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Old 03-13-09, 09:51 AM
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mihlbach
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I have three hand built fg wheelsets and a number of handbuilt road and ssMTB wheelsets, all built be me. Here are my FG builds.

Kin Lin Niobium 30 rims
Formula rear track hub
Speedcific serenity front hub (road hub made by formula)
Sapim CX Ray spokes, 28 (2x) in rear, 24 (radial) in front
Alu nips in front, brass in rear
Everything black
This is a killer wheelset...very light (1550gms), aero, and really stiff and strong.

My next pair...
Mavic CXP 33 rims
Surly Hubs
DT DB spokes, with all brass nips.
32 spokes in front and rear, 3x rear, radial front
All black except for spokes.
This is a super durable wheelset.

Finally,
Sun CR18 Rims
Surly Hubs
Wheelsmith db14 spokes with brass nips
36 spokes in front and rear, 3x in front and back
All silver.
This is a real workhorse wheelset.


These wheelsets all cost between $250 and $350. Very good wheels are cheap if you do it yourself. Plus after you build a few, you learn what really works best for you. 99% of the FG wheelsets out there would be overbuilt for the rider if they were built correctly. Sadly, most wheels are not built well, which is why heavy overspoked wheels are so common.


Edit: I've also built rear wheels using disc front hubs using bolt-on cogs and also ss wheels with BMX cassette hubs. If you want a really unique and versatile wheel, buy a disc brake cassette BMX racing hub. Space the axle from 110-120mm, bolt a tomicog on the disc rotor mount for the fg side, and you will have a super durable, unstrippable, flip-flop hub with easily interchangeable gears on both the fixed side and freewheels side, plus a lot more chainline adjustability than normal flip-flop hubs.
In other words..takes this Kore BMX racing hub with normal sized 10mm axle,

and bolt this cog onto the ISO disc rotor mount...

I spoke to a guy at Kore and you'll get a good chainline...within 2mm of 42 on the FG side, and that could readily be adjusted with a spacer. The freehub side has a lot of chainline adjustability already built into it. The only other thing you may need to do is install a somewhat longer axle. Add a quality rim and spokes, and you'll have the most badass FGSS wheelset ever.

Last edited by mihlbach; 03-13-09 at 04:37 PM.
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