team lope members support each other in whatever ways they can -- be it loaning a tool or just laying down supporting words. in this instance, i decided to support our man near amsterdam, joblue, whose 718 CYCLERY has taken off like a hipster at a skinnyJean convention. i've been wanting to finish murdering out my bike since before it even had it's current frame, and the thing keeping the nonemoreBlack from happening was the rear wheel. so when joblue added wheelbuilding to 718's list of offerings, i thought, "now is the time," and asked him to build me a wheel.
first of all, i'd like to review 718/joblue's attention to detail. when i originally asked about the wheel, i said i wanted "a 718 rear wheel build -- black velocity deep v, black all-city hub, black spokes." casual, builder-to-builder talk. but joblue didn't let the fact that we each know what we're talking about allow him to be anything less than a consumate professional when reading my order back to me, and he translated my casual blah blah blah into the final, EXACT details ... "a black velocity deep v with non-machined sidewall, a black velocity fixed/free rear hub* with 120mm spacing, and black double-butted spokes." this, to me, was a really important detail, because if the casual cyclist comes through and asks for what i asked for, there's a lot of detail left out, and it's important for the builder to fill in those details so the customer knows EXACTLY what they're getting.
secondly, process. joblue kept me appraised of where in the process he was at various times, and this meant a lot to me as a customer. the day after i placed my order, for instance, he sent me a picture of the wheel laced and waiting for truing. a few days later, another picture, this one of the wheel in the truing stand, nearing completion. then an email when it shipped. and then, as if he were trying to set an example for the rest of the customer service industry, a follow up several days later when he hadn't heard from me, just checking to see if it had yet arrived! (it hadn't, but it did about 30 minutes later.) this attention to detail is unheard of, and if this is his standard operational procedure then it's no wonder he's doing well.
thirdly, delivery and unpackaging. the total NYC-to-SF travel time for the package was about 5 days, not including the sunday that was in the delivery span. this is better than most places by about 2 days, especially when you're dealing with standard shipping. in other words, i didn't request any second-day bullshit or anything like that. when i unpackaged the wheel, it was not only packed in peanuts, but wrapped in bubble paper PRIOR to the peanut packing! i joked with joblue that they coulda just pushed it out of the plane somewhere over utah and it'd have bounced up to my office like a mars rover, completely unscathed.
unbeknownst to me, joblue also included track nuts and a lockring on the wheel, meaning that if i'd not already had my preferred dura-ace lockring ready to go, i'd have been totally set, thanks to the forward-thinking of the 718 experience. i chose to use the track nuts that came on the wheel, effectively upgrading my rear wheel's axle nuts, so again, big unexpected win for me there.
as is standard operating procedure with any wheel, i needed to go get my own rim tape, so i strapped the wheel to my bag and rode over to sports basement, picked some up for a buck and a half, and headed home to install my new black beauty.
you can read all about the installation and preliminary ride over HERE, but suffice it to say, i'm BEYOND pleased, not just with the 718 experience, but with the product itself. the wheel is perfectly true (of course, after i ride it for a while and it "settles," i'll have to true it up a bit again, but this is how wheels work -- you gotta break em in), it spins like fucking butter, and i cannot believe how MEAN it looks on my bike. head over to the link and see for yourself!
even if i didn't know joblue, i'd give this experience a 10/10 CLANKS! everything about it felt like my supplier had been battered and bruised up by enough shitty customer service experiences that they'd vowed they would NEVER do that to another human being. i felt valued, and when you're dropping wheel prices, you need to feel valued. i tell you what, if i lived in brooklyn, i would even sign up for his wheelbuilding class. he's that nice to do business with.
big BIG thanks from the coast, joblue. we're reppin you to the fullest now.
*joblue was kind enough to upgrade me from my requested all-city hub to a velocity at no extra charge. this was a team lope number one good time family bonus, and i appreciate it!