1. Do these wheels come assembled?
Yes, your wheels will arrive ready to go right out of the box. We finish each wheel to a very exacting degree and are limited only by the quality of the individual components that we work with. Many "professional" wheel builders use a Part Tool truing stand. These are great for DIYers. Even with the addition of a more precise measurement gauge, we feel that the Park Tool stand is limited in its ability to transfer detailed information of an exacting nature in only one dimension at a time. Lifelong devotees of the Park Stand may scoff until they saw how good we are able to true our wheels.
When we tell people that we're able to true the best rims laterally under three one-thousandths of an inch, they don't believe us. Our customers benefit from our dedication and knowledge, regardless of the type of wheel they find in our catalog. We are dedicated to building the best wheels possible.
2. Do I have to do anything once the wheels arrive?
Yes, you will need to install your cog/cassette, tires and tubes, and rim strips, of course. Whenever you install a cassette on a wheel, whether the cassette is new or used, or whether you just took it off and are putting the same one back on, it is imperative that you check the rear derailleur's alignment and make any adjustments if necessary, (here's a great free resource that talks about rear derailleur adjustment). An experienced professional bicycle mechanic could easily facilitate this adjustment, at a minimum cost.
3. Do these wheels include skewers / quick release levers?
Yes, all wheels/hubs ship with their respective QR lever, unless specifically noted otherwise. For example, XT hubs ship with XT quick release levers, and Ultegra hubs with Ultegra quick release levers. Front 20mm Through Axle hubs do not ship with a quick release lever. Through axle wheels do not ship with an axle, these axles come with the purchase of your bicycle.
4. Do you offer local pick-up?
Local pick-up is not available. We build and ship wheels from a small local commercial business address other than our registered address, and have optimized our business model for internet/phone orders specifically. This is a disadvantage if you need personal face-to-face time and an explanation of what is the best wheel for your application and budget. But it's a Huge advantage if you already know what you need, and are shopping for the best-built wheels at the best available price. We are truly one of the few companies purchasing components individually, customizing them, and building them into wheels here in the USA. Many other operations might offer this quality with a small cross-section of their catalog, yet still, import pre-built wheels for other segments of their catalog. What's the difference? First and foremost, the pride we instill into every wheel we build can't be matched, which translates into better-built wheels that feel better, perform better, and last longer than the competition.
5. Who builds your wheels?
We do. 100%. Every order we treat as a custom build, even our Deal of the Day wheels. I can't overstate how much pride we take in our work. When you place an order, we build wheels specifically for your order. Hence a typical, yet minimal 3 - 4 day requirement to build and ship orders. You can sometimes find similarly equipped wheels elsewhere, but who knows if they have been sitting on the shelf?
Beware of other places that offer well-known rim and hub components, but use generic spokes and nipples to finish their wheels. It's a way to cut costs in order to match our pricing. We can offer the prices we do because we focus on what we are good at: wheels. Most other places start with wheels, then quickly divide their focus to start selling jerseys, cassettes, tires, tubes, saddles, stems and handle bar, you name it. Once that starts happening, you can guarantee that despite whatever rhetoric is used to sell their product, they treat their wheels like a line item in a catalog.
We love bicycle wheels and focus on what we love the most. Our efficiencies and knowledge allow us to do things better, and we pass those savings along to our customers in the form of attractive pricing.