I was invited to share a booth with Wren Sports at the Philly Bike Expo on March 8 & 9. In December I started a company, Chaudoir Sports, to build custom wheelsets for custom/handmade builders and small bike manufacturers. Wheel building has been my passion for over 30 years!
It would be awesome to meet you at the show, as I want to hear about your “pain points”. One thing I’ve been hearing complaints about is shitty e-bike wheels imploding, which I am addressing with better hubs and thicker spokes.
Mid-drive bike makers listen up: Not sure if you know this, but single speed hubs allow both flanges to be symmetrical, increasing overall spoke tensions. Combined with 36 thick butted spokes under high-balanced tension, along with a welded seam, you have a pretty tough wheel.
My current focus is on fat bike wheels. Specifically, I am configuring single wall rims (carbon and aluminum) with bonded nipple washers, creating a “tapeless” tubeless wheel, which HED abandoned when they moved to only double-wall rims. I will have a carbon (26x105mm) and aluminum (26x90) tapeless wheel on display at the show.
Let me know if you’re going and I will try to meet you at the show.