Description
This wheel is built with the following hub & rim:
Please Note: All our wheels are machine built to order, so please allow 3-5 business days for these to ship to you.
Confused about what all the short hand means on our wheel codes?
Here’s how to interpret them:
RIM REFERENCES
D/W or S/W
This means ‘double wall’ or ‘single wall’ and you will see this commonly on a wheel or rim that is compatible with rim brakes. This refers to the internal profile of the rim, where single wall is considered weaker than a double wall rim. A double wall creates additional stiffness and strength in the rim against things like brake force. A double wall rim also has increased strength against the pressure from the tyre bead pushing out form the inside of the rim. You will find a double wall rim is generally of higher quality than a single wall.
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.
A/V, S/V or F/V
These acronyms refer to the type of valve hole machined into the rim. An A/V is an ‘auto valve’ so this is what you would find on a car tyre. This type of valve is more commonly known as a Schrader Valve type. An F/V is a French valve or a Presta type valve. This is a longer thinner type of valve that you would find on road bikes or gravel bike wheels.
P/J or S/J
These refers to Pin Joint & Sleeve Joint respectively, and they are describing the method of connecting the two ends of the rim profile. Pin Joint rims have small pins within the profile of the rim which ensure a stiff connection between the ends. Depending on how ‘tough’ the rim has been designed, there may be 2 or 4 pins within the profile.
Sleeve Joint rims on the other hand have an overlapping connection within the rim profile which provides added stiffness. This strength is a result of the greater surface area of each side of the profile touching.
28H, 32H, 36H etc
These numbers followed by an H refer to the spoke ‘Hole’ count of the rim. This means that a 36H rim requires a corresponding 36 spokes, and a hub whose spoke spoke count is also 36. You will often find rear wheels with a higher spoke count than the front wheel, and more aerodynamic wheels will have less spokes. A higher spoke count is often preferred for a stronger wheel such as in an e-bike, a cargo bike or a downhill bike. And 32H is probably the most common type in modern wheels.
HUB REFERENCES
OLD or O.LD.
This does not refer to the age, and in fact refers to the Over Lock-nut 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.
‘Sealed” “Loose Ball”
This refers to the bearing type used inside the hub. A sealed bearing is often considered a higher quality hub than a loose ball bearing hub. A Loose ball bearing hub means you will be able to open up the hub & replace or re-grease the bearings if needed. A sealed hub bearing would require replacing the bearing if it is worn or damaged.
8/9/10 Speed, Single Speed, Coaster, Track etc
Not all hub types work for all bicycles, and instead they correspond to the type of cassette or freewheel you will be fitting to them. For instance the hub will have a ‘freehub body’ that is long enough to accommodate a large 12 speed cassette to be fitted to it. And a single speed or fixed freehub has a hub body which is very short and you won’t be able to mount a large cassette to it.
Having said this, there is a lot of crossover between cassettes & freehub bodies. For example a 10 speed cassette can fit almost any cassette size, with use of the appropriate spacers on the freehub. Making this a little more difficult, or easier depending on how you look at it!
BRAKE REFERENCES
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.
AXLE REFERENCES
Nutted
A Nutted axle is sometimes referred to as a Bolt-On axle and is often found on BMX bikes, single speed or fixed gear bikes. And it is also necessary for an internally geared hub bike. This axle type is a simple bolt with a Hex nut on each end.
QR or Q/R
This is shorthand for Quick Release and it refers to easily the most common type of axle. Recognisable for the ‘handle’ on one side this lever clamps the axle in place when tightened against the Acorn nut on the opposite end. These axle’s also come with springs for each side.
T/A or Thru Axle
Thru Axle’s are increasingly common on newer bicycles, and bikes with disc brakes. These axles are thick & hollow & can have a handle or a Hex head for removing them from the wheel. Thru Axle’s come in set thicknesses, usually 12mm or 15mm, though there are some outliers which are different thicknesses.
Boost
This refers to a larger than average OLD which is usually found on mountain bikes. Commonly this would be 148mm but can differ for Fat bikes, Downhill bikes & older model 27” Racer bikes.
can differ for Fat bikes, Downhill bikes & older model 27” Racer bikes.
