over time.
Precision Spoke Tension Balancing
After the wheel is laced and trued, we use a computer and a tensometer to create a graphical representation of your wheel’s tension balance. We will then use this information to individually tension every spoke to within 10% relative tension (in the case of a new wheel, we can usually get much closer than even that!). Having a proper tension balance is the key to a strong, reliable wheel. Ever had a wheel that broke spokes constantly or had spokes loosen up all the time? This is the result of a poorly tension balanced wheel so you can rest assure that if you buy a custom wheel or have us rebuild a wheel for you, it will be a strong and true for years to come.
We stand behind our work
When you choose to have us build a wheel for you, we will help walk you through the process from beginning to end. We will help you select the right wheel/hub combo to achieve any goal you may have. We use double-butted Sapim spokes to ensure a strong, yet lightweight wheel. The butted spokes also help to redirect tension to the middle of the spoke, reducing the stress at the ends of the spoke (the most common locations for failure). That, along with a precise spoke tension balance will create the strongest wheel possible. So strong that if you have us build a use-specific wheel for you, we will guarantee that the wheel will not come out of true or brake spokes for 10 years! We've spent so much time honing our wheel building skills that we stand behind every wheel we build 100%!