Wheel building specialist
Hand-built carbon wheels
Every wheel we build is re-tensioned and trued free for the first 12 months, and the build labour is guaranteed for 30 days. Buying through a Cycle to Work scheme? We accept Cyclescheme, Cycle Solutions and Green Commute Initiative vouchers on wheels and wheelsets — message us on WhatsApp before you order.
Made to your spec
Build it your way
- WheelMTB 29" front
- RimNot chosen yet
- HubNot chosen yet
- SpokesNot chosen yet
Wheel
MTB · 29" · frontRiding
Wheel size
Front or rear
Nextie rim
To doNot sure which rim? Tell us what you ride and the finder picks for you, or ask me.
Pick a rim from the list to see its options.
Hub
To doWant lights? The SON dynamo hubs power a kLite or any hub-dynamo lamp. Only versions that suit your rim are shown.
Choose a rim first.
Spokes & nipples
To doSpoke colour
Nipple colour
Ready to order
Complete wheels from Nextie
Showing all 34 wheelsets.
Nextie · MTB wheelsets
Nextie Premium carbon XC wheelset 27.5"
£908
Ordered in for you · About 6 weeks
Nextie · MTB wheelsets
Nextie Omega 36U carbon XC wheelset 29"
£995
Ordered in for you · About 6 weeks
Choosing a rim width for your tyres? Try our tyre pressure calculator further down the page.
The price
What a hand-built wheel costs
Every price here comes from the builder itself: rim, hub, spokes, nipples and £84 of build labour per wheel, including VAT. These are the lowest-priced builds. Choose lighter spokes, a better hub or a rim with more options and the price rises, and the builder shows it as you go.
| Wheel | Front, from | Rear, from |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike, 29 inch | £524 | £589 |
| Gravel | £560 | £644 |
| Road | £569 | £653 |
| Fat bike | £640 | £724 |
| 32 inch mountain bike | £628 | £696 |
| Front wheel with a SON dynamo hub | £699 | – |
A pair is one front and one rear. About 7 weeks. Dynamo wheels · Fat bike wheels · 32-inch wheels · 29+ wheels
How it works
From rim to finished wheel
- You choose. Pick the rim, then the hub, spokes and nipples in the builder. It only offers parts that fit together.
- You pay half. 50% when you order, 50% when the wheel is ready to send.
- I order the rim in. Nextie make it for you. This is most of the seven weeks.
- I build it by hand. The spoke length is worked out from the rim's ERD and your hub, then the wheel is laced, tensioned and trued.
- It is yours. Collected from the workshop, or sent across the UK and Europe. Free re-tensioning and truing for 12 months.
Which one
Hand-built, or a complete Nextie wheelset?
| Hand-built here | Complete Nextie wheelset | |
|---|---|---|
| You choose | Any Nextie rim, then the hub, spokes, nipples and colours | A set specification, with the options on each wheelset’s page |
| Built by | Me, in Rochford, by hand | Nextie, in their factory |
| Time | About 7 weeks | About 6 weeks |
| Price | Rim + hub + spokes + nipples + £84 per wheel | One price for the pair |
| Dynamo hub | Yes, SON for the front wheel | Not offered |
| Good for | Bikepacking, dynamo lighting, an unusual axle or freehub | A simple order and a known specification |
Real builds
Wheels I have built
Questions
Wheel building FAQ
How much does a hand-built carbon wheel cost?
The builder adds up the rim, the hub, the spokes, the nipples and £84 of build labour per wheel, and shows the total before you add it to the basket. The table above gives the lowest price for each kind of wheel. A front wheel with a dynamo hub costs more than one with a plain hub, because the hub does more.
How long does it take?
About 7 weeks. The rim is ordered in from Nextie, then built, tensioned and trued here in Rochford. A complete wheelset built by Nextie takes about 6 weeks.
Which is better, hand-built or a complete Nextie wheelset?
Hand-built if you want to choose the hub and the spokes yourself (a dynamo hub, a particular freehub, brass nipples, spoke colours). A complete Nextie wheelset if you want a ready-made specification and a simpler order. Both use Nextie carbon rims.
Which hubs and spokes can I choose?
Hope, Shimano, Nextie Rollingstar, DT Swiss and Chris King hubs, and SON dynamo hubs for front wheels. Spokes are Sapim (CX-Ray, Laser, D-Light, Race, Strong, Leader) or Halo double butted, in black or silver, with alloy or brass nipples. The builder only offers the combinations that fit the rim you chose.
Can I use my own hubs or spokes?
The builder is set up for the parts we stock. If you want something different, email me before you order and I will say honestly whether I can build it.
Do you build dynamo wheels?
Yes. Choose a SON dynamo hub for the front wheel and the builder works out the rest. It powers a kLite or any hub-dynamo light, and there is a plain-English guide to dynamo lighting for bikepacking on this site.
What is guaranteed?
Every wheel I build is re-tensioned and trued free for the first 12 months, and the build labour is guaranteed for 30 days. Components also carry their makers' own warranties.
How do I pay, and can I cancel?
You pay 50% when you order and the other 50% when the wheel is built and ready to send. Because each wheel is built to your choices and the rim is ordered in for you, it cannot be cancelled once the rim has been ordered. If it arrives faulty or not as described, you get a full refund.
Can I use Cycle to Work?
Cyclescheme, Cycle Solutions and Green Commute Initiative vouchers are accepted on wheels and wheelsets. Message me before you order and I will sort it out.
Do you fit the tyres?
Yes. The workshop fits tubeless tyres with sealant for £25. Add it when you book, or ask when the wheel is ready. Tubeless tape and valves are in the shop.
Where do you deliver?
Wheels go across the UK and Europe. UK delivery is free over £200, and you can collect from the workshop in Canewdon, near Rochford.
Customers
What riders say about their wheels
“Bike was transformed, lightning fast and super stiff.”
“So as far as negatives go I have yet to find any, they are still true and running smooth.”
“Dealing with Michael was great, expect a personal customer service and a well built set of wheels. Highly recommended.”
Free tool
Tyre pressure calculator
The right pressure depends on your weight, your tyre width and the inside width of the rim. Pick one of our Nextie rims to fill in the rim width, choose how you ride, and get front and rear pressures in psi and bar. There is more on how it works on the tyre pressure page.
Your pressures
Front
62 psi
4.27 bar
Try 59 to 65 psi (4.07 to 4.48 bar)
Rear
67 psi
4.62 bar
Try 64 to 70 psi (4.41 to 4.83 bar)
What this means: Run about 62 psi in the front and 67 psi in the rear: a balanced set-up for a 28 mm tyre on smooth tarmac.
Safety. Never exceed the maximum pressure printed on the tyre sidewall or stated by the rim maker, whichever is lower. Check your tyres and rims before you inflate.
How to fine-tune
Start with these numbers. Drop 1 to 2 psi at a time (about 0.1 bar) until the tyre feels vague or squirms in corners, then go back up one step. If you feel every bump or the rim clangs on hits, add a little.
The wheel matters as much as the tyre. We build carbon wheels here in Rochford, and can help you pick a rim width to suit your tyres.
Watch
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