Start a Wheel Order
Why Luxe Wheels?
Luxe Wheelworks by Gruppo Spinelli is a custom bicycle wheel studio founded and operated by former professional cyclist and master wheel builder Justin Spinelli. Each Luxe wheelset is made to order — tailored to the terrain, riding style, and aesthetic preferences of the client.
With decades of experience across the cycling world—from the European pro peloton to the service course of WorldTour teams—Justin Spinelli brings a level of technical knowledge and intuition few can match. Unlike most professional racers, Justin began his cycling journey as a mechanic, honing a deep mechanical fluency long before his racing career took off. That early hands-on experience became a defining advantage, giving him a rare perspective on bike dynamics and equipment performance.
After securing spots on the U.S. National Team and professionally with Saeco on wheelsets he built himself, Justin returned to the workshop, where his time in the pro peloton further informed a meticulous, rider-first approach to wheel building. He has since served as a technical consultant and mechanic for national programs, elite racers, and discerning enthusiasts. His resume includes mechanical roles at global events and leadership in product development and athlete support.
Why Hand Built Wheels?
Experience Makes the Difference
At Luxe Wheelworks, I believe wheels should be built by skilled hands, not machines. The truth is, no machine can yet match the precision, care, and adaptability of an experienced wheelbuilder. Every rim, hub, and spoke combination behaves a little differently during the building process, and those subtleties require judgment that only comes from years of experience.
Hand building also offers flexibility that machines simply can’t provide. At Luxe Wheelworks, each wheel is carefully stress-relieved and re-tensioned multiple times on both sides of the build. These steps refine spoke balance, minimize deviations, and ensure the wheel settles into its final form with lasting stability. In automated production, those extra stages would slow things down or require retooling—so they’re usually skipped. But to me, they’re essential. This deliberate process is what sets a hand-built Luxe wheel apart in both quality and longevity.
Spoke Tension
The strength and ride quality of a wheel depend on one crucial factor: spoke tension. This unseen force holds the wheel together, delivering durability, precise handling, and efficient power transfer. The craft lies in pushing each spoke as close as possible to its maximum safe tension, while keeping all the spokes balanced with one another.
When this preload is right, nearly every spoke helps carry the load as the wheel rolls. Each rotation subjects spokes to a cycle of tension and release—on a 29-inch wheel, that’s more than 400 times per kilometer. If the tension is too low, spokes can lose their preload, gradually loosen, and destabilize the wheel. If tension is too high, especially under impacts like a hard landing, the spokes can overstretch and weaken.
Striking the right balance is an art. At Luxe Wheelworks, that balance is achieved through patience, precision, and attention to detail. The result is a wheel that feels alive under you—stiff when you sprint, predictable in a corner, and durable enough to last season after season.
Quality Guarantee
We set our standards as high as our riders do. Each wheel that leaves Luxe Wheelworks undergoes rigorous checks to guarantee consistency and performance.
Before it goes out the door, each wheel is cataloged with a detailed report of spoke tension, dish, and trueness that is sent to the customer. If a wheel doesn’t meet Luxe Wheelworks standards, it doesn’t ship—simple as that.
This process ensures not only accountability but also confidence: when you ride a Luxe Wheelworks wheel, you’re riding something with a standard of excellence that’s tailored to you, and you will feel the difference.
