About
“Everything I create is designed to improve the performance of every rider.”
– Nir Tal
The ride ends.
The pursuit of better never does.
My mission is simple: Create the finest, best-performing wheelsets in the business. This is my driving force. It’s what gets me up in the morning. That, and riding the roads and trails in and around Los Angeles. Every ride is an opportunity to improve my performance. A philosophy I apply to every wheelset that rolls out my door.
Adrenaline is my drug of choice.
Whether riding a single track, racing down a mountain at arguably unsafe speeds, or sprinting around the roads I call home; nothing matches the rush I get from bicycling in all its forms. To me, it’s the perfect melding of body + mind + equipment. And when all are functioning in harmony at peak performance, the adrenaline flows. It’s a winning combination of fitness, skill, and machinery that can’t be matched.
Engineering before building.
On first glance, what I do is build wheels. But the reality, much like the experience of pushing yourself on a ride, reveals more. I engineer wheels. I create the specifications for every hub and rim that I create. This is not a pick-a-part assembly operation. Why go through the effort? To create the best possible wheels that can help every rider improve their performance. Whether it’s enabling experienced cyclists and triathletes to become more competitive, helping a rider shatter a personal best or give someone the confidence and results to move from the pack to the front of a group ride, I want to engineer wheels that engineer the results you want to see.
“My wheel building philosophy is simple. Don’t cheat. Don’t cut corners. Engineer it right the first time.”
– Nir Tal
My Mission
Engineering a better wheelset.
My wheel building philosophy is simple. Don’t cheat. Don’t cut corners. Engineer it right the first time. Continuously improve the materials and the process, and you’ll improve rider performance. Every wheelset that leaves my hands is the best it can be. I leave nothing on the bench. Why? Because if you’re not happy, I’m out of business. My name isn’t on every wheel because of ego. It’s there out of pride. It’s written there in a multi-step fabrication process that delivers better aerodynamics and never peels off. It’s there out of a commitment to helping you be a better rider.
One man. One wheel at a time.
Who engineers and builds your wheels? I do. Not a machine. Nothing is outsourced. Nothing is passed to the junior mechanic. This 100 percent quality control gives you faster, lighter, more durable wheels at a value that can’t be matched. Can you purchase cheaper quality wheels? Yes, they’re easy to find. You know their brand names. Can you buy more expensive wheels that won’t give you the same results? Yes. But if you’re ready to improve your ride with a better-engineered wheel, a better-built wheel, let’s get started.
Why I don’t use name brand hubs and rims.
There are quite a few wheelset assemblers in the market. You might have even visited their websites. They’re easy to spot because they’re websites are filled with logos from all the companies from which they buy hubs, rims, and spokes from. They then assemble the pieces and call it done. Wheel assembly is not wheel building. I only use hubs and rims engineered to my exacting specifications – design inputs that lead to better wheels, and better rides on any surface. This is the only way for you to get the lightest, fastest, most durable results. Wheelsets that fly by 15,000 miles without failure. All at an impressive value. Why don’t I craft my own spokes or nipples? Because I can’t make them better than the people who already are making them. If I could, I would.
The endless pursuit of failure.
I ride hard. I punish my wheelsets. I try to make them fail. I also work with a select group of customers who test my equipment with the same determination to destroy. Customers who have a history of breaking other name-brand products. This commitment to causing failure ensures my wheelsets deliver everything I promise them to be: light, fast, durable. Wheels that empower you to corner sharper, produce more watts, realize more speed on every ride over thousands of miles.
Two years of great riding. Guaranteed.
The truth is, my wheels are racking up miles in the triple and quad digits. I’ve had a very low rate of failure (less than 1%), and do not anticipate you’ll have any issues with the wheels I build. But things happen. Nir Wheels offers a two year warranty for manufacturer defects of the wheel (including rim, spoke, and hub) to the original owner. If there’s a problem, I request that the original owner contact me so I can determine the best way to remedy the situation. If the wheel needs to be sent back, the owner will pay for shipping to my shop, but I will pay for the shipping back to the owner once the problem is resolved. If you’re in the area, bring the wheel in to the shop so I can assess the issue and discuss next steps to get you back riding again.
If you have a crash requiring the replacement of a wheel, I offer a 30% replacement discount. And 100% of my sympathies.