How Sta-Tru Builds a Better Wheel
Sta-Tru prides itself with building the best quality production built wheels in the world. Sta-Tru builds over 100,000 wheels per year. Based on that volume it would be impossible to hand build all those wheels cost effectively and still maintain our high level of consistent quality. I define consistent quality as, using the same components each time the wheel is assembled and having the same spoke tension and rim run-out (wobble) with every wheel. This can only be achieved using robotics.
More on Machine Built Wheels
Bicycle wheel assembly machines and robots are like everything else in life. There are good machines and not so good machines. The Holland Mechanics machines that Sta-Tru uses are considered the best in the world for speed, adjustability and accuracy. Our truing robots are capable of truing wheels to .1mm (one tenth) of run-out both laterally and vertically. Very few rims are capable of being that round. We can control the specific tension for each individual wheel that we build. The robots are capable of storing that information and repeating that specification every time. Our lacing machines can handle most every pattern and rim drilling. The lacers also tension each wheel without gouging the nipples like the other guys machines. Wheels are mechanically stress relieved (stabilized) to both seat the spokes in the hub and rim and remove spoke twist from assembling the wheel.
The last point regarding machine built wheels is that the machines are still basically dumb. They will only do what is asked of them. At Sta-Tru, Bill Hencke with over forty years of wheel building experience sets up each machine and programs the tensions and run-out parameters. These dimensions are checked and tweaked if necessary on a regular basis to provide the consistent quality Sta-Tru is known for. In addition our staff of wheel builders combined has over 65 years of experience.
That’s why our wheels Sta-Tru.