From a small workshop in East London, independent bike brand Stayer Cycles are pioneering the often overlooked art of custom wheels, taking on the giants of the industry and breaking convention not just when it comes to spoke count.

True wheelbuilders create wheels that are built to last and be ridden hard. Weight and performance are important, but above all, being fit for purpose takes centre stage. Nowhere is this more apparent than with Belgian-born Judith Rooze. Something of a wheel building sommelier, she has taken this traditional mindset to heart. An outlier in the industry, she’s one half of independent East London bike brand Stayer Cycles. Based in a Leytonstone industrial estate, Stayer Cycles have thrown themselves into building wheels and bikes for the riding that they do, rather than kowtowing to trends pushed by industry.

We talk to Judith while she’s busy working at her wheelbuilding stand. “It’s strange that pro riders still get their wheels built by hand, whilst the mass market is filled with wheelsets. There certainly has to be something in that.” She raises her head briefly from the in progress wheel in front of her. It needs its spokes cut to length. Rather than hold a huge stock of different spokes, Judith measures them precisely down to 0.2 millimeters to perfectly match the wheel. As the build progresses, the concentrated silence is regularly punctuated by the zing of the spoke tension gauge checking each one scrupulously.. Park Tool and DT Swiss equipment features prominently, helping dial up the accuracy of every wheel. Behind Judith sits a filing cabinet filled with spokes: bladed, round, double-butted, straight-pull.. She can recite the pros and cons of each, we learn. Later, she shows us her preferred nipples – the internal nut, meaning that she can tension them from the rim bed without marking them externally affecting the aesthetics of the final product. Judith works purposefully and meticulously. She has to – she’s got a reputation to uphold.

Stayer Cycles is run in tandem with her partner Sam, the expert welder and frame builder to Judith’s high-spec wheel building. They met whilst studying fine art at London’s UCL, where they discovered their shared passion for traditional crafts and workmanship. Over the past three years, the creative East London pair have built up a dedicated following in the British capital which has spread across the nation amongst hardcore cyclocross fans, gravel specialists, endurance riders and those looking for something special as their treasured road bike. Their winter weekends are spent supporting riders at national and World Cup cyclocross events, where the pair take on a triple role – as fans, mechanics, and gathering on-the-ground, real-time feedback. Cycling is certainly in their blood.

It’s an odd thought that even though our sport by definition requires two wheels (check the etymology of the name, bi- ‘two’ in Latin, and cycle from the Greek kyklos for “circle, wheel”) most riders have become completely disconnected from the art of wheelbuilding.
Since the mid-90s and the introduction of wheelsets, the need to think about the relationship between hub, spokes, rims and the actual wheel build has been lost amidst the glossiness of the whole bike. But the more you delve into this subject the more you recognise the huge impact it has on your ride. “I had a pair of wheels come in – an own brand from a big shop – where the spokes were not interlaced. I originally thought that it was a one-off mistake, but I did some research to see that they were designed like this. It blew my mind. How would they last, or even have any lateral stiffness?” Judith recounts while pouring yet more strong coffee from a cafetiere. The room we are in is sprinkled with their collection of bikes, cameras and tires.

“I wouldn’t say I grew up a cyclist, I was surrounded by it though, thanks to siblings who raced and a mother who knows every Tour de France star and what they had for breakfast, though she claims not to be a cycling fan,” Judith laughs. “That’s just how it is in Belgium.” Add to this the welding that runs in Sam’s family and it was perhaps only to be expected that bikes and fine art would feature prominently in the pair’s future.

Judith had a low key start in the industry through buying and selling vintage bikes while studying. “You learn rapidly that each vintage bike is like a can of worms. I had to step into the role of bike mechanic right from the start and I found that the wheels often needed the most TLC. I couldn’t sell something that didn’t work. I wanted to be able to repair them and ensure they were built to last.”

With a host of lustworthy frames sourced through her network back in Belgium and a mass of Londoners in the arts scene wanting to go vintage, her side hustle quickly grew into a brick and mortar store on Brick Lane, where the reality of being a woman in a male-dominated industry became clear. Judith devoured all the resources to become a skilled mechanic but it wasn’t easy. “It’s hard to stay positive as a female in a bike shop. I don’t actually know any women working in bike shops who don’t get bitter. Perhaps it’s a case of people not knowing how to handle a woman in that environment, but there’s a strong tendency for male customers to talk over you.It happened so much and I found myself getting angrier and angrier and like a lot of female mechanics, I’ve had to fight not to become bitter.” These days there is zero trace of any bitterness.

The pair moved further east to Leytonstone where Stayer Cycles was born, letting the pair concentrate on precisely what makes them happiest. They now have two floors in a small industrial building and Judith works largely in solitude, with Nola, their dog and head of HR. “Now I’m practicing an actual profession and no longer in the bike shop, things have changed. On the whole, there’s a lot less misogyny. Maybe people respect me more that I’m in a more specialist field. People don’t just walk up off the street here. If they’ve done any research they’ll know who they are going to be dealing with.”

Her workshop is bathed in natural light and French radio hums in the background. Nola looks up from her bed, holding a tennis ball in her mouth. “And I want to believe that the industry is changing for the better.” She laughs again. “People now know it’s commercially important to be inclusive and that’s making for an interesting change.” She continues to tension a set of wheels – these ones are headed for the National Cyclocross Series, ready to be “bunny-hopped wildly at every opportunity” by two of the nation’s most ambitious up-and-comers.

These wheel recipients might only be 10 and 12 years old, but they and their parents are just as enthusiastic as the Belgian building the wheel. We’re drawn into the tale and Judith eagerly recounts more backstories of those who ride Stayer. It almost merits a book deal in itself. Judith wants to sell to those who truly push the limits of the equipment. She advocates 650b wheels for women riders, who’ll benefit from the agility of smaller wheels, and analyses ground conditions for cyclocross to ensure that her riders get the best solution. Then there’s the avid dot watching of her wheels as they cross the continent of Europe in record time, or claim top honours at races like the Transcontinental.

In short, a lot of passion goes into the painstaking process.

We continue to dissect the good and the bad of the industry, which highlights her experience. As a wheelbuilding connoisseur, Judith knows the performance, price and weight ratio of all the products out there. And through her work with Stayer’s own cyclocross team, she knows exactly which bearings last and which don’t. “If you’re only seeing wheels from your cyclocross team for a service every two seasons you soon realise that certain products are built with quality in mind. Ok we get breakages – that’s normal – but faults due to building, no, and issues due to wear and tear only occur after a long time,” Judith adds with pride.

Judith is also an engaging orator and teaches wheelbuilding at London Bike Kitchen, where she’s keen to see even more women get into bike mechanics. The vibe there is wholly inclusive and it’s one that reflected in everything that Judith brings back to Leytonstone. So much so, that even though Stayer built its reputation on custom frames and wheels, they are now looking to offer a couple of stock options to allow a new section of the market the opportunity to experience the quality that comes from hand-built wheels. “When I started there were only the oldest books and forums to be able to learn about wheelbuilding, so I’m keen to share the knowledge. It’s amazing how quickly some people pick it up.” [Editor’s note: Stayer are actively looking for an apprentice]

Interested to take the idea of Stayer’s off-the-peg, hand-built wheels further, we continue to probe. Knowing that there are a host of Asian manufacturers to choose from, how can a discerning wheelbuilder or rider know they are getting something more valuable here? “We’ve narrowed down our offerings to three rims, from three top suppliers that we’re totally happy with. We’re not at the point to be able to afford our own moulds for rims. The cost of that is huge and restricted to the bigger companies. That means that I’ve spent a vast amount of time searching for rims that hit all our pointers, through samples and hard ride testing. I think that this has been helped by the custom builds I did. It means that I know what the best brands are like, so from there I make a choice of three different rims, normally built on DT Swiss hubs – for me, they are probably the best out there,” Judith explains.

Stayer Cycles is not solely profit focussed and largely relies on word-of-mouth referrals. With a progressively traditional style of running a business, they’re as down-to-earth as the wheel itself. While we’re not sure that this progressive mindset reflects the wider industry, where males still dominate and wheelsets are still for the masses, the London bubble appears to be a healthy incubator for the pair. With multiple women’s-only cycling leagues, the London Bike Kitchen, a thriving amateur race scene and a wealth of independent bike dealers, the city has driven a demand for artisan builds, and we are excited to see it broaden beyond the city limits (Brexit permitting!). The ideas that are developing in this progressive metropolis are driving a change within our sport, where women are equals with tools in their hands. Although if you ask Judith, she’d probably say they’re better than their male counterparts.

Why’s that? “On the whole we’re less confident in the final product so we’ll double and triple check everything.”

Channeling a traditionally intimate dialogue between rider and builder, it’s clear that there’s something in Stayer Cycles. Judith agrees.“There is an advantage to being this size. We are really close to our customers, meaning that we can react to their needs and also be part of their riding. That’s why I love building wheels for endurance and adventure; I love the idea of going on the journey.”

But that’s not to say that Judith’s short of adventure. Earlier this year she rode through the Atlas mountains and is now off to Wales for field-testing (in the guise of a riding holiday). So while big companies have test teams, engineers and product managers, which can make them feel distant from the end product, those who ride Stayer Cycles and Judith’s wheels end up being part of the family, wherever they are in the world.

Find out more here stayercycles.com


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Words & Photos: Phil Gale, Emmie Collinge