Wheels that "stand" above all others.

Spoken’ In Spokane

Matty — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:52:03 +0000

Rent the truck, and pack the boxes Matthew Larsen Wheelbuilding is moving it’s world headquarters to Spokane, WA. All wheelbuiilding, demo programs, and product testing will move to the Lilac City. “The move” will be taking place at the end of May with full wheel production back up and running in Spokane in the beginning of June. We leave Reno with heavy hearts. Missed will be our great friends, vendor support, and favorite trails but we are looking forward to new adventures.

Stan’s Alpha Rim

Matty — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:53:26 +0000

Simple physics: A 700g wheel with a 450g rim takes more effort to turn than a 700g wheel with a 350g rim. In other words, lighter rims make faster wheels. At $120 each Stan’s Alpha rims aren’t cheap but buying speed never is. MLW also has other lightweight rims to hand build you a faster set of wheels with.

Shimano Hub Sale

Matty — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:19:35 +0000

Shimano XTR and XT hubs on sale now! Built with your choice of rims from DT Swiss, No Tubes, WTB or Velocity. Get ‘em while they last!

XTR centerlock 15mm or QR front and QR rear $375

XT centerlock or 6 bolt QR $100

Winter Work

Matty — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:39:53 +0000

It’s not “all” bike wheels for me here at the MLW lab. Winter snows bring skiers to the Lake Tahoe area and for a couple days a week I happen to be the guy those skiers see in the ski shop. While I have slid all kinds of things across the snow for fun the shop I work at here is a cross country specific store by the name of Sierra Nordic. Not that winter in the wheelbuilding world is to slow, because it always seems that somebody somewhere needs some wheels, but like bikes, skis are just fun to be around. So when the calendar says Febuary I’m applying the W.O.D. (Wax Of the Day) for the Sierras then building wheels to send to AZ or FL. I even take time to get some skiing in for myself. It’s a good life.

29er Wheels

Matty — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:01:04 +0000

Welcome to the party Mavic. MLW has been building 29er wheels since starting in 2007. Using the best components from manufactures like Chris King, DT Swiss, Paul, Stan’s, Velocity, and White Ind. MLW can handbuild your next set of wheels to your personal specifications. There are tubeless options and the rims will be lighter; the hubs will last longer, won’t need as much servicing, and will have better engagement; the spokes will be available and inexpensive if ever needed. Contact MLW today for your custom wheelbuild quote.

Tubeless Road Wheels

Matty — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:05:14 +0000

The wheelbuilder gets new wheels! While I’ve been using tubeless offroad for a few years so I was anxious to try them on the road. I chose No Tubes Alpha road rims and DT Swiss 240 hubs. Built with butted spokes and alloy nipples they weigh 1405g. Which I would say is quite respectable all thing considered. Most importantly the rims are light (350g). I rode them today for the first time and it will be hard to ever go back to tubes. Yep they were that good. Sure the rims are pricy ($120) and tire choices are limited but both those factors will change with more demand. I got 25mm Hutchinson tires and tried the pressure at 65 front and 70 rear. More on that later as I experiment with them. They felt plenty stiff thanks to the 28 front/32 rear spokes. The ride is amazingly comfortable. Tubular-esk but with sealant instead of glue. Call to order yours.

Velocity Demo Wheels

Matty — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:40:11 +0000

Velocity demo wheels are ready to go! Velocity A23 rims & Velocity hubs. Try a clincher rim that rides like a tubular. The 23mm wide rim is part of the next generation of wide clincher rims. Shimano or Campy compatible. Try this $450 wheelset today for $40. Buy a set of wheels and get your money back.

DT Swiss 240 Hubs

Matty — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:59:18 +0000

~$990/lb. Expensive when you think about it that way so don’t. The pair I have has lasted 11 seasons and outlived 2.5 pairs of hoops. At 4-5 grand of riding a year that’s roughly 50,000 miles over their life. So…$700 for the pair really only costs o.o14/mile. Good deal!

Velocity Areoheat Rims

Matty — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:39:43 +0000

Just built 8 of 10 wheels for the Auto Bike crew. Velocity Areoheat rims built with hubs supplied by Auto Bike.

The Alpha King Wheels

Matty — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:09:27 +0000

Tubeless road wheel technology is here! No Tubes Alpha rims and Chris King hubs. Get sum!