ProX Carbon Wheel Building Process

The modern Road and MTB cyclists are more varied than ever before, both in physicality and in their expectation for bicycle wheels.

To meet the needs of various riders, handbuilt carbon wheel is the best solution.

At ProX Wheels, we provide different options of hubs (including DT Swiss 180, 240, 350, Powerway, as well as ProX own mould hubs, etc) and

spokes (Sapim CX-Ray, Race, Pillar 1420, 1423, etc).

The main process is split into six steps as showed in below pictures:

A1: Spoke Lacing

Before this procedure, there are some preparatory work of course.

We should prepare the carbon rims, hubs, nipples, and calculate suitable spoke length to fit specific rims.

Then our wheel building mechanician will get the pack of materials to build each wheel.

As all have been calculated and prepared in advance, they can keep working on it without worrying for mistakes during the process.

Each spokes will be put into the hub hole first, then laced into appropriate pattern (radial, 2X, 3X, etc).

The drive side and non-drive side of rims will be taken into account during spoke lacing.

This is critical for asymmetric design carbon rims.

A2: Pre-tension Spokes

After all spokes lacing into proper pattern, they will be pre-tensioned.

This procedure takes the slack out of the wheel and makes wheel stiff.

Wheels are laternally and radially trued at the basic level at this stage.

A3: Dish The Wheel

For pre-tensioned wheels, it is important to measure if the hubs ae in the center of carbon rims, which is the basis for further truing.

At ProX we control the wheel center tolearance ≤0.3mm.

If it exceeds 0.3mm, it will be adjusted until it is under 0.3mm.

B1: De-stressing

During pre-tension procedure, there are great forces placed on the wheel, which must be relieved.

The spoke has to accommodate itself to the shape of hub flange and the nipple should also accommdate itself to the spoke hole.

This is an important procedure to make sure the wheel is fully settled and will not wander out of true or drop tension in normal riding.

B2: Truing And Tension Balancing

Our mechanicians use tension meter to measure the tension of each spoke.

Normally the spoke tension for same side (drive side or non-drive side) should be the same.

If somes pcs of spokes are found too loose or too tight, it will be adjusted a little bit.

This procedure may be fone back and forth until all spokes on the same side are with equal tension which is important for wheel performance and longevity.

B3: Holland Mechanics Pro Truer

After wheels built and trued manufally, we put them on to Holland Mechanica Pro Truer.

This machine will check the wheel parameter precisely and will highlight the unqualified area (if any).

As our wheel mechanicians are all skilled, most of wheels turn out with good result.

In case there is anything wrong, our mechanician will get it checked and slightly trued until it is qualified.

ProX carbon wheelset building procedure can also be watched in following video: