wow, i was ready to get all defensive, and then you had to ruin it by being nice to me...
the point of my post wasn't to specifically bash you in the open forum, i just wanted to keep you honest.
it irks me when anyone makes exagerrated claims about anything. if you claim something's the best, it better be the best.
i also like to walk into places like bars and restaurants that claim "world famous" and complain that i've never heard of them.
as far as my wheel building experience, i've been building my own wheels since i was 11 years old. i built all my BMX wheels, and used to do a 5 cross race-lace pattern (ask your builder about that) that was virtually indestructable.
i use sturmey archer FXDD hubs on my new builds, and have Worksman drums and even an old Atom drum on my bikes. Atom's were used on mopeds, and Worksman's i believe are made by Grimeca, which make moped and motorcycle hubs.
for rears i always run high quality coaster brakes, and on my personal bikes i rebuild them with loose ball bearings instead of the caged, and i grease them quite often, and fine-tune them so they work perfectly.
i re-drill my hubs to accept 12 or 11g spokes, which i get from worksman or husky, as well as a large stock of NOS schwinn approved spokes i scored awhile ago.
i mostly use worksman wheels as well, although i wish i could still get the old sun metal products wheels, as they were virtually indestructable.
there is a big difference between down hill bicycle riding and the side and torque loads that a motorbike puts out. both are hard on the wheels (as well as the rest of the bike,) and i know many hardcore mountain bikers that choose a lightweight, semi-strong wheel for it's performance abilities, yet sacrifice longevity, and buy new wheels quite often.
a motorized bicycle doesn't have to be as concerned with flexibility or lightness, as most of the time it goes in a straight line, like a motorcycle. most spoked motorcycle wheels are steel clinchers, heavy duty spokes, and sealed bearing hubs.
the wheels you offer are a definite upgrade from most stock wheels, especially those found on department store bikes, and my main gripe was with the way you chose to advertise it. to me, it just seemed misleading.
i didn't mean to bash you or insult you, but in a public forum like this, we're all allowed to voice our opinions, and share our knowledge and experience, even if it's not what someone else wants to hear.
i wish you the best of luck with your business, terry, seriously. i know it's a tough market to crack...
(edit) one thing that's been buggin' me. your wheel builder says a 3 cross is lighter than a 4 cross. it's the same amount of spokes, same hubs, same rims. most of the time you can use the same size spokes, and the difference in case you can't is miniscule. like a 10 5/8" spoke to a 10 7/8". the weight savings would be almost nothing.
