Major Tom has landed!
08.04.2010 • Posted by: David
8.4.10
4,3,2,1…
Never ones to be satisfied with their own success, Velocity has just released the Major Tom tubular rim- to the rejoicing of ‘cross racers everywhere. Like the Velocity A23 and the HED series of 23mm rims, the Major Tom rim brings the advantages of a 23mm rim to the tubular market. Having a 23mm wide rim allows for better tire performance, gives a larger contact surface for gluing tires, and adds strength without adding weight (432g advertised weight). Gluing wide cyclocross tubulars onto narrow rims can often be a challenge, and questioning the bond between the tire and rim is often something that enters your mind as you’re railing a corner at top speed during a race. The Major Tom not only gives a wider contact surface, but it also features a seam relief channel down the center, to help with consistent tire placement.
Profile:
Additionally, Velocity listened to feedback from ‘cross racers and increased the height of the brake track to 11mm, making it easier for you to switch from your everyday wheels to your race wheels without so much messing around with your brake pad placement. Like the A23, the Major Tom shares a similar semi-aero profile that gives additional strength without adding weight.
Just in time for the season:
But don’t think that this rim is only confined to cyclocross- like the Velocity/HED 23mm predecessors, the Major Tom would help achieve better performance for road tires as well. We mounted a Vittoria Pave 24mm tire and it looked like the two were meant to be together.
Optimized:
We have a few of these rims that we’re building up for our own use right now, and we should have production wheels with Ultegra hubs and DT Swiss Competition spokes ready in the next few weeks- just in time for ‘cross season.
No Tubes Alpha 340 road rims!
06.11.2010 • Posted by: David
6.11.10
Redefinition of standards?
We just built up our first pair of the hot new road tubeless rims from No Tubes- the Alpha 340’s. We built our samples in a fairly standard fashion with Dura Ace hubs, DT Swiss Aerolite spokes/alloy nipples, 28h radial front & 32h 3x rear. The wheels built up well, and the rims presented no issues despite their extremely low weight (356g on our scale). The low rim weight was a big contributor to the overall low weight of the wheels- 780g Rr, 620g Ft- that’s 1400g for the pair (I did the math in my head), which is very respectable for a 32h/28h wheelset. No tubes advertises these as being compatible with standard road tires & tubes, as well as tubeless tires & No Tubes sealant/tape- so these may be the do-it-all rims that the road market has been waiting for. We will be putting these wheels through the gauntlet this summer, and we’ll be sure to post our findings.
New standard?
Up front:
‘Round back:
No joke:
Customs.
03.29.2010 • Posted by: David
3.24.10
Customs
There are plenty of wheel systems available today, and they may work just fine, but in the end your options are fairly limited- you have to choose from what the manufacturer puts together. The best part about custom wheels is that you get to choose your components- every part, chosen by you, tailored to your riding needs. It also allows you a degree of creative freedom that wheel systems don’t- making your wheels something that nobody else has. Over the winter we’ve been building a lot of custom wheels, for all kinds of applications- here’s a sampling:
Frostbike 2x twist (Velocity B43 rim/Miche Primato hub)
Frostbike Crow’s Foot (DT Swiss 585 rim/240s hub/Aerolite spokes)
2x twist for Calhoun Cycle (Shimano Inter hub/Salsa rim/ DT Swiss Champion spokes)
Close up
XC Superiority (No Tubes Arch rims/Hope Pro hubs/DT Swiss Aerolite spokes)
Tie & Solder
When you’re considering your next set of wheels think about what you really want. Is it that off the shelf wheel system, or do you want your wheels to be truly yours? If you want to go with the latter, head to your local dealer and tell them you want to have Handspun build your dream wheels.
Wish you were here…
02.19.2010 • Posted by: David
2.19.2010
Function + Fashion
Every year we like to crank out a load of spoke bracelets for giveaways at Frostbike. Of course we only use the best- 100% DT Swiss spokes and nipples to ensure that our spoke bracelets are lightweight, stong, and oh so durable. Every single one painstakingly crafted by hand by our new rookie, Amy C. If you’re at the show this weekend please stop by to grab one and check out the booth.
DT Swiss & Handspun teaming up:
Big thanks to our own Eric T. for the photo!