See how some of the world's lightest aluminum wheels are made
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This modest sign is the only external indication of what goes on inside(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Tubeless tape is applied in-house so that they're ready to go upon receipt(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
After the spoke holes are punched, they're then countersunk using another press. This not only profiles the edges of the holes but also work hardens them for better fatigue life(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Testing machines torture test completed wheels(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rubber bits litter the bottom of this testing station(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic says it had to switch to a motorcycle chain for this testing station since bicycle-specific ones were wearing out too often(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Wheels are rotated on this drum to test the rim and spoke durability(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Angled blocks on the drum add side load to the wheel every time they're hit(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This station is fully enclosed in case something disintegrates(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This fatigue tester uses a motorized camshaft hidden underneath the cabinet to cyclically push parts up against the stack of weights up above(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic doesn't drill spoke holes. They're punched out using this press(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Completed hub shells are stored inside American Classic without spokes holes so that they can made to order as necessary(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Replacement parts are vacuum packed in-house(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic says thru-axle conversion kits are flying out the door(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic was in the process of setting up a new machine for applying tubeless tape. A foam roller applies pressure to the tape as the wheel is rotated around(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Gloves, rags, and lots of cleaning products(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Prepped wheels ready for packing(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Foam jackets protect the aluminum freehub bodies during shipment(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic recently switched from traditional decals to water-transfer graphics, which are more permanent but also harder to counterfeit(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
OEM wheels are packed in bulk boxes at right while aftermarket wheels go in individual boxes at left(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Cardboard wheel box inserts are preassembled and ready to go(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Testing the unique clamp on American Classic's aluminum seatpost(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Spoke holes are drilled in rims using this machine(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rims are clamped into the station and then rotated around to these fixed drilling locations(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
More visual inspection(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This station is used to verify rim roundness. Note the dial gauge at the top(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Checking out a freshly rolled rim after the ends have been trimmed off(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic uses this handheld tool to test rim hardness(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rims, hub shells, and freehub bodies are all individually serialized, allowing the company to trace vendors, distributors, and even individual builders in case something goes awry(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Grinding the loop spring to ensure the ends are the perfect length(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic moved into a new facility just a few months ago after outgrowing its old one(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Stacks of wheels are organized on to pallets for shipping to various distributors(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic principals Ellen Kast and Bill Shook(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A giant set of calipers is used to measure rims(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic founder Bill Shook still prefers pinned over welded rims, saying welding introduces too much localized heat and can too easily warp the rim(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Aluminum rims come in as raw extrusions, which then have to be rolled, trimmed, and pinned in-house(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Yet more visual inspection taking place(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rim extrusions are carefully cleaned and inspected before they're rolled(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Drilled rims waiting to be pinned(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Goes in straight at one end, comes out curved at the other(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This machine pushes the freshed rolled rim out against the die and then a saw comes down to trim the ends(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A freshly rolled rim is prepped for trimming(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Various rollers for different rim models(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic uses this machine to pin and sleeve its aluminum rims(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Yes, you can now get American Classic wheels in Estonia(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Once wheels are picked for orders, they're sent here for final cleaning and packing(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mid-range wheel models are trued and tensioned by machine first, then finished by hand(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
These shells are now ready to be assembled into complete hubs(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Finished parts are stored here until they're ready to be assembled(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mountains of completed rims are stack six levels high(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Plastic curtains help keep the air conditioned final assembly areas cool(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The final assembly area is very brightly lit(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bearings are installed using this press(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Another press for a different bearing size sits on the opposite side(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Perhaps the most crucial element of American Classic's rear hub design is the cam spring Here, a worker uses a go/no go gauge to see if the end has been ground properly(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This surface grinder is used to precisely and consistently shave the ends of the loop spring, which is affixed to the freehub body and activates the cam plate to engage the pawls. Company founder Bill Shook says this is the most critical process in the rear hub assembly(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Stacks of parts waiting to be processed(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic currently anodizes parts in three different colors(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The wheel assembly process at American Classic's factory in Taichung, Taiwan starts at the loading dock where one of these two trucks deliver parts from various vendors(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Parts are amassed in the factory in various states of completion. Here, freehub bodies have been anodized but still need to be bored for the bearings(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Inspection is a critical segment in the workflow. Note the bright lights that are installed to help the workers see better(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic's quality control office resides on the ground level while R&D is conducted upstairs - usually by company founder Bill Shook, who spends up to a quarter of the year here in Taichung(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Here, parts are visually inspected immediately after being unloaded from the trucks(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Terrain model hubs have come back from the anodizer but still need a few finishing steps to be performed before they can be assembled(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Parts are organized into plastic bins and are marked with tracking tags(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bearing seats have been bored into these hub shells but the water transfer graphics still need to be applied(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
These special narrow-profile rear hub shells are destined for Dahon folding bikes(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic has a patent on these clever steel inserts, which keep cassette cogs from digging into the aluminum freehub body while adding minimal weight(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Hydraulic presses are used so as to maintain a consistent force when installing bearings(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic rear hubs are still built with adjustable preload. Here, a worker sets the final bearing adjustment(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This custom made tool keeps bladed spokes from rotating when the nipples are turned(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
How much do American Classic workers use spoke tensiometers? Enough that the anodizing is worn off on the edges of the handle and they've added padding to cushion their hands(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This compact rack can hold upwards of sixty complete wheels(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
American Classic founder Bill Shook designed this wheel rack himself, which cleverly uses box straps to keep everything separate and stable(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Dish is checked by hand(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mitutoyo dial gauges give wheel builders precise out-of-round and trueness measurements(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
These alloy spoke nipples feature another American Classic patent. They extend past the flange and are designed to work with a longer spoke so as the nipple is loaded in compression, not tension(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Wheels are secured in the building stations with these quick-release clamps(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This hydraulic press is used to destress wheels - a critical step to help ensure that wheels will stay true once they're out in the field(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Spoke tension is checked with a DT Swiss tensiometer(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Each of these workers can crank out up to fifty wheels per day(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
