IDC Stout hub dynamo (dynohub) wheelset
When I decided to begin commuting to work by bicycle some years ago, I did what every grown man would do to psyche himself up. I went shopping for bling new kit to bolt on an old racing frame from my halcyon college bike team days. At the time, the most attractive upgrade for my re-purposed race bike was a hub dynamo lighting system. This I expected would free me from the mindless drudgery (both physical and mental) of installing, removing, recharging, losing and replacing battery lights on a regular basis ... and that is exactly what it did.
To install the dynamo light, however, I needed a front wheel fitted with a hub dynamo. Since I had grown quite a bit heavier since my college days and would be riding on city streets with a fair share of rim crunching hazards, I wanted a sturdily built front wheel and an equally stout rear. That is when I found that the cost of entry for hub dynamo convenience could be pretty hefty and, moreover, technically challenging. Getting a hub dynamo, 0ing appropriate spokes, nipples and rims as well as locating a proficient wheel builder … and paying nearly as much again to have them delivered the UK to France (where I was living at the time), was quite a bit of work. As an enthusiast with a descent income, I enjoyed the challenge (it took my mind off work), but I imagined that such an effort was probably beyond the “comfort zone” of many individuals that could most benefit from this useful technology, i.e. harried sedentary office workers relatively new to cycling seeking to shed a few lbs. and improve their health.
And that is how the IDC "Stout" hub dynamo wheelset was born. The idea was to produce an affordable high quality replica of the French rim, Swiss spoke and German hub specification “dream” wheelset I arrived at when creating my first hub dynamo commuter wheelset. After three years of personal and two years of use by our testers and customers around the world, the Stout dynamo wheelset (once ingloriously named “Sanyo dynohub (hub dynamo)/Vuelta rim 700c front bicycle wheel”) has to date proven no less reliable and elicited considerable positive customer feedback. In essence, the Stout wheelset is what I would have liked to have had the first time around − a high quality field-tested battle ready dynamo commuter wheelset built with care and eager to take on the rigours of commuting and even loaded touring applications … at a reasonable price.
This wheelset is suitable for pretty much anything you might put it up against. Strong, reliable and uncomplaining, the IDC Stout Dynamo Wheelset is a dependable companion for the light commuter and the loaded adventure cyclo-tourist alike.
Specifications
Weight: F: 1450g R: 1245g Pair: 2695g (w/o QR)
Build: These are NOT wheels built by machine or made up from materials that happen to be on hand. Each wheel has been engineered by highly proficient and experienced wheel builders (who also produce wheels for some of the most exclusive competition oriented brands). By “engineered” we mean that the precise spoke tensions to which each wheel is built takes into account the specific characteristics of the hand picked rims, spokes, nipples and hubs we use. Notably, the specification spoke tensions for the front wheel as well as the drive and non-drive side of rear wheels each differ and have been calibrated to optimise stiffness, resilience and thus durability. Indeed, each wheel must pass through a rigorous process requiring:
Complete hand lacing and tensioning.
Stressing (by specialized equipment) and re-truing by hand a minimum of three times to “seat” the build and reduce the possibility of spokes being left twisted after final truing. (Twisted spokes are the bugbear of wheel building as they eventually untwist when subject to load [i.e. riding] thus reducing spoke tension and leaving wheels untrue despite their having been true when they left production facilities. This labor intensive [i.e. expensive] process greatly minimizes − and occasionally obviates entirely − the need for re-truing following the initial month of riding recommended by reputable bike shops.)
Beyond the minimum three rounds of stressing and re-truing, each wheel is also subject to inspection for evenness in spoke tensions. This is the CRUCIAL, often overlookes but essentially “invisible” element determining the long-term durability of a bicycle wheel. (An evenly tensioned wheel is better able to disperse shocks from road imperfections “throughout” the wheel rather than stressing a number of highly tensioned spokes which are then more likely to loosen or break.)
Rim: 700c Giant/GLM CR22 double walled and anodized.
Front hub: Sanyo NH-H27 6V3W hub dynamo (565g w/o QR), known for its reliable lightweight low friction sealed bearing design.
Rear hub: 130mm axle Joytech 192SB.
Freehub type: Shimano/SRAM 8/9/10 speed compatible.
Axle Width (OLD): 100mm front and 130mm rear.
Nipples: Chrome plated brass to protect against galvanic seizing with the spoke while also protecting the exterior of the nipple against corrosion.
Lacing: Tried and true 36 hole 3 cross pattern for strength, reliability and durability.
