There's
just so much walking around one can do at "Interbike" before your
eyes glaze over. As fascinating as all the 'stuff' is, I had to
take a break. Get out on the road, into the desert, to the "Lost
City Museum" and the hidden petroglyphs around the "Valley of Fire" just
outside of Vegas.
Back in the 1930's the WPA built this stone
inn in the Valley of Fire. Inside it is surprisingly roomy and
you can imagine camping out there in your sleeping bag, watching
the moon rise around the stars.
The simple structure is meticulously crafted.
The rocks and adobe have barely budged in 70 years. The floor is
still level, the door and window-frames still square. It's solid,
safe, and sturdy, giving good protection from the desert elements.
Whoever put this structure together understood that a true relationship
between form and function creates quality.
Seeing that incredible structure while at Interbike
several years ago reminded me that the real test of quality is
tested over time. Just like that building, the products of Joe
Young Wheels are crafted to endure. If you are looking for reasonably
priced parts and expert craftmanship; wheels that are built right
and wheels that last, then look no further than Joe Young Wheels.Top |
About DT 240S Hubs
Several years ago I shared a table
at an "Open House" in Maine with DT's Chris Randolph. While munching
my donut and trying to stay warm on coffee, I glanced over at her
wares. And then I saw something. The most extraordinary hubs.
My eye magnetizes to the quality, that peculiar
blend of function and form that means "ahah!" Here we have at last
a reasonably priced production hub that has many of the features
of custom hubs that are much more expensive.
Major Features of the 240S Hubs:
The 240S hub is, in fact,
DT's premium hub line, running about $420 for the pair.
- The DT 240S hub claims to be the
LIGHTEST hub IN EXISTENCE @ 329 grams per pair, and that's
the main price justification.
- In addition, the 240S features dual
star ratchets with 18 interlocking teeth instead of the 2
- 4 pawl system on other cassette hubs.
POINT: Over time, the pawl system wears out, but those 18 interlocking
teeth provide a more durable lock that accepts much more power from
the rider.
- The "No Tool" concept makes changing the
cassette or cleaning the ratchet system unbelievably easy
when you're up against it. ( dtswiss.com/en/naben-hugi.html
)
This hub set is really versatile. You
can change from 130 to 135 by changing the end caps.
540 Tandem Hub Sets
are made made with all the same
features, except that they are stronger. Price about $479.00
pair Weight 768 grams.
- Rear Hub has Forged 7075 Aluminum hub
shell with a hardened steel 10 mm axle with a steel freehub
body. Available for drum or international disc brake system.
- Front has a 7075 16 mm oversize axle Available
for international disc brake syst
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About Phil Wood Hubs (founded l971)
Phil Wood was the first maker of sealed
bearing hubs, bottom brackets and pedals. (He also made the first
disc brakes for bicycles.)
The story goes that Phil bought a tandem and
discovered the axles were always bent when he serviced the hubs.
With a closer look, he found that the axles of singles were also
deflected, causing the bearings to bind.
So he began making sealed bearing hubs
with over-sized axles.
These hubs have 6 main advantages for the rider:
- They are adaptable to all frame widths
and speed variations. If you want a 120 mm 5 speed or a 135
mm 5 speed, Phil makes it. If you change your frame, the hub
can adapt to it.
- These hubs ( and bottom brackets) are so
adaptable, they work on older bikes when you can't find matching
replacement parts.
- The hubs are field serviceable. You can
disassemble them, clean the cassette body, and change the bearings
with two hex wrenches. There are no cones to adjust, just reassemble
tighten the end caps and you're done.
- Rear hubs have been designed to reduce
differences in center to flange which causes the large offset
in 9 speed wheels they have larger center sections for higher
percentages of torque transfer to the left flange.
- All hubs use the best quality Phil Spec'd
Swiss made bearings. These are the smoothest running I have
felt.
- Phil Wood makes the best single speed and
tandem equipment around, both disc, drum brake or no brake.
Lastly, for my part, these hubs are a
wheelbuilder's dream. They have flanges angled toward the rim,
with spoke holes perpendicular to the flanges. They are forged
with curvatures around the spoke holes which cradle the head
of the spoke. Flanges are 4 mm thick to produce a more stable
wheel . Top
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About Rivendell Roll-y Pol-y Tires
Grant Petersen designed this tire. He and
Tom Ritchey often design "new" forms from their experience of
the natural world. Designers like this notice how ingeniously
nature makes it all work, and then they adapt what they see to
bicycle components.
Have you ever seen one of those little gray,
rippled little bugs that roll up into a tiny tight ball when you
touch it? That, friends, is how the Roll-y Pol-y tire got its name.
Grant also respects traditional, time-tested, "can't
do better than this" principles which he continually reworks and
re-examines in order to satisfy the more complex needs of today's
rider.
Such is the Roll-y Pol-y.
Round? Fat? Sound heavy? Squishy? No clinchers?
What's the engineering here anyway, and what's a round fat bug
got to do with it?
- Fact: air is not heavy! - round rolls!
- Fact: these fattish tires measure 700 x
27 and fit 90% of frames today (all of Rivendell's, of course).
- Fact: round cross-section - amazing cornering.
like tubulars
- Fact: Checkerboard (T) tread is a little
slick, a little grippy - does it all and defies convention.
- Fact: quality rubber from Panaracer (Japan)
- easy, tight mount.
Link
to Rivendell for the whole story and spec details. Going
downhill on Roll-y Pol-y tires is heard to be fast, secure
and just plain fun. And that's the whole point.
Roll-y Pol-y Top
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Major features of the 370 Hubs:
- The center-to-flange ratio on the rear wheel
hub is really low so dish is minimized.
- There are Three! Steel Sealed cartridge
bearings to keep out water and muck and one large roller bearing
under the right flange where loads are highest. There are seals
on the axle end caps and labyrinth seals between the cassette
body and the hub body. Look
at the detail here!
- The big surprise is that this hub is so
Lightweight that the performance/racing rider can be confident
AND it is yet a solid production product that works for the
heavier rider as well.
This hub is made so well and designed so thoughtfully
that it stands up under all weather conditions, challenging tour
terrain, long commutes, and average club rides.
Price is amazingly low @ $225.00/pair (between
Shimano Ultegra and Dura Ace).
Weight is slightly above Dura Ace at 522 grams for the pair.
Uses all Shimano Cassettes. 8-9 and 7 spd. With 1 spacer.
Fits 130 and 135 mm frames by changing spacer.
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