Pleading yet again:
I will be giving a wheel-building demonstration during Cirque '09, and the product of that session will be among the two sets of newly built wheels being donated to the Charity auction.
I am donating the spokes and labor for two sets of wheels (retail price of over $300). Jan Heine will donate a set of Gran Bois tires, and Gabriel Romeu has donated a set of NOS, old label Mavic GP4 tubular rims, 36 hole.
What I have been pleading for is two pair of hubs, rebuildable, one 36-hole set, and the other to match a pair of clincher rims to go with Jan's tires.
I'm a little disappointed here. So far, the generosity of Jan and Gabriel has been met with yawns. C'mon people. Here's a chance to leverage a parts donation into something really nice. I have been accused of being anal about wheelbuilding, as if that is a bad thing. I would think that many of you would welcome a chance to watch just what it means to be anal about a craft like wheelbuilding. Also, even if you dispute the worth of my admittedly high retail price for wheelbuilding, you have to agree that donated spokes and labor add at least some value to your donation of hubs and rims!
So pony up already! My wheelbuilding show really is worth the price of admission (free, except for the tax-deductible donation of parts).
I know Cirque is a long way off, so I maintain the optimistic view that we will have some very nice wheels to auction off when the time comes.
Thanks for reading this far, and thanks in advance for the donation.
Earle Young, Madison, Wisc. Offering expert wheelbuilding service for classic and modern bikes.