...very often, here on teh Biekforums, we get into these discussions of accuracy and measurement.

I can think of one thread where the OP was incensed that his wheels had been built in such a manner
that the hub labels were not visible through the valve hole. That was a classic.

Another occurred in a discussion of bearings, when the old Campy "hand matched bearings" claim came up.


I guess my own take on this is that, overall, I try to make my bicycles ride as straight and true as
I can, given my own abilities, time, and tools for measurement and adjustment.

I like the feeling of a road bike that "disappears under you". Sometimes, if I do everything right, that happens.


But the purpose of dishing and truing a wheel is to get those tire contact points exactly centered within
your mass as bike and rider, and the wheels pointing straight on a plane that, ideally splits you up the center.

And most, if not all of the older bikes I've reworked for my own use have required adjustment of the
frame and fork alignment to take advantage of those trued wheels....and some have been off by way
more than a few mm's when I got them, and I'm usually good on frame alignment if I can get it to within
about 1mm. So when you assemble the whole package, how well it works depends on additional things other
than your wheel, and how well it's dished.

Anyway, that's my own take from my own experience. And I still don't believe Campy hand matched their bearings.