new bike part 5: wheel for Cara

I got a new wheel for Cara, a virtual copy (except for hub color) of the wheels for the new bike.

Here's a photo:

wheel

The spec: H Son Plus 23 mm wide rim, White Industries T-11 hub (purple anodized), 28 black DT butted spokes, silver brass nipples. To be added: Veloplugs with electrical tape to help keep them in place.

I'm done with 19 mm rims, except the ones I already have, except for time trial or climbing wheels. 23 mm matches up better with tires 25 mm and wider. Better rolling resistance, better puncture resistance, easier flat replacement, and likely better aerodynamics. The only minus is weight: 23 mm rims are a bit heavier, perhaps 50 grams.

Total mass: 787.5 grams, no Veloplugs, no skewer. The weight weenie in me cringes, but the wheel's designed to be bomb-proof. 28 spokes and if you break one, you have effectively 14, and can re-true it and still ride. And 2-cross instead of radial means the spokes are pulling against more metal on the hub flange instead of pulling straight outward.

I got it built up by Sports Basement, Bryant Street San Francisco. They do a solid job, and with the $45 build fee the wheel comes in considerably cheaper than typical high-end "pre-built" commercial wheels, which typically use gimmicks for differentiation but it's hard to go wrong with tried-and-true wheel designs.

I picked up the wheel on my bike. I retrieved a discarded inner tube from their recycling bin, tied it around the rim at two points 170 degrees apart with square knots, and voila: instant shoulder strap. I've carried a bike frame home (my Fuji SL/1 in 2008) the same way, putting holes in the cardboard box.

Comments

NadiaMac said…
Nice wheel!!! :) :) :)
February 24, 2014 at 10:28 AM
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