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
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?