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/[email protected]/Royce/”/]

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162 Replies to “Royce”

  1. @Fausto

    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?

    Um….FUCK YEAH! Can’t wait to see them!

  2. @SimonH

    @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 ???

    Tubbies do, of course, require a slightly different approach to spares etc, but I strongly encourage you to try it – I’ve been really impressed by them, especially climbing and cornering. If you have another wheelset, you can also take the clinchers on days where you are nervous about flats for whatever reason. If nothing else, the process of gluing etc is a lot of fun and should be experienced.

    But clinchers ride great as well, and I’ve been happy on them for years, so if you’re not feeling it, don’t let us pressure you into it.

    Good luck on the build!

  3. @Nate

    @frank

    @Nosyt
    And, nice jersey! I thought you were @Nate there for a second…

    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?

    The leader of the current event wears the jersey based on their point total; the winner of the previous years’ event gets to wear it during the first race. Just like at the VSP.

    There is not one single example I can come up with of a leader’s jersey where you don’t have to relinquish it until the race is over. (The World Championships is a different model, where it’s a single event and you’re commemorated for the following year – the reigning world Champ didn’t win a series or a tour – they won a race.)

    If you feel bad having lost the jersey (which is totally understandable), I suggest that instead of having us change the series’ model, you set about winning it back!

  4. @frank
    Your logic as usual is unassailable. Hadn’t really thought of it till @snoov mentioned it in the Cali Cogal thread.

  5. I love those hoops on that Cervelo, absolutely perfect.
    question is: do you deserve that??

    Royce hubs, tubular hoops, FMB handmade tyres…..

    or better, does anyone deserve something this fantastic?
    I don’t, but I’ll take it when I can get it…like so many things in life

  6. @Souleur

    I love those hoops on that Cervelo, absolutely perfect.
    question is: do you deserve that??
    Royce hubs, tubular hoops, FMB handmade tyres…..
    or better, does anyone deserve something this fantastic?
    I don’t, but I’ll take it when I can get it…like so many things in life

    I most certainly do my best to do it the honor it deserves, but it is very humbling to have the privilege to ride such a machine…let alone, to have the selection of steeds I have to choose from. Quite a privilege indeed.

  7. @Paolo: that is one of my absolute favorites!!!

    ‘its a hellava thing to kill a man. You take everything he’s got, or gonna have’

    for the record: anyone who rides this good of stuff, remains unforgiven, but don’t worry, big fronk isn’t scared

    I could go on and on

    I thought I was alone in the love of westerns

  8. for the record: i really want some Royce clad custom built hoops w/ambrosio’s tubulars…it now on my bucket list of ‘wants before I die’

  9. @Souleur

    I expect there are plenty of Pale Riders here!

    “wants before I die” ha! Bit dramatic aint it? You’re a young guy no? Are they so expensive?

    I guess you could always nick Franks during the Tour!

  10. @frank
    Cheers for the info Frank. I’ve got two sets of clinchers (Enve 45mm, Tune and CX-ray and also a set of Mavic Kysrium SR) so will be well covered for spares should a puncture cause a bit of maintenance.

    I think tubs appeal as I often worry how quickly a clincher would peel off the rim on a fast descent, if that happens I’m pretty fucked.

    I accept that they take a bit more work to stay on top of maintenance wise but I think the effort would be worth it in the long term. There has been such a wealth of information on this site on the lady few months that I’m finding no reasons not to at least give it a go.

  11. The Royce are absolutely gorgeous, no question. I’m thinking the White Industries are the losest stateside parallel; love the Shimano set I’m running on my clinchers, and thinking about a Campy set to build up as tubbies since the Royce are soooo pricey… A good substitute, or close but no cigar?

  12. White Industries are really nice, in my opinion, as are the Chris King R45s. Paul Component Engineering makes some very nice bits as well. Unfortunately, all of them are pretty pricey. DT Swiss makes some really sweet hubs that are a little more affordable if you don’t mind the weight and lack of luster. I used a pair of the DT hubs for my CX wheels that I built last year and they have been BOMB-proof.

  13. Damn, that shot along the wall is awesome! I get serious carbone over modern, slick carbon steeds with classic Classics wheels. Awesomeness. I like how they look, I like how they ride, and I like what they connoted about the cyclist.

    I have a big stock of clinchers to ride through, but once I do I’m going to make the move to tubulars. It’s still another dimension for me, but I’ll find a Sensei and work my way towards them in good time. Heck, I don’t want to go too fast, or else. It wasn’t all that long ago that I knew only the most minute details about the inner workings of bicycles. Tubulars I think should be an earned, and acquired, skill.

    Nice work, Frank! And that shows some real passion to hold hubs in your heart for that many years, then make them happen!

  14. @teleguy57
    @Anjin-san
    These are my new wheels with White Industry hubs now mounted on the bike.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/xyxax/2012.02.28.22.07.44/”/]

  15. @xyxax

    @teleguy57
    @Anjin-san
    These are my new wheels with White Industry hubs now mounted on the bike.

    Xyxax — wow. That gleaming silver is to drool over. Are your Heds clinchers or tubbies? I’m looking at the Heds and thenVelocity Major Tom as alternatives to the Nemesis….

  16. @xyxax
    Wow! Nicely done. Hoping for a cloudy day on the 200 on 100 for multiple reasons:

    1. So I’m not blinded by these beauties.
    2. So I’m not caught doing a Yoann Offredo (see other thread).
    3. So I don’t burn from the extra reflective sheen.
    4. So it isn’t too hot a day (this last has very little to do with your wheels).

  17. @Steampunk

    @xyxax
    Wow! Nicely done. Hoping for a cloudy day on the 200 on 100 for multiple reasons:
    1. So I’m not blinded by these beauties.
    2. So I’m not caught doing a Yoann Offredo (see other thread).
    3. So I don’t burn from the extra reflective sheen.
    4. So it isn’t too hot a day (this last has very little to do with your wheels).

    A cloudy day in the summer time in NE England means wind usually. Wind is going to make or break this ride for me. If it’s windy I don’t think there’s a chance for me. Pray for high pressure to the west and a low to the east, that’s the only way were going to see a tailwind.

  18. @936adl
    Thanks man. Nice avatar, btw.

    @teleguy57
    These are clinchers. @Buck Rodgers just built up the tubular version of the rim and we Still Want Photos.

    @Steampunk
    Be not Offredo. Would you believe me if I said that at my peak cadence, rotational forces are such that light cannot escape?
    On the other hand, I am fully expecting to light my way by the reflection of the silvery moon by the end of that damn 200 thing.

    @King Clydesdale
    King, you ARE the weather. Bend those pressure zones to your will.

    @Anjin-san
    These are the HED C2 Belgium alloy rims that I built 28/32 hole with DTSwiss Comp 14/15 double-butted spokes, 3-cross, and brass nipples. I am 92kg which was a little much for the 24 spoke rear wheel I was riding previously.

    I’ve written term papers shorter than this.

  19. Catching up after two days down with a nasty stomach virus. You know, I usually prefer the aesthetic of more modern, deeper section rims, but those wheels look terrific on your ride, Frank. Maybe its just the intimate knowledge and appreciation of their individual parts that I have gained through reading this site, but they truly are fantastic.

  20. Is this the Ti or aluminum version of the hubs?
    Now you need to get yourself a frame that fits to these beautiful hubs.
    And on top, these low profile tubular rims don’t match the Cervelo frame at all.
    Some bespoke Ti or stainless steel frame would be perfect.
    Combining a nice pair of all-handmade wheels with an off-the-rack carbon frame? You must be kidding.

    BTW, I was thinking of getting a pair of Royce hubs as well. But I am addicted to Chris King components and the Royce hub looks to much like Campi which I don’t like. I have four pairs of wheels now featuring CK, two for cyclocross with tubby rims and two for the road with clincher rims, one high profile carbon and one low profile aluminum pair for each purpose. But I never want to see anything else but CK hubs rotating when looking down, riding the pain.

  21. @grumbledook

    Is this the Ti or aluminum version of the hubs?

    My hubs are not the titanium version, if you were asking me. Everything on these was chosen for durability over weight; the wheels will likely be stored in my Campa wheel bags for the most part, and used when I want them for whatever reason – the steel will have another set of Campa tubbies, and these – glued up with the FMB’s, will primarily serve specific tasks. I plan to have them and still use them the day I die.

    I think they look good on the R3, though I agree that it looks better with wheels matched to the era.

    Standard configuration:

    Cobbled configuration:

    Used to good effect by one Stuey O’Grady:

  22. Grumbledook doesn’t like Campagnolo, so his opinion is worthless. Your bike looks great in the cobbles configuration.

  23. @frank
    Looks pretty awesome either way. The nemeses go well with the skinny seat stays.

    But, as Rule #17 doesn’t specifically define team kit as garments are you not at odds with your own rules?

  24. @frank
    Agree with Oli.
    Any wheelset looks good on R3.I bet that my oma fiets 28×1 1/2 wheelset would look fucking bad ass on R3.Shame you probably got not enough clearance.Plus they’re clinchers so why waste time trying.

  25. @frank

    @Souleur

    I thought I was alone in the love of westerns

    Just arrived today: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. You are not alone.

    You have to see Leone’s true masterpiece if you have not already: “Once Upon a Time in the West”. The GREATEST spaghetti western ever made.

    I LOVE “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”, along with the “Fist Full of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More” (and the original Japanese films from Kurasawa that Leone took them from) but “Once Upon a Time in the West” is his best, hands down.

  26. @xyxax

    @teleguy57These are clinchers. @Buck Rodgers just built up the tubular version of the rim and we Still Want Photos.

    Ahhh, I know, I stink at taking photos and I am even worse at posting them. Suffice to say that they look AWESOME and ride even better!!!

  27. @TommyTubolare

    @Buck RogersHey Buck.You mean the man with harmonica.Awesome.I got that DVD from US on NTSC.Nice!

    Yes!!! Charles Bronson is “Harmonica”. That is by far the best spaghetti western out there, in my opinion. Hell, almost doesn’t need the “spaghetti” qualifier as it is just plain one of the best westerns ever done, if not movie in general!

  28. @frank
    I cannot tell you how badly my wife wants a Bakfiets bike! She found them online a few years back and has wanted one ever since. Says she’ll take all five of our kiddos in it to the store and ride around with them.

    You’ll have to ask her about it if you come out for the 200-on-100.

  29. @Marcus

    @Buck RogersShane.

    Absolutely! As well as “The Searchers”, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, “High Noon”, the list goes on and on. Love them all.

  30. @TommyTubolare

    @Buck RogersNevermind Ch.Bronson.Claudia Cardinale.Ouch!!!

    Now THAT deserves a repost!!!

    I LOVE the loose blouse that she wears in the movie. Man, cleavage galore!!

  31. @Buck Rogers

    @TommyTubolare

    @Buck RogersNevermind Ch.Bronson.Claudia Cardinale.Ouch!!!

    Now THAT deserves a repost!!!
    I LOVE the loose blouse that she wears in the movie. Man, cleavage galore!!

    uh………
    what the………
    I was going to say something, but that repost just made me go blank…….

  32. @frank, Buck, & paolo: sweet, glad I am in a good company
    @Buck, I haven’t seen that, but I will go and get it, THANKS!

    And here’s to Robert Duvall and Costner, ‘its a beautiful day to make things right’

    I think Spartacus would say that or Fast Phil

  33. @Buck Rogers

    @xyxax

    @teleguy57These are clinchers. @Buck Rodgers just built up the tubular version of the rim and we Still Want Photos.

    Ahhh, I know, I stink at taking photos and I am even worse at posting them. Suffice to say that they look AWESOME and ride even better!!!

    So Mr. Buck, while you’re building your photo posting skills at least tell us about the wheels –spoke count, type, crossings etc. and tires too. Inquiring minds want to know what makes for an even better than awesome ride!

  34. @frank

    @SimonH

    @frank
    Which spokes did you go with for your build ?

    14 gauge double-butted DT Swiss with brass nipples.

    If you really want to build wheels that really last you should have used Sapim CX Ray spokes. Since these also provide more elasticity you would benefit even more from the Ambrosio rims + tubby combination. DT spokes are more the Volkswagen amongst all the spokes on the market and not an adequate choice for you nice pair of Royce hubs.

  35. @Anjin-san

    White Industries are really nice, in my opinion, as are the Chris King R45s. Paul Component Engineering makes some very nice bits as well. Unfortunately, all of them are pretty pricey. DT Swiss makes some really sweet hubs that are a little more affordable if you don’t mind the weight and lack of luster. I used a pair of the DT hubs for my CX wheels that I built last year and they have been BOMB-proof.

    DT hubs are everything else but bomb-proof. I ruined two already. Their star ratchet freewheel system is crap compared to the one made by Chris King. In addition the finish is not anymore what it used to be when the hubs were still completely Swiss-made (and called Hügi). I would rather ride a Shimano DuraAce hub than a DT again.

  36. @grumbledook
    Absolute rubbish! DT spokes are great. Sapim are fine too, but not better than DT – in fact I have seen many more unexplained spoke breakages from Sapim than from DT. I’m not a huge fan of DT hubs and rims, but the spokes are the best.

  37. @teleguy57
    Mine are 28 spoke count front and rear (would have liked 32 but it was not what they guy was selling), obviously 2x cross lace pattern with DT Competition double butted spokes and brass nipples. The tires I am running are the 27 mm Vitorria Pave’s. I have Chris King R45 hubs on the HED C2 Belgium tubular rims. LOVING the ride and hoping that they are tough enough for the French Pave’!

    I will test them out a week from Saturday on a rough oraded 162 K race here in Texas with a bunch of gravel/dirt and supposed pave.

    Shoold be a blast! Praying for rain!

  38. @Oli
    Oli, I’ve just popped an Ultegra 10 speed cassette onto the Ambrosio Nemesis/Dura-ace wheels I picked up on ebay and there’s a fair bit of play, do I need some sort of spacer? It’s a Uniglide compatible Hyperglide hub.

  39. Yes, you’ll need a 1mm spacer behind the cassette – they usually supply one with the cassette, but if you don’t have one bike shops usually have millions of them lying around.

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