Royce
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/”/]
Just beautiful! That’s one lovely set of wheels.
Royce are one of a handful of British engineering shops turning out really top rate bling bike components. In many ways we’re spoilt for choice. Hope and Goldtec are two other manufacturers turning out really top notch stuff.
Seems fitting that these will be tested out on just about the toughest ‘roads’ Europe has to offer.
Enjoy!
Beautiful, Frank. Both the reverence and the product.
They definitely look fantastic. Are the bearings sealed? Is there any connection to Rolls Royce?
Nice Frank!
So I take it your talk about “breaking them in” means you were able to procure a new set, then? Did that involve getting on some sort of wait list until they had a production run ready to go down the line?
The well-worn phrase “so clean you could eat off ’em” definitely applies in this case. Absolutely beautiful!
Man, you’re killing me here. Back in the late 80s by #1 TT wheels were Royce hubs, 24 spokes, Mavic Rims and Clement Criterium tubs. The hubs were silver but he QR had some gold n it if I recall. They were so freaking smooth! My folks moved house in 1993 (I moved to the States in 1990) and they went “missing” – never to seen again. My Brian Rourke winter bike also went awol. Subsequent inquiries as to “what he hell happened to those wheels/that bike?” yielded nothing. Still brings pain to this day.
Them’s pretty alright. I’ve always wanted to my hands on a set. You also used (IMHO) the correct rim/ spoke combo. Beautiful/ bulletproof tubs. Something that should handle the pounding of the pave, and look PRO while doing it.
This is the sort of devotion that inspires me — to in a sense, earn the parts on your machine. And I hope that you do not mind me calling it (the bike) — the “machine”. This goes beyond understanding the specs and measurements, the insertions of a bike. The machine weighs on you to earn and deserve it — uphold it. Good job on raising the bar, as now your bike expects more from you as well. P.S. Taking photos this week of the custom black (Yves Coppens) 25th Anniversary MX Leader — adding 17 degree 3T stem and new Pro 4 tyres. Will present to the V website soon!
So these look very similar to a UK made Phil Wood? What advantage do you see for these over Phil besides a Euro cache?
no doubt, awesomeness drips off the edges of those hubs Frank. I have never been so lucky as to be able to house hubs of that quality, but I know your experience will be the same as mine, the first time you hit a pothole or something that would have normally riveted your hoops….when they are built like these, you go on and are just marvelling…wondering…riding.
And never apologize for it, not that you did, but you sorta walked around it in a way…’they are not as fast as my Zipp wheels, and not as light’. Now, lest we are weight weenies…it doesn’t matter, be proud. Those are yours. Its more about a quality that Zipps cannot touch, and I own some too. Maybe one day I can look into the realm of custom made hubs, but for now, Chris Kings have to be on my dream radar.
great stuff frank
enjoy
These are real shiny – match my bike frame :O)
http://totalcycling.com/a-z/hubs/hubs_road/HB_ROYCE_CERAMIC.htmlRoyce
those are awesome. an absolutely killer wheelset, if a little out of place with carbon fiber. i say ebay the damn zipps.
Very nice wheelset Frank…. much kudos
Royce hubs, I had never heard of them before Frank. They are sealed bearings, they should last a life time, handed down to Frank jr (or Francine). Someone has to man up and buy these jewels, thank you for doing so. I’m looking forward to watching these disappear up the bergs ahead of me in a months time.
@Gianni
I certainly hope they get handed down… I have a pair of C-Record hubs in the shed that have 126mm spacing, so no good for any modern bike. I’m afraid of the same thing happening if we move to 135mm spacing.
Amen to that, Frank. Great pictures… nice words. There’s something quite zen in comparing your Royce hubs to someone else’s: they are the same… but different
+1 to all the adulation.
Having never ridden anything lighter or more expensive than Mavic Kysrium Equipes and Campa Sciroccos, I’m intrigued as to ‘how’ noticeable the difference between them and something like a pair of Zipps on the one hand, and Frank’s new build on the other, would be. From what I’ve read, much of what the rider feels in reduced weight comes in acceleration and climbing, but would it be fair to say that when you’re just riding at a constant speed on the flat you wouldn’t really be able to feel the difference between fairly decent training wheels and higher end racing ones? Similarly, if Frank’s beautiful ‘cobbleset’ offers more strength and stability on rough terrain, does that mean that on a reasonably smooth road the benefits they give over something lighter would be imperceptible?
Simply stunning, Frank. I had rather set my heart on Royce hubs to go with my Nemesis rims but a fortuitous evenings work on ebay netted me a second hand set on Dura-ace hubs. Bit of a result seeingas I’ve still got a surplus to requirements downhill bike to fund some aero wheels and I’ve a place that offers these.
Gucci.
Very cool, Frank. Good to hear the wheels are holding up, too!
@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.
Holy crap those are purty! Did you lace ’em up yourself?
@Shane
Oh, I think its a handsome look!
@Souleur, @Shane
I love my Zipps – and there is nothing that I know of the rolls as light as a Zipp hub – absolutely incredible. And they are fast, and light. Its like most modern gear – it is used for a reason (great performance) but they do lack something on the romantic side.
I’ll be keeping the Zipps and I’ll continue to love them as I do now, but indeed, these wheels hold an entirely different place in my heard, and are unbeatable in other respects from the Zipps.
And boy oh boy am I lovin’ the tubbies!
@Oli
The back wheel went just a bit out of true on my 200km freezefest, but I was actually riding through all the potholes I could find. I’ll true ’em up good after this beating and give them another round. But I’m pleased so far! Thanks again for your help.
@James
Acceleration and climbing, for sure – that’s really where you notice it, but its all a big muddled mess. These wheels are heavier than my Zipps, but the tubular tires climb better than my clinchers – a little more direct, so in some ways they feel as good climbing as my Zipps do.
I think the biggest thing you feel once you’re cruising is the quality of the hub. If you have a hub with a lot of drag in it, you’ll feel it resisting you constantly; that’s a bit how the Royce hubs felt before they rode in. But once they start rolling light, you’ll not feel a huge difference except in wind, which is kind of like riding uphill.
But always remember, the wheels make a bigger difference than any other component on your bike. They are rotating, so any weight (especially out by the rim) is very noticeable. The stiffness of the wheel, the weight of the rim, the quality of the hubs…the wheels are what make the bike go – so if you can eliminate weight and friction there, you’ve gone a long way to lightening your load as a cyclist.
@Nosyt
Well, I started out on my very long ride on them deliberately because it was sunny. Then it turned into pouring, freezing rain. One gets over not wanting to get them dirty pretty quickly! And, nice jersey! I thought you were @Nate there for a second…
@co-mo
You betcha!
@TommyTubolare
I love the way you think. I almost added a paragraph on the FMBs – which are also totally handmade – but left it for the next time. I’ve been wondering when I’ll glue them on…and I love the idea of choosing a special day. What would be appropriate, I wonder?
I’ll ride them a few times at least before leaving, so will probably do so pretty soon. They are stretching on my Mavic rims right now, which Gianni gifted me and I’ll lace to my silver Campa Record hubs and use on my TSX.
@frank
Very nice! And you know she’s actually paying attention to you when you talking about cycling, which may be fully ~80% or more of everything that comes out of your mouth.
It’ll be interesting to see what wheels you reach for more on a regular basis come summer and more decent weather… I guess being able to hit potholes and not worry about cracking a carbon rim like usual would have an upside in the urban environment!
@frank
March V?
@frank
you sure light wheels make that much difference? Seems the physics says not:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_performance#Advantages_of_light_wheels
Frank- those are beautiful! At the suggestion of another esteemed Velominati I am considering building my own set of wheels with my Sensei. Where did you happen to find those hubs?
Another great article. It’s the little details that make up the whole beautiful rich picture. Seriously, great stuff.
@maxy
The physics are way beyond me but it’s interesting to hear the placebo effect as an explanation for faster climbing on lighter wheels. I wonder whether the same applies to rider weight loss? Having lost essentially the weight of my bike over the past six months I’m inclined to say that it does – it feels like ‘it’s just me’ rolling up the cols!
@frank
That will be a classic set up. I had ’97 Record Ti hubs laced to Campagnolo tubular rims on my Bianchi EL/OS. One of my saddest days in cycling when I cracked that frame… Even those ’97 Record Ti hubs don’t look as nice as your Royce.
@maxy
I didn’t mean to imply “light” when I said “good” – I mean a good, strong, stiff, and light wheel. Further, the right parts of the wheel have to be light – the stuff that rotates faster (the rim and tire) are much more important than are the hubs, which rotate st about half the speed of the rim.
While I understand you’re not suggesting the Wikipedia page is all-knowing, I definitely caution anyone to take any scientific articles as gospel on that site. Getting these experiments to be meaningful is really hard and even the peer-reviewed scientific journals have a time of it getting it right. Not that I know how to tell the difference.
It’s an interesting point, though, about what “feels” good and what “is” good. It’s very hard to tell and conduct studies because the tests are nearly impossible to conduct in a controlled environment that has a meaningful relationship to reality. In the case I mentioned in the article of Boardman’s Record attempt wheels, they went to all this trouble to build rims with recessed nipples in order to gain an aero advantage. Years later, out of curiosity, Boardman’s tested the wheels in a wind tunnel and it made next to no difference – apparently the nipples just ride along happily in the rims slipstream.
The lesson is, always think critically, question the accepted truth, and go with what makes sense over what “feels” good or right. Except when thats wrong.
@gravity bob
I have to say, when I saw a set of the hubs in Rouleur, I was simiilarly impressed and the flame grew strong once more. They are, truly, stunning. The photos don’t do them justice.
@frank
You’ll have to get used to me in a new jersey, unless you take @snoov’s suggestion elsewhere that I get to keep the jersey for the season following my win, as is the practice with the rainbows. How did the Pernod Superprestige jersey work?
Also, those hubs are gorgeous. Those photos are tempting me to figure out a way to polish the hubs of my Nemesis wheelset.
As for various comments about feel, lacing pattern, spoke tension and rim stiffness all play a role. Handbuilts with 3 cross lacing, no radial spokes and no deep rims have more give to them than high tension, deep rim radial laced wheels.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Royce factory back in 2000 whilst working for another UK component maker. It was pretty much wall to wall with shiny components for hubs and bottom brackets, and despite being a machine shop, scrupulously clean. Cliff is a good guy too, and his thoroughness shows with the quality of the product. It’s good to see well made British kit is still appreciated and that Royce are still going strong. I’m going to pop by and see their latest kit at the Bristol Handmade Bike Show in 3 weeks – anyone want me to take some pictures?
@Fausto
Yes, please!
@Fausto
I’ll be going to and I think I’m gonna buy some new hubs !!! Was sold on White Industries but these just look amazing. Will also be my first wheel build. Now, do I go with tubbies ???
@frank
I need to start posting everywhere to commemorate, given that it’s likely the only week I’ll ever hold it. Beginner’s luck.