Granfondo wheelset for watts saving riders

Granfondo, the second "product" wheelset from BlackCat after the "Climber" series.

My main profile is custom wheel building, however, thinking about the specific needs of the riders I came up with Granfondo set.

What's special with this setup? As always, read further to find out.

Berd spoked wheels. Why your mother or grandmother would do it faster?

If you think you're a good wheel builder and you build your wheels fast and efficiently then I recommend you to try the Berd spokes. Those spokes will change your wheel building life and for the first time you'll regret that there is no mom and grandmom next to you to help you with lacing (!)

Turn on the light! Very practical gravel & touring wheelset

Autumn came and days became shorter. For us, the cyclists this is the time of the year when we switch into gravel and touring bikes and enjoy beautiful and colorful forests sceneries. Using that opportunity I'd like to introduce to you the "Any Road" wheels series.

Industry 9 using Blackcat spoke tension meter calibration jig!

Hard work pays back! With real pleasure, I can already share that Industry 9, one of the biggest manufacturers of brilliant hubs & wheels will be using our spoke tension meter calibration tool! 

Alloy wheels better than carbon?

This is not one of the adverts of the system wheels. This is the essence of custom wheel building where wheels are designed and handcrafted specifically to rider's needs

The Climbers in Aero version

Some time ago I wrote a bit about "The climbers" wheels series, my first product dedicated for hilly terrain like Alps (but not only)  where stiffness and rim's width matters a lot. 

Today I had an opportunity to build the aero version of those wheels so let me introduce that configuration to you.

E-urobike 2019

Eurobike is sort of "must to do" for everybody who is connected to cycling business. It's an opportunity to meet suppliers face to face and check what's new coming into the market...

Carbon look and disc braking power with alloy wheels?

Looking for alloy carbon like look with disc braking power wheels? Here they are - Boyd Altamont in 30mm rim profile!

Ultra wide alloy wheels - "The climbers" series

For those who know me or bought wheels from me, know that I'm very far from empty marketing. I will never advert something which is not true. My objective is to provide unique and high quality wheels, always configured for specific rider's needs so they fit like a gloves from day one.

Above can be fulfilled only by constant research, testing and networking. Only then you get access to new manufacturers and products which often are not exposed to public. Living my sixth year in Swiss Alps gives me an excellent opportunity to test different wheel's configs as basically there are no flat sections around. Just doing 40km near home I'm easily making 1000m climb and that is a real test lab for my products.

Today I have a pleasure to introduce my new type of alloy wheels which are based on ultra wide rims. What benefits give a wide rim? Read further to find out.

Turquoise gravel wheels

Wide gravel wheels saga continues. Similar to previous build I had a pleasure to use wide DT Swiss rims with Soul Kozak hubs to build a very nice set for Raoul.

The best way to spend a weekend?

This question is rather obvious and the answer is really simple - The mountains + your bike.

Colle Delle Finestre - the most epic climb?

Once a year our cycling group follows a small tradition to visit Italy in order to taste the most famous Italian climbs, pizza, espresso, ice creams and enjoy overall Italian's hospitality. Last year we did Colle del Nivolet and this year the time has come to roll-on the Colle Delle Finestre. 

Some say that this is the most Epic Climb...

How was it for me? As usual, read further to find out!

Gravel wheels under 1400g

Laszlo came to me with clear objectives, solid gravel 650B wide wheels with weight under 1400g and reasonable price.

We went through many options and discussion and finally we've got the perfect setup. 

Triplet hubs from BORG

Triplet lacing is kind of specific. It requires carefully selected components in order to deliver what it supposed to deliver - equal spoke tension between NDR and DR side, higher radial, torsional and lateral stiffness comparing to traditional lacing. 

Today, triplet is used by Campagnolo, Fulcrum and Mavic but not so much in custom building as there are no good hubs available on the market designed for such lacing.... until now... Ladies & Gentlemen, let me introduce to you the BORG 16:8 hubs!

Triathlon wheels

What are the first thoughts you have thinking about triathlon wheels? Deep profile, aero benefits and... weight. Yes, usually deep aero wheels are linked to significant weight, even in big brands. What's my take on this? Read to find out.

Acros Nineteen - alternative to DT Swiss 240

Is there any reasonable alternative to DT Swiss 240 hubs? Yes, there is and it's much better from many reasons...

Badass wheels with Soul-Kozak hubs

Strong, loud and good looking set - carbon 50mm rims with Soul-Kozak M-netic hubs and Pillar Wing spokes.

Red Tune build - finally some colours!

Tune are well known from their lightweight, however there are plenty of posts on forums showing hub's broken flanges. How was the build in my case and how to cheat physics a bit? Read further to find out. 

Carbon disc wheels - 28 or 24 spokes?

My recent build using carbon gigantex disc rims is a good example to open a discussion regarding number of spokes in disc wheels. Is the new trend 24/24h safe for most of the riders? Well, let's try to find out.

Fixed February

A small recap from February: two selected fixed wheels projects

• Gigantex 50mm with Miche pista hubs 
• H+Son Archetype with Miche pista flip-flop hubs

What's so unusual about these? Well, mainly the weight and type of spokes but to find out why, you'll need to read further.

Mavic Open Pro UST - the most beautiful aluminum rims?

Many people say that aluminum rims are pretty boring comparing to carbon ones. I can't argue with that as indeed the high profile of carbon rims give nice look to almost every road bike, however with the latest Mavic Open Pro rims the situation turns a bit different. Actually I found new Open pro rims the most beautiful aluminum rims I've ever seen...

Strong road build using tension meter from Filip Kralyevski

This week I had a pleasure to build a very nice and strong wheel set using exceptional tension meter made by Filip Kralyevski.

Orange Is the New Black

Today, wheels for Danilo. Absolute work horses with indestructible hubs, strong spokes and carbon 40mm rims.

January builds and road carbon rims review

The good news is that recently I'm really busy with various builds. Comparing to last year when my wheel-building season started in March, this time it started already in January. The bad news is that I have less and less time for this blog. I'll do my best to keep you guys updated at least one a month so you get the insights of nicest on-going builds.

Spoke tensiometer calibration jig - production version!

First post in 2019 with great update: finally the spoke tensiometer calibration tool has been released and first batch of devices manufactured!

Beginning of the New Year could not be better for Blackcat wheels!