OVERVIEW
Ahh, one of man's greatest inventions. Wheelbuilding is an art and science, I want to be a DaVinci. Click here for the Wheel Tech Page. I love food so follow my wandering thoughts. Why settle for a microwaved meat-and-potatoes TV dinner when a catered gourmet buffet is available for about the same cost? (I promise I won't give you a goose liver camouflaged as a fried pear for dessert like a recent wedding I attended). Same analogy applies for off-the-shelf wheels compared to hand-built custom wheels. The cookie-cutter approach with stock wheels leaves a yearning palate in many people. Expensive new wheels become obsolete and disposable for many reasons: unserviceable, untruable even when brand new, the company no longer makes parts for them, a $1500 repair is too costly, etc. And what self-respecting company would actually use the same wheel design from year to year, gotta change something to keep up with the Jones'. The list of off-the-shelf wheels that sharply challenges common sense grows longer each day resulting in wheel technology that has regressed over the past decade. Manufacturers obsessed with marketing hype, light weights, and cutting edge technology present designs that ignore the laws of physics. Ultimately we consumers become the crash test dummies. Fortunately there are M-A-N-Y other options to combat the stock wheel doldrums. 25+ colors of rims with additional limited edition powdercoated artistic designs, dozens of rim styles, enough colored nipples and hubs to make a gumball machine jealous, and numerous spoke types create a boatload of options that will enhance a bicycle like no other upgrade! Whether building up that power-measuring hub or wanting an honest wheel that will endure the test of time, look no further. Screaming loud or stealthily subtle, your completely unique wheels will be a beacon for individuality and performance. Custom wheels don't have to be expensive but need to be speced for an individual's riding style, weight, and expectations. Hand-built new wheels will be brought as close to perfection (trueness, tension, dish, and roundness) as allowed by the individual components using proven technologies. Thread-locking compounds, pre-stressing, and nipple and thread lubricants combined with a meticulous attention to detail ensure a solid product. Don't let marketing tricks cloud your judgment, these are the real deal! Wheels are so important to me that I purchased a Morizumi Spoke Machine that allows me to make the exact length spoke for nearly any wheel at a moment's notice! It will take years - even decades - before the $3000 investment pays for itself but the solutions it provides are priceless: convenience, quality, and timeliness. Last time I talked with the importer there were a scant handful of these in the USA. Not including the spoke machine, wheel building tools and supplies easily cost an additional $1000:
HIGHLIGHTS
SPECS FOR GUARANTEE
LIFETIME TRUING
COST
$50-$65 per wheel (labor only, parts extra)
ELIGIBILITY
Your new/used parts OR your parts and my new parts OR my new parts
NOTES
Stock and used wheels can be trued to like-new conditions, too, depending on their quality
OTHER WHEELBUILDING SERVICES
Custom spoke cutting and threading Precise spoke calculations, rim measurements, hub measurements Spoke Prep and/or Spoke Freeze applied to wheels, you do the rest Learn how to build a wheel Specialty tools to service most hubs and wheels
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(c) 2011 Bicycle Support By Mark, LLC - all rights reserved; revised 11/22/2011