Hub Label Anomaly!
 

Let me begin with a confession....building wheels is one of my first-favorite things to do!

Like many other wheel builders, I take pride in orienting the rim to the hub in what I understand to be the generally accepted conventions. In short, where labels exist, I orient the rim so it's label is readable from the right (drive) side of the bike. Hub labels are readable through the rim's valve hole when standing over (or behind) the bike.

Here is an example of what should be visible on an older Campy rear hub when looking through the valve hole. Note the text is right side up when standing over (or behind) the bike.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a4203eb_k.jpg34188996-86BB-4934-AC87-8C47ED8AF508

Now take a look at that I encountered yesterday while building up another older Campy rear hub. The text is upside down when standing over (or behind) the bike.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...622601fd_k.jpg19EC70EA-7D9F-4C83-9F8D-2F94C6F05E35

Have any of you encountered something similar? Could this have been a factory oops? What say you fellow wheel builders???

Dean

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you could check their respective axle locknuts for dates to see how close/far apart they are in time...


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Gipiemme Special hub with the same oops

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b003beefd3.jpg

At Trek the understanding was that you could read the hub and the rim from the rear, right corner. So as you looked down you could read the hub and rim. Love your idea of seeing them through the valve hole.

The anomalous hub also has a freshly-machined profile visible where the tube meets the flange, whereas on the other hub the tube meets the flange with a more gradual radius profile. Has this been re-welded?

No, never seen such a monstrosity. I don't think that hub is ridable. :P

Have you considered a left-side drive train?