Is there any measurable difference in having your wheels built by Cognoscenti Cycles? Is it worth the wait or the money? Why bother? Will I actually notice the difference?
All excellent questions that deserve detailed and honest answers. I’ll attempt to shine some light on all these important questions.
Let’s face this fact. Any set of custom wheels in this day and age are not going to be cheap, but as the old adage goes, “you only get what you pay for”.
But is a custom build worth the extra cash? In a word I would say yes and I’ll explain what you are getting for your hard earned money.
In reality you have only two choices. You buy a factory built set of wheels or you hire a professional wheel builder to build you something totally custom.
These two choices have absolutely nothing to do with each other. They are miles apart and this is why people who want the best are lining up to get a hand built set of custom wheels.
Now, I won’t expend a ton of energy bashing factory built wheels but those who know this subject are well aware of the limitations and serious compromises that exist in every set of factory built wheels. I really do feel sorry for those poor wheel builders who are working on a factory floor trying to keep up with the daily quota they need to fill to keep their job.
I am sure most of them are also very aware of how much better their wheels could be if only given the proper amount of time and the right tools to finish the job properly.
These wheel building factories work for all the big names, so don’t think that just because your wheels have a world famous name on them that they can be trusted to perform at the level that you demand. That’s wishful thinking.
By contrast, any pro wheel builder will be working at such a high level that there will be no comparison.
Some gorgeous R45D hubs from our friends at Chris King in the new Midnight colour way. Now with a life time warranty!
So, here’s where Cognoscenti Cycles fits into this story.
With decades of experience building the finest wheels money can buy, I have gained a unique perspective. I have refined my process over the years to what I would call a fine tuned machine. That’s not bragging, that’s just a fact.
Will it get better? Yes, very likely, but that’s the natural evolution of mastering any trade, especially if you maintain your passion and curiosity.
So what has enabled me to develop unique wheel building techniques and special insights not shared by other builders, you might ask.
I would say the most important thing has been exposure to so many varied projects and cycling disciplines. In the end they are all bicycle wheels, but the variety of different kinds of wheels has helped to provide those unique insights. I would also say that getting feedback from top racers, world tourers and MTB and gravel racers/riders has increased my knowledge along the way.
Over the years there has been a lot of great tools that have come into existence that have improved wheel building or made it slightly easier or faster, though when I work I am never in a hurry. Taking your time is very important.
But many of those tools have increased the overall accuracy that’s improved wheels in a measurable way. This helps to improve the ride quality and extend the life of the wheel.
Over the years I have greatly extended the time I spend on each wheel. Why?
My methodology has changed and evolved and now utilises new tools like my Cognoscenti Cycles spoke tension meter. That tool alone now adds about an additional hour or more to every wheel build. The extra time spent now insures that every wheel has a much tighter tolerance in final spoke tension. That’s a big deal in helping to keep a wheel true and round over 10’s of thousands of miles. It also fine tunes ride quality.
Certainly a very significant change at Cognoscenti Cycles has been Carbon Werx.
Carbon Werx is our very own line of amazing carbon rims. I am super proud of this achievement and I truly feel our rims can go head to head with the big boys any day of the week. Truth be told, I know for a fact that our rims have better designs and far better quality control than the most expensive rims available. They are also made with the finest aero space grade Japanese Toray T700 & T 800 carbon fibre. Simply the best carbon available.
Building with this level of carbon rims puts our wheels into the next level. I’ve had nothing but great feedback from every cyclist on Carbon Werx rims.
Our new Carbon Werx Vector 50mm road rim. This filament wound rim is the height of carbon rim technology today and is made with Toray T700 carbon fibre.
We also have models for several cycling disciplines, like road, gravel, MTB and triathlons.
We continue to import our spokes from Sapim in Belgium, using their best quality CX Rays and CX Sprints for most of our builds. We also insist on using the worlds best spoke nipples from Alpina in Italy. Nothing but the best will do!
Every wheel built in my shop is built by me personally and has detailed documentation containing all the technical details of the build. That paper work is kept on file for future reference if needed.
I even write some of those details, like the spoke lengths used and the final spoke tension on the inside of the rim in case that information is needed when a wheel comes in for a diagnostic analysis.
Not even the smallest detail is overlooked.
When you contact me about a custom build that usually begins a lengthy dialogue about what your specific needs are and what your aspirations as a cyclist are. All this information will assist greatly in designing a set of wheels that make perfect sense for you.
This process is never rushed, so rest assured you’ll get all the information needed to make the right choices.
If you still have any questions about how Cognoscenti Cycles does things or if you’d like to talk wheels just get in touch. I can be reached during shop hours ( Mon to Friday: 11:00am to 5:00pm) at 647-221-2792
If you’d like to drop by to look at some rims or other components, or to ask questions about custom wheels, I work by appointment only. Please give me a call and we can set that up for a mutually agreeable time!
