Wheel Builders in Sydney?

[hartleymartin]

Hi Everyone! Long time, no post.

I am looking to obtain a set of Velocity Atlas 650B (584mm BSD) rims and have them laced up on touring hubs somewhere in Sydney. I would much appreciate some help with getting a set of good touring wheels made (for a clydesdale class rider!)

[familyguy]

Ben at Cicli Spirito: https://www.spirito.com.au/ Not real local to you though.

Jim

[hartleymartin]

As long as it is somewhere in Sydney I can get to it by train/bicycle.

[queequeg]

As long as it is somewhere in Sydney I can get to it by train/bicycle.

Ben is 2 minutes walk from St Leonard’s station.

[hartleymartin]

Well, I've got to be committed to the new 650B wheels now, as I have paid for the Tektro R559 brakes, and bought 3x 650B Marathon Plus Tyres. Just have to find a supplier for the Velocity Atlas 650B rims and make a final decision on the hubs. Do I stick with threaded freewheel hubs or move to a 130mm cassette freehub? The bicycle frame I have is spaced at 126mm so I could spring the 130mm hub into it, but not a 135mm one.

[Thoglette]

Do I stick with threaded freewheel hubs or move to a 130mm cassette freehub?

According to Sheldon Brown, with 7 cogs or less freewheels are strong enough but 8/9/10 is asking for problems. The other challenge is getting the gearing you want: 10 and 11 teeth are pretty much freehub only propositions, especially if you want to mix them with 30+ teeth cogs.

Right now the only reason I'd go freewheel is if you've an accessory (e.g. a drum brake) you really want to mount on the other side of a flip-flop hub OR you've got some beautiful vintage piece OR you're going single speed.

If you want gears, then a decent rebuildable freehub with lots of spokes (36) and 8/9/10 Shimano cassette compatibility is where I'd start: e.g. vintage 105 or Ultegra. Second choice would be sealed bearing numbers from V-O or similar bespoke suppliers.

[hartleymartin]

I am running a 6-speed cluster, so I think freewheel should be okay then.

My cluster is a 14-17-20-24-28-32 6-speed from IRD - I wish that last one was a 34-tooth sprocket though!

[Testing386]

I've used Omafiets in Redfern for many wheel builds. Great crew and a short walk from the station.