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Old 07-24-19, 08:32 PM
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gaucho777 
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Bikes: '72 Cilo Pacer, '72 Gitane Gran Tourisme, '72 Peugeot PX10, '73 Speedwell Ti, '74 Peugeot UE-8, '75 Peugeot PR-10L, '80 Colnago Super, '85 De Rosa Pro, '86 Look Equipe 753, '86 Look KG86, '89 Parkpre Team, '90 Parkpre Team MTB, '90 Merlin

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Your First Wheel Build...

My first wheelset failed...after almost 32 years.

In 1988, at the age of 15, having a couple of years racing under my belt, I toasted my first set of race wheels. On a hot day, I rolled a tubular, which lodged between the chainstay and rim. I miraculously kept the bike upright, but skidding on a bare rim across the pavement left a big, ground-down flat spot on the rim. I needed a new set of race wheels, but couldn't afford to have a new wheelset built. I raced on my training wheels for a couple of months while I clandestinely extended my bedtime by studying the arcane art of wheel-building thanks to "The Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt. Having absorbed as much as I could, some of it admittedly over my head, I built a new set of wheels using new Wolber rims onto the existing Mavic hubs. This new "race" wheelset lasted throughout my teenage years. Since then, this wheelset became my everyday wheelset on my Look once I stopped racing and returned to cycling.

Well, the rear wheel finally gave way recently. On a fast, bumpy descent, the wheel went wobbly. I pulled over and tried to true it on the roadside, but quickly discovered the problem and limped home gingerly the last 10 miles. In addition to the cracks at the nipple, a close look at the rim reveals another crack starting to form at the brake surface.

Lightweight wheels are like dogs. I'm grateful for every day we have together and sorry we often outlast them. My first lived a good life.




What's your first wheel build story?

Last edited by gaucho777; 07-24-19 at 09:56 PM.
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