Wheel No. 28 Redux

I had built up Wheel No. 28 in December of last year but have not used it yet. My 10-year old Ti Travel bike frame needed a repair to the seat tube due to a boneheaded move (I overtightened the front derailleur clamp). It is repaired, but I am waiting for it to get shipped back from the factory (in another larger shipment of frames). Welcome to the supply chain issues of 2022!

Meanwhile, I was able to secure a DT Swiss RR411 32-hole front rim that would match the RR411 rim I used for the rear Wheel No. 27.  The rear one is asymmetric, to allow slightly more even tension between drive and non-drive side. The front rim is symmetric. I decided to take the new spokes and rim off Wheel No. 28's H Plus Son Archetype rim and rebuild it with the DT Swiss rim instead. Why? Of course, the aesthetics favor a matching front and rear rim. More important, RR411 rims are "tubeless ready" while H Plus Son rims are not, and it makes sense that both front and rear rims have this designation, as I will eventually try them with a tubeless set up. Finally, at around 930 grams w/o QR skewers or rim tape, this is around 25 grams lighter than my previous lightest dynamo hub front wheel, with a 370 gram hub and 32 triple cross (Sapim CX-Ray bladed) spokes. The RR411 is probably not as strong as the H Plus Sons Archetype rim, but I expect it will hold up just fine.

Wheel No. 00028 -- First new SP dynamo hub in years!

This is around a 955g wheel, including the dynamo hub. About as light weight as imaginable for a 32-spoke, wide-rimmed, very sturdy wheel with a dynamo. 

As part of preparing the Ti Travel Bike, Voyage Voyage, for its second decade, I thought I also should replace my front wheel, built in December of 2014. The wheel and its Shutter Precision SV-9 dynamo hub has gone at least 20,000 kilometers over the past 7 years. The hub is a closed system -- can only be opened and maintained at the factory, in theory at least. So while it still "rolls good",  the bearings must have worn a bit by now. I recently noticed a very slight degree of "play" in it, so I think it may be nearing time to replace. And the wheel's H Plus Son Archetype rim is showing definite wear on the brake track -- what started as a straight brake track is now noticeably sunken/concave on both sides. I think the rim could last another year or two, but if I am going to replace the hub I might as well do the rim at the same time. If I build a new wheel, it should be what I use with the Ti Travel bike for PBP 2023 and beyond.

The new dynamo hub arrived it seemed almost overnight, actually second day I think after it shipped -- Taiwan is incredibly close to Japan and so it is practically like a domestic shipment! The SV-9 is designed to meet the German regulator's standards of output for a 20 or 24 inch wheel. On a 700c road wheel (28 inch) this hub requires a slightly higher speed than the regulatory standard to achieve the necessary output. This also is true for the SV-8/SD-8. The PV-8/PD-8 and PD-7/PL-7 are the models that clear the German regulator's output requirements. But that regulatory standard is for commuters on heavy bikes going slowly in urban environments. And it is for older lighting that drains more power than the newest, most efficient LED lights and reflector systems. The regulatory requirement is just not an issue for someone riding a road bike, even a plodding randonneur in the middle of the night.  And the SV-9 hub is just over 300 grams -- the lightest dynamo hub that works. The SV-9 (and SV-8, to some extent) have lower drag than other options. (These models are not included in any of the head-to-head tests by SON-friendly reviewers like Jan Heine at Bicycle Quarterly, or this Australian touring cyclist. Instead, they test the PV-8/PD-8. In my experience, anyone doing Audax or light, bikepacking touring will be very happy with the SV-8 or SV-9. They easily power a 50, 70 or 100 Lux LED headlight plus a rear light. And the drag is not noticeable. 

The H Plus Son Archetype is always an easy wheel to build, and today was no exception. And the H Plus Son Archetype remains, in my view, one of the best looking aluminum clincher rims out there. Just some good wheel-building therapy!