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Confused about what all the short hand means on our wheel codes?
Here’s how to interpret them:
D/W
This means ‘double wall’ and you will see this commonly on a wheel or rim that is compatible with rim brakes. This double wall refers to the internals of the rim, so there is a a ‘layer’ inside the rim to help it hold its shape against the brake force being enacted on the outside. As well as from the inside of the rim from where the bead of the tyre is pressing outwards against the rim. You will find a double wall rim is stronger than a single wall rim, and generally of a higher quality.
Eyeletted or Non Eyeletted
This is referring to where the nipples of the spokes are in the rim of the wheel. There are often eyelets (usually silver) that surround the spoke hole in the rim. You will generally find an eyeletted rim is stronger as these eyelets reinforce the area of high fatigue from the spoke nipples.
MSW or Non MSW
This refers to a machined side wall or a non machined sidewall. This is used to describe a wheel rim that is compatible with rim brakes, and refers to the braking surface area. You will be able to see a machined sidewall on a rim, it is the flat portion where the brake gains purchase on the rim. A machined sidewall provides a better gripping surface for your brakes, giving you increased braking power.
OLD
This does not refer to the age, and in fact refers to the Over Locknut Dimension (or distance). This is a measurement of the distance between the drop-outs of a fork or rear triangle. You will need this measurement to determine if a hub will fit inside the bike’s frame & fork. These dimensions are varied, but there are some standards so you won’t need to measure down to the 0.1mm. But you will benefit from using a Vernier to measure this.
Centerlock / 6 Bolt
A Centerlock is a type of disc brake, as is 6 Bolt, and it refers to how the disc brake is mounted onto wheels hub. As disc brakes are mounted onto the wheel hub shell, a 6-Bolt disc brake won’t mount onto a Centerlock hub. This is usually easy to determine from looking at your existing wheel. As the 6 mounting bolts are visible on a brake rotor. If there are no bolts, you know that you have a Centerlock brake. And 6-Bolt is the more common type of disc brake.
