NAHBS is always a challenge for us. I have my full time work, the rest of the family is similarly committed, and expenses (especially travel and lodging) are substantial.

On the plus side, there’s a tribe of people who work so hard and are so geographically dispersed that for me they can only be seen at NAHBS. Think, Richard Sachs (Connecticut), Curtis Odom (San Diego), or Shinichi Konno (Japan).

Another plus is the infrequent chance to get four Hjertbergs in one place at one time.

Donna, Jon, Ric, and Kristina

NAHBS is also a chance to evangelize for wheels. I’m quite the exponent of wheels deserving attention and expertise, more than they usually receive. Each year I present a pair of seminars devoted to recruiting wheel gurus for the future, especially encouraging those inclined to get started.

Denver, the location for 2013, sealed our decision. It was supposed to go to the East Coast after last year’s record turnout in Sacramento. Something changed and Denver became the spot. We had to grab the opportunity.

Carving time out of February sounds simple but it became quite a challenge as changes at work (for the better) had us all on our seat edges. We stuck to our commitments and loaded the van and trailer last weekend. That Monday, we hit I-90 and began the 1300 mile trek.

Donna and I manned the Previa, Jon and Kristina flew to meet us. We were surprised by some unexpected weather on the route. Here we are in Utah.

What’s this cold, crunchy stuff?

In Denver, nearly 10″ of snow fell on Saturday night and Sunday of the Show. It became an adventure as well as journey. More on the Show and our weather fate in the next post.

Bicycle wheels need to be straight so rim brakes can be effectively adjusted and the ride smooth and steady. Crooked wheels are barely amusing at low speed and create dangerous wobbles at high. After straightness, however, is the issue of centering. In order for wheels to easily interchange among frames and forks the bicycle world has agreed they should be centered.

Centered means the rim and tire are equidistant from the axle ends. No matter if your wheel is front or rear, internal gears or disk brake, MTB or road, it’s meant to be centered. The exception is a very bent frame for which, occasionally, wheels are adapted. No reason to worry about centering if you have a problem without another solution. Let’s hope that’s rare.

Wheels are centered as they are built. There are a number of ways to do this but a dishing tool (wheel centering is known as “dish”) is the overwhelming choice. Read more →