Some years ago, Issue 12 of Rouleur reawakened an obsession in me, one with a peculiar nature to it that only bicycle parts can invoke. For as long as I can remember, Royce hubs have seemed like the ultimate bicycle component: painstakingly hand-crafted to the tightest tolerances for error in the industry. With a reputation for indestructibility, ulta-high performance, and unmatched beauty, their appeal was made irresistible by the fact that they are completely unknown and seemingly impossible to come by in the United States.
Back in the early nineties, when the Internet was but a sparkle in Al Gore’s eye, Cycling coverage in the States was much more sparse than it is today. Television coverage was non-existent, VeloNews and Winning were the only two worthwhile cycling periodicals, and if an American won a race, it might make the back page of the Sports section in some papers that week. I filled my days devouring and re-devouring any Cycling-related books I could find, watching whatever VHS cassettes World Cycling Productions made available, and leafing through all of the Cycling Magazines my family gathered for me during trips abroad.
It is therefor impossible for me to say exactly when it was that I first heard of Royce and how I got my hands on the story, but it was of Will Fotheringham famously recounting that during the 1993 Tour de France, he was asked to bring a specialty wheelset over from the UK for Robert Millar, who at that stage in his career was struggling a bit and hungered for any advantage he could find. The wheels were built around a set of Royce hubs.
Having no means to learn anything real about the company, it took on the mystical. It was all rumors, but the name kept creeping about; Sean Yates used their components and Chris Boardman – the quintessential Bike Geek – was said to absolutely love their bits and had a particular affinity for their bottom bracket axels which he used in all his time trial bikes. For Boardman’s 2000 Athlete’s Hour Record, Royce was in charge of the wheels and supplied the hubs, machined the nipples, and customized the spokes (the nipples were recessed into the rims).
Then the trail went cold.
With not enough fuel to sustain the burn, the fire eventually died down, until that issue of Rouleur turned up in my mailbox with a dozen pages dedicated to the company and to Boardman’s attempt on the Hour. With the power of the Internet at my disposal and the information provided by the article, I was able to discover much more about them than ever before, but the rationalization to buy a set of hubs – should I even be able to track some down – didn’t present itself until Keepers Tour and its inevitable justification for building a set of indestructible wheels.
Royce is a small company, who focuses primarily on building their parts to order. They don’t mass-produce and provide stock the way companies like Shimano, Chris King, or even Campagnolo do. They work closely with select riders and work to provide highly specialized equipment; while they do produce standard road hubs, their production is limited and are generally fairly hard to come by.
One of the things I love most about handmade products is the small irregularities that remind you that a person – not a machine – crafted the product you hold in your hands. The finish on Royce hubs is otherworldly, but at the same time, the marks of a craftsman are upon them everywhere; in those small ways, the hubs I own are different from every other set in the world.
Handmade hubs also take time to break in. The Royce hubs, as they emerged from their box, held a stiffness in their bearings that would require several hundred kilometeres before they would adopt the feathery lightness for which they’re known. Having to ride the lightness into a set of hubs bonds you to them in a way a perfectly machined set will never do; with every turn of the silky bearings echoes each kilometer you worked together to arrive at where you are.
My handmade wheels – with the Golden Tickets and Royce hubs, represent for me the ultimate in customized bicycle components. They are not as fast as my Zipp wheels, and not as light. But in our short months together, we have already built a story that only serves to strengthen my love for Cycling. When my wheels and I return from Belgium in April, battered and bruised after carrying each other over the harshest and most sacred roads in Europe, the story will have become only richer.
Vive La Vie Velominatus.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Royce/”/]
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View Comments
@James
Very interesting & I am quite similar in my feelings. My #1 road bike has some pretty inexpensive Neuvations. I don't road race but do plenty of competitive group rides and have never felt my wheels were what was holding me back. I'd like to upgrade at some point, but I LOVE low profile Open Pros or Ambrosios paired with Record hubs far more than say deep carbon. I do wonder how things would change with some really nice, light wheels. But, for the most part, I think for what type of road riding I do, best to ride solid wheels that don't break the bank and work on my form the most. Oh, and I'd still like to graduate to tubulars at some point.
I do have some very nice Ksyrium ESs on my cross bike. I like them because they are strong & light. Always consider putting them on my road bike, but I race cross and not road.
Beautiful. So shiny I can see the freaking camera in the rear hub. Unfortunately, I'm so OCD about my bike that I'd be afraid to ride them anywhere lest they get some dust/water spots/scratches on them!
Stunning hubs. Nice to see stuff like that on the road.
Frank those are really gorgeous.And nice article,enjoyed reading it.
Fantastic wheelset.With FMB's glued on them rims it can't get any better can it?
By the way when are you going to glue FMB's?Any special day dedicated to that event?
@Calmante
Yes, they are sealed. Royce originally struggled a bit and was bought by Cliff, the current owner, in the 80's when he began specializing to the degree that he does now. There is no relation to Rolls Royce that I know of.
@Ron
I too like the low-profile look. Your own considerations basically sum up where I'm at right now. That and the fact that my cycling budget is now basically non-existent besides maintenance/running costs. When it comes to frames I definitely notice the difference between carbon and alumin(i)um, but have to say that until rebuilding my alu bike recently, I simply got used to the feel of carbon and started to forget how nice it was. Now that I get to regularly ride both bikes I really appreciate the carbon, so is it similar with wheels? I realize that this discussion is probably irrelevant when it comes to racing because there the hard facts of resistance and weight are perhaps more important than feel. And just to round out my ramble, I definitely acknowledge the motivational effects of having an awesome machine to ride. Although on the one hand, cycling is basically just cycling whatever you ride (I know, the horror), on the other, it is true that having high-performance equipment even when one isn't competing does change the experience dramatically and can make you ride differently, too.
@frank
Now we have to figure out a way to get that DT Campa shifter of mine that you like so much incorporated on your ride.
@mcsqueak
It turns out that these days you can get them from Total Cycling - my VMH surprised me with a set for Christmas. Cool, eh?
@wiscot
I wish I had one of these for you:
@UNPULL
Well said, and can't wait to see your machine! Spinal Tap black MX Leader? Yes, please.