I've never understood why hub makers do this.

That said, I have put a fixed cog on the free hub side. If you really crank it down, and use your brakes to stop, it's not a problem. Obviously, if you're on a velodrome this is not an option.

someone mentioned in another currently running thread that he loves saddle threads - well...i love wheel threads

so i am wondering whether op came to a decision & why?

personally, over the past couple years i went through several different velomine wheelsets...m13/cr18/open pro rims/formula hubs & was satisfied with all of them even considering that they did not include rim tape, but i do feel it is worth mentioning that contrary to common wisdom here, none of them were handbuilt by velomine - they were all actually from wheelsmith.

since i seem to have some weight weenie tendencies along with always being on a budget i finally ended up with wabis's jalco rim/joytech hub wheelset at the beginning of this year & even though i can be hard on wheels they have performed like champs & i love them. but not too long ago at a swap meet i fell into a lower spoke jalco rim with a novatech road front hub & for no other reason that i thought it would be cool, built a new radial front wheel that is a great match with my wabi rear (fyi, wabi rear hubs are fixed/fixed) & am extremely happy with my "new" wheelset.

but seeing this thread daily has aroused the old familiar urges & i happen to have more than my usual spare cash at the moment...

am i crazy to be ready to gently squeeze the trigger on an open pro/low-flange phils wheelset that i ran across? which is actually a bit heavier & likely no stronger than the wheels that i am running now? just because it is...uhhh...open pro & phil?

btw, i need to do something with my wabi/jalco gx410 rim/joytech hub front wheel, which is in nice shape, that i'm not using anymore & am open to suggestions...

FWIW - Things may have changed in the past few years as their volume of sales increased but both sets of Velomine wheels I've owned were built by Ben.

Wheelsmith (the wheel builders, not the more commonly-known spoke manufacturer) is located in the UK. I doubt all those wheels are coming from across the pond when there's a slew of other builders/distributors right here in the US.

my bad...you are right...i meant wheelmaster

the boxes that those wheelsets i purchased from velomine, admittedly the lower end of their offerings, arrived in were from wheelmaster

That doesn't necessarily mean anything. I typically ship my wheelsets in Velocity boxes - simply because that's who I get my supply of wheel boxes from.

every time it was wheelmaster boxes that were stickered with the exact description, rims, hubs etc, of the wheels inside...

we can go on & on about this...will it affect your rep or business? it won't change my life...

but waddaya think...should i splurge for that op/low-flange phils wheelset???

Dude, you're hilarious. How would Velomine's practices ever affect my business? I know who builds my wheels.

Buy whatever the hell you want. Pick up some real clips and straps while you're at it too.

Thought I would follow up. I went ahead and bought the wabi wheelset after speaking with Richard at wabi about my riding and him reassuring me that they should hold up fine for the conditions I am describing. So I have that on the way along with a new freewheel and chainring (which were both very old and worn). So excited!