Wheel/Rim Maintenance

Boyd Cycling wheels are hand built in the US by a very experienced wheel builder. Every wheel has been checked thoroughly for trueness and tension and spoke freeze is applied after the build to keep the wheels in true. Occasionally wheels can go through a normal break in period where a spoke or two may need to be tensioned. This is perfectly normal and should be performed by a professional mechanic.

The carbon braking surface is very strong and durable but certain precautions should be taken to ensure that your wheels will last you many years. Carbon specific brake pads should always be used on our carbon wheels, we highly recommend the yellow Swissstop brake pads for our tubulars and provide them for a great price when ordering a set of wheels. For carbon clinchers we provide brake pads developed by the rim manufacturer to work in unison with the rim. This helps prevent heat build up and provides excellent stopping power. For carbon clinchers these brake pads MUST be used, we do NOT recommend using the Swissstop brake pads with the carbon clincher rims.
You should never use the same brake pads on carbon wheels that have been used with an aluminum braking surface. The brake pads can pick up tiny chards of aluminum that can be damaging to carbon rims.

If your brakes are squealing with the carbon rims, you will need to adjust the toe-in of the brake pads. An easy way to do this is to fold a business card in half and place it behind the rear portion of the brake pad. Squeeze the brakes against the rim and tighten. Now the front half of the brake pad will be angled towards the rim and your wheels won't be screaming at you.

Hub Maintenance

Boyd Cycling hubs are designed to be lightweight, strong, and very easily serviceable. Both the front and rear bearings contain four Enduro sealed cartridge bearings (front uses #699, rear uses 1X#6902 and 3X#6802).

Occasionally dirt particles can enter the rear hub, especially if you have been riding in the rain. If you ever feel your freehub body slip, this is due to one of the pawls in the back getting stuck. Simple loosen up the rear hub with two 5mm allen wrenches, and the non drive side end cap will come off. By pressing on the axle, the freehub body will dislodge from the hub. Here you can clean the pawls and add some lubrication to them (use a low viscosity oil based lube). When reassembling the rear hub, make sure not to overtighten the end cap or you can limit the longevity of the bearings.
See the instructional video for this process here

Warnings

For carbon clincher rims, never inflate to more than 130PSI. Also, never leave fully inflated tires inside your car on a hot summer day. The increase in temperature can cause the PSI to skyrocket and damage the sidewall of the rims. Releasing a small amount of pressure from the tires will be fine.

Mild cleaners only should be used in the cleaning of the carbon rims. Simple Green is a great choice for keeping your wheels clean. Harsh cleaners, such as acetone, can damage the decals on the rims.

Rim strips should always be used with the wheels before putting the tubes and tires on the wheels. If you do not use rim strips, your tubes will flat very quickly! Rim strips are included with all clincher rims.

Never use any sharp objects to mount the tires on your wheels! Objects such as screwdrivers, wrenches, scissors, etc can damage the carbon rim and will void your warranty. Always use plastic tire levers for mounting tires, and be patient. . putting brand new tires on carbon rims can be a difficult process.

Other Warnings

You may notice an increase in speed with these new wheels. This is perfectly normal and should be anticipated. Don't be surprised if your riding partners are a bit upset with you at first and present you with humorous excuses as to why they couldn't keep up. PR's have also been known to occur within weeks of receiving your new wheels.