Cuyuna Wheel Lab

Cuyuna Wheel Lab Custom Built Bicycle Wheels, fun and informative bicycle related content

New Location, Same Bad Ass Wheels! checkout our Website and Merch!

https://www.cuyunawheellab.bike

Formerly Built By Bonzai

09/17/2026

Part 4 — Time to put the numbers to work. 📐🛞

Using Chris King’s published hub measurements, everything looks pretty normal on the front wheel.

Then we get to the rear…

My measurements of the actual hub are quite a bit different. So which numbers do we trust?

Time to figure out what’s going on. 👀

MTB MountainBike

09/16/2026

Coffee ride ☕🚵‍♂️

Out riding the Galloping Goose loop and decided to make the climb up SandHog for a coffee break with a view. Hard to complain about that.

The bike: my 2018 Kona Process 153 CR/DL 27.5 — custom built and custom painted. It's evolved a bit over the years and is now running as a mullet, 29" up front / 27.5" rear, with a -1° headset.

Stick around for the walk-around at the end — the chameleon paint really starts showing its colors as the light hits it. 🤘

KonaProcess153 KonaBikes MulletBike CoffeeRide RideBikes

09/16/2026

Looks normal at first… but this hub isn’t driving anything. 👀

Think you know what failed?

Drop your diagnosis in the comments

09/15/2026

Part 3: Measuring ERD 📏

Why do I measure ERD instead of just trusting the published number?

Because I’ve been burned before.

I’ve bought or cut spokes based on the manufacturer’s listed ERD, only to find out the number was wrong. Years ago I even had a rim where the ERD listed online didn’t match the ERD printed on the rim decal.

The fun part? Neither number was right. 😂

So before calculating spoke lengths, I measure the Effective Rim Diameter myself.

These rims will eventually be laced to the Chris King hubs from my “Mona Lisa” wheelset. First, we need good numbers.

Measure twice. Calculate once. Cut spokes. 🔧

09/14/2026

Zen of wheel building. 🔧

Half a turn at a time, all the way around. Slowly and evenly bringing this wheel up to tension.

Purple Onyx Vesper hubs
Teravail Fluent 29 rims
Sapim CX-Ray spokes
Sapim Secure Lock alloy ni***es

Sometimes wheel building is less about rushing to the finish and more about settling into the rhythm.

09/13/2026

Part 2 of measuring a wheel from scratch: the hubs.

I’m measuring PCD, hub width, finding the centerline, and getting the flange-to-center measurements I’ll need to calculate spoke length.

I always measure the actual components in front of me—but I also double-check my work against the manufacturer’s published specs.

Next up: measuring ERD. Then we’ll compare my measurements to the published numbers, calculate spoke lengths both ways, and see how much of a difference it actually makes.

How far off can a measurement be before it changes the spoke length?

09/12/2026

Sounds from the Wheel Lab. 🔊

No music. No talking. No fancy edit. Just the sounds of a wheel coming together, one spoke at a time.

Sometimes the process is the content.

I built these wheels once already earlier this year—new Teravail Fluent 29 rims, purple Sapim alloy Double Square Secure...
09/12/2026

I built these wheels once already earlier this year—new Teravail Fluent 29 rims, purple Sapim alloy Double Square Secure Lock ni***es, and Sapim Laser spokes, all built around their existing Hunt hubs.

But apparently that wasn’t enough purple. 😂

They’ve been pining for a set of anodized purple Onyx Vesper hubs, and now it’s finally time to spice things up.

And since I’m rebuilding them anyway, I upgraded the spokes from Sapim Laser to CX-Ray at no charge.

Onyx Vesper hubs • Teravail Fluent 29 rims • Sapim CX-Ray spokes • Sapim alloy Double Square Secure Lock ni***es

09/11/2026

Before you can calculate spoke length, you need good measurements.

For Blake’s new wheelset, I’m starting from scratch and measuring the hubs myself. Part 1 is all about getting set up: drawing out the hub, identifying Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD) and Center-to-Flange Distance, and marking exactly what needs to be measured.

The drawing doesn’t have to be pretty. It just has to make sense. 😂

Next up: actually measuring everything with a good set of digital calipers… 👀

09/10/2026

This ruined my ride. 😑

A tiny hole right near the bead, and sealant just wasn't taking care of it. The tire still has plenty of life left, though, and I wasn't ready to throw it away just yet.

So… super glue. 😬

My theory here is pretty simple: either the super glue closes the tiny puncture completely, or it reduces the opening enough to give the tubeless sealant something better to grab onto and finish the job.

I found the leak, deflated the tire, cleaned the area thoroughly inside and out with alcohol, then used Gorilla Super Glue Gel on both sides of the puncture. After letting it cure, I aired it back up and checked for leaks.

Nothing.

About 4 hours later, it was still holding the same pressure.

But sitting in the shop is one thing. My next ride will decide if this was actually successful once the tire starts flexing.

A little context: this is my personal tire. This isn't a repair I would normally perform on a customer's bike. In a last-ditch situation where replacement wasn't available and the circumstances called for trying something unconventional, I might consider it—with the understanding that it may or may not work.

And if the actual bead or casing is structurally damaged? Replace the tire. Super glue isn't going to restore structural integrity.

But for a tiny pinhole on my own tire before tossing an otherwise good tire?

I'll give it a shot. 😂

Address

North Richland Hills, TX
56441

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cuyuna Wheel Lab posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share