View Full Version : Shameless Plug: Your wheelbuilder of choice
Too Tall
10-23-2005, 01:57 PM
I'm naming names! My guy is Joe Young and Dave Thomas. Great Great Great people and flawless wheelbuilders.
Also, *http://www.wheelbuilder.com/ (more on that below).
A favorite topic with Serotta Forum members are wheels. custom, off the shelf, folded bended blended etc. Let's talk :)
This weekend I gave a talk to the East Coast Coachs Conference and one of the sidebar-type speakers was a bright young man who is CEO and own of wheelbuilder.com
Lemme tell you, it is hard to move me when it comes to wheels (yuck yuck) and there are quite a few very very good wheelbuilders who post here and we know.
So why am I telling you about ANOTHER wheelbuilder? First off he builds wheels anyone here would rate a "10" out of "10" for price, quality, service and mojo on the side ;) What he brings to the table besides all that is that he is a real and I men REAL machinist and saavy techno-geek of the first order. Machinists are rare and valuable folks...they can make or fix darn near anything.
Cool discussion I had with him....he described to me an electronic spoke tensiometer he uses...it has a cable that is attached to a foot pedal...each time he takes a reading on each spoke it will throw the spec. onto a PC screen where there is a graphic showing all values....at the end of a build he prints that out. Izat neat or what?
Can't deny it, I'm waving the flag and leading cheers for this guy.
Fixed
10-23-2005, 02:38 PM
bro did he give you a free set? cheers :beer:
loctite
10-23-2005, 02:43 PM
My vote is for Kovachi wheels out of Atlanta, as far as Active builders. http://www.kovachiwheels.com/index.html
The all time great has to be Gerd Schraner, nothing beats 60 years of experiance!
rePhil
10-23-2005, 03:35 PM
Besides Joe Young I like Peter Chisholm at Vecchio's.
Fixed
10-23-2005, 04:15 PM
Bro how about our own ergott I'm getting my next set from him. cheers :beer:
ergott
10-23-2005, 04:36 PM
Bro how about our own ergott I'm getting my next set from him. cheers :beer:
I'm blushing!
:beer:
Tailwinds
10-23-2005, 04:59 PM
How about Jeremy at Alchemy? I've got a set on order from him. So far, I'm super-impressed w/his knowledge and customer service... can't wait to ride the wheels on my new Kirk one day!
Smiley
10-23-2005, 05:28 PM
Jeremy at Alchemy nuf said :banana:
Chief
10-23-2005, 06:12 PM
Joe Young!!!
Argos
10-23-2005, 06:48 PM
I'm SUPER biased.
My vote is for ergott. He keeps computer records of the tension of every spoke on a Laptop, handles his stuff like it's his own and has a fire in his eye and under his bum when it comes to building and service.
Kevin
10-23-2005, 07:10 PM
Dave Thomas makes a great set of wheels. I have a set on order from Jeremy at Alchemy. When they arrive I will let you know what I think about him.
Kevin
dave thompson
10-23-2005, 07:37 PM
My favorite wheelbuilder is Frank Corda in Sayville, on Long Island. I bought my very first set of pro-built wheels from him 4 years ago and they were absolutely bulletproof. He's been doing it for 30 years and it shows. He's a member here under the screen name of Wheels513.
Sandy
10-23-2005, 07:57 PM
Jeremy at Alchemy Bicycle Works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is knowledgeable, articulate, helpful, patient, honest, and builds an excellent wheel, even at my substantial weight.
Sandy
William
10-23-2005, 08:41 PM
Dave Thomas.
William
(Though I like Ergott's "Big Guy" suggestion. I will try that one.) :cool:
Peter
10-23-2005, 08:54 PM
I vote for ME.
I've been building my own wheels, and those for my friends, since 1977. They keep coming back, so I must be doing something right. And since I ride with them I get good feedback on how durable they are-no complaints from either party.
93legendti
10-23-2005, 09:10 PM
Jeremy @Alchemy and Dave Thomas.
Joe Young and Lyle at Spinlitecycling.com. Got two great sets of wheels at a great price from Lyle.
Mike Garcia of Odds and Endos. Referred to as one of the top 5 builders in the world by the guys as Velocity and builds wheels for some of the Olympic riders. To top it off, his prices and service are great.
Frank
10-24-2005, 12:07 AM
some guy named Wheel Smith. They have always been durable and are reasonably priced. ;)
saab2000
10-24-2005, 12:34 AM
Every wheel I own is built either by Saab2000 or by Campagnolo. Campy does a good job too.
My Nr. 1 choice right now is Campagnolo. People who ride Neutrons like them. Period. So there.
Too Tall
10-24-2005, 06:18 AM
Sorry...how could I have forgotten Peter W?
Fixed - No free set we went for the henna instead. (wait for it...wait)
bah dump bump
LegendRider
10-24-2005, 06:45 AM
If you're in the Atlanta area, Aaron at the Bike Link does a great job. He built a set of daily use tubies for me (Reflex, DT double-butted, DA hubs) that have never needed truing. That's saying something if you're familiar with the streets of Atlanta. Also, the Bike Link is one of the top Serotta dealers in the nation.
surfbikeswim
10-24-2005, 08:11 AM
My favorite wheelbuilder is Frank Corda in Sayville, on Long Island. I bought my very first set of pro-built wheels from him 4 years ago and they were absolutely bulletproof. He's been doing it for 30 years and it shows. He's a member here under the screen name of Wheels513.
I saw Dave's recommendation and got myself a set and am very happy with them.
Ian
spiderman
10-24-2005, 09:25 AM
peter white has been very helpful
with the planning and problem solving
on my current cross/fixed commuter project!
...a lifetime gaurantee is hard to beat!
Bradford
10-24-2005, 09:28 AM
peter white has been very helpful
with the planning and problem solving
on my current cross/fixed commuter project!
...a lifetime gaurantee is hard to beat!
I do have a set of Peter's wheels and they have perfomed flawlessly over the last 5,000 miles.
davids
10-24-2005, 09:37 AM
Mike Garcia of Odds and Endos built me a great set of wheels. Price, quality, and service were all outstanding! I'd go back to him in a heartbeat. :beer:
ben rabin
10-24-2005, 09:47 AM
I am riding Peter White custom wheelsets on three bikes, one a custom tandem. I couldn't be happier with his workmanship.
gary135r
10-25-2005, 04:12 AM
I know this sounds like a newbie question, but if you could ride a bike blindfolded (don't try this at home) can you really tell the diference between a good set of machine built and custom built wheels? I live near Peter White and will probably have him build me a set if it is worth it, (why not have custom wheels on a custom bike I say)
Too Tall
10-25-2005, 06:29 AM
No good question goes unpunished newbie ;)
Anywho, the answer is no.
shaq-d
10-25-2005, 06:31 AM
what peter said; i second the vote for ME. so ME is one of the more popular wheel builders probably.
sd
Sandy
10-25-2005, 06:34 AM
I would never vote for ME. It would be YOU or HIM or HER, but never ME. :)
ME
Bradford
10-25-2005, 08:29 AM
if you could ride a bike blindfolded (don't try this at home) can you really tell the diference between a good set of machine built and custom built wheels?
No, you can't feel the difference, you just notice that you wheels are not built buy someone who knows what he is doing when they break.
I'm big and harsh on my bikes and poorly built wheels don't hold up for me. I picked up a set of machine built Open Pro/Dura Ace (from Excel) wheels that came on a used bike I bought and I can't ride them more than 150 miles before they are out of true. I also have a long history of breaking spokes.
I know Peter's wheels are expensive, but I'd rather pay more for my wheels and not have to repair a wheel on the side of the road.
Now, if I were 165 pounds and rode as smooth as Climb, I'd probably go with machine built and not worry about it.
Serotta PETE
10-25-2005, 09:41 AM
Our very own Flydhest and SPOKES. :banana:
I know this sounds like a newbie question, but if you could ride a bike blindfolded (don't try this at home) can you really tell the diference between a good set of machine built and custom built wheels? I live near Peter White and will probably have him build me a set if it is worth it, (why not have custom wheels on a custom bike I say)
Is this when they are new or after a year and thousands of miles? If it is when they are new, probably not. After thousands of miles, yes. A big difference between a machined and handbuilt wheels is a good builder will bring the spokes up to tension, take them back down and then retension them to give the most consistant spoke tension accross the wheel. The result is that the stress on the wheel is more evenly distributed and you get much longer wheel life.
Also keep in mind that you should sort out wheels that use proprietary parts (many mavics) from custom wheels that use high end off the shelf parts. A big advantage of the custom wheels is if you do have a problem, parts are easily available for repair or replacement. With proprietary parts you are subject to mercy of the manufacture to stock and replace parts.
Rapid Tourist
10-25-2005, 07:05 PM
Jeremy at Alchemy built me a great set. I don't have another set of CUSTOM wheels to compare them to, but I've ridden 3500 miles on them and they've never needed a true. Can't say that about any other wheel I've owned.
Brian Smith
10-25-2005, 10:39 PM
I guess "me" still has a little catching up to do, popularity-wise, but "me'"s gaining. 15 years and counting, still convinced.
I also think that with anything 7 speed and up, one can tell a difference in the way a nicely built rear wheel feels compared to a machine built wheel with poor left side spoke tension. Maybe not everyone rides in a way that produces the flexy sensation, but if you know how much to expect based on the dish and approximate number of spokes, one can tell if it's grossly "off," and with some machine built wheels, the design and craftsmanship is noticeably lacking.
Aw heck, that's probably speaking to the few or the converted, never mind, you can't feel a difference most of the time. :) :) Unless of course you ride like this: :bike:
ClutchCargo
10-26-2005, 03:45 PM
How about Jeremy at Alchemy? I've got a set on order from him. So far, I'm super-impressed w/his knowledge and customer service... can't wait to ride the wheels on my new Kirk one day!
does he have a website???
anybody have experience with Steve Gravenites (gravy wheels) ?
ride on!
Kevin
10-26-2005, 07:06 PM
I spoke to Jeremy today. He is building my wheels this week. Hopefully, I will see them next week.
Kevin
Smiley
10-26-2005, 07:17 PM
Clutch , Jeremy is a member and logs on once and awhile , well actually more then not so send him a pm or call his shop at 505-983-4241 , I know for a fact that all the wheel builders listed here are very good . I just love talking wheel geek speak with Jeremy. He has never dissapointed any of my clients with his wheels . I am sure all can say the same about guys like Eric , Peter White and certainly Dave Thomas , etc. wheels are very much like frames , the builders have tendencies , Jeremy likes Nimble and Tune with A/C front hubs and he builds them LIGHT and durable. Best of luck .
hey ian and dave
where is frank gorda i know you said sayville
but at what bike shop. I was thinking of having
jamie @ centerport cycles build up my next pair
wheels513
10-28-2005, 02:51 AM
MLS,
I do not have a shop.you can e-mail me at wheels513@yahoo.com.
Live in the Babylon area of L.I
Frank
I guess "me" still has a little catching up to do, popularity-wise, but "me'"s gaining. 15 years and counting, still convinced.
I also think that with anything 7 speed and up, one can tell a difference in the way a nicely built rear wheel feels compared to a machine built wheel with poor left side spoke tension. Maybe not everyone rides in a way that produces the flexy sensation, but if you know how much to expect based on the dish and approximate number of spokes, one can tell if it's grossly "off," and with some machine built wheels, the design and craftsmanship is noticeably lacking.
Aw heck, that's probably speaking to the few or the converted, never mind, you can't feel a difference most of the time. :) :) Unless of course you ride like this: :bike:
Another vote for me. Gees, time flies. Eighteen years and counting.
I've done some wierd stuff in the past. Some worked. Some didn't.
I now have a heavy, flat, machined al plate that I use to check rim quality prior to building them up. Last few wheels I built used Zipp carbon rims, one that survived a crash on our tandem.
I still buy "ordinary" wheelsets from various sources (non that post here) since it's cheaper vs buying all the parts separately. But the really neat stuff I build.
Grant McLean
10-28-2005, 09:15 AM
More people should try, it's not that hard. I think eveyone should build their own wheels at least once. I think kind of discussion only adds mystery to the whole notion that there is something extra special about the "art" of wheelbuilding. Try it yourself, hopfully you'll see it's not "true"...
Grant
ergott
10-28-2005, 09:20 AM
More people should try, it's not that hard. I think eveyone should build their own wheels at least once. I think kind of discussion only adds mystery to the whole notion that there is something extra special about the "art" of wheelbuilding. Try it yourself, hopfully you'll see it's not "true"...
Grant
Definetly nothing wrong with D. I. Y. I would recommend reading a book or two and checking out Sheldon Brown's website first. Next, try doing it with less expensive parts so you are not afraid to break anything. Wheels make some scary noises when being built. You might want to just take apart and build a wheel you have sitting around collecting dust.
chrisroph
10-28-2005, 09:55 AM
My builder of choice is me. I'm far from the best but I'm cheap, convenient and know who to blame if a wheel goes out of true.
weisan
10-28-2005, 10:47 AM
You might want to just take apart and build a wheel you have sitting around collecting dust.
Excellent idea!
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