Most people don't immediately realize just how many different combination choices a simple set of wheels can create. Between rim choices, spoke counts, hub brand and color choices, different drivetrain and axle configuration choices, and spoke and nipple type and color choices, it takes Matt Damon with a mop bucket at a blackboard in Cambridge just to come up with the number of different available combinations.
It gets complicated - we know this!
In an effort to simplify this and avoid giving you a case of analysis paralysis, we've segmented our alloy wheel choices into three categories:
- Nimbus Ti Select
- Nimbus Ti Open
- Custom Alloy
They all make perfect sense (to us, who are confronted with and thus think about this stuff all day) once you know a little bit about them.
Nimbus Ti Select are built with Nimbus Ti hubs (made, as ever, by White Industries) and Pacenti rims - Nimbus Ti/SL23 for rim brakes, and Nimbus Ti CLD/SL25 for disc brakes. They are built with black Sapim Laser and D-Light spokes (Lasers for rim brake fronts and the "off" side of dished wheels, D-Lights for drive side of rear and disc side of fronts), and black brass nipples.
You still have PLENTY of choices here, with spoke counts (20/24, 20/28, 24/28, and 28/32 for rim brake and 24/24, 24/28, 28/28, and 32/32 for disc brake), axle configurations, and drive trains. No matter what road/cross/gravel bike you have, Nimbus Ti select has a build for you.
These have been our overwhelmingly most popular combinations over the last year. Making them the "default" choice allows us to keep the price well below what you might pay for the same thing elsewhere, and lets us deliver them to you with minimal lead time.
Nimbus Ti Open simply "opens" rim selection for you, while keep the same hub, spoke, and nipple choices as Nimbus Ti Select. In addition to the DT R460 and Stan's choices we offered throughout 2015, we've added Ryde and HED alloy rims for this year. These additions give you options for everything from alloy tubulars for both rim and disc brakes, to xc mountain bike builds, and everything in between.
We've also added Corima carbon rims in 3 depths of both clincher and tubular for 2016, and these are available as part of the Nimbus Ti Open category. Corima rims are as well built as any carbon rim we've ever seen (and we've seen them all), will last just a few hours shy of forever, and their pedigree includes recent wins at all three Grand Tours, as well as a bunch of monuments. They have a unique foam core construction that quiets road buzz and are just lovely rims.
If there is some rim that you'd like to use but is not included in Nimbus Ti Open, or you have a set of rims in good shape but need new hubs and a build for them, there is even an option for BYO rims in Nimbus Ti Open.
Partial Class PhotoCustom Alloy is where you can go hog wild with the options. All of the rim choices from Select and Open carry over to Custom, but more hub options from White Industries, Chris King, Tune, and Powertap are added, along with more spoke options (silver Laser/D-Lights and CX Rays in silver, black, and white).
All clincher builds include rim tape, all rim brake builds include skewers, all carbon rims include brake pads, and all thru axle centerlock front hubs include a rotor lock ring.
Buying a new set of wheels is an awesome and exciting process. We want to keep all of the awesome and get rid of the "oh my God too many choices I don't know what to do!" As always, we are very happy to discuss the best options for your particular application by email or over the phone.