MADE IN AUSTRALIA: Raild Wheels

Words: Will Shaw
Photos: Callan Robison

Normally we focus on brands that make their products in Australia. For this issue we’re looking at a company that doesn't manufacture anything in Australia, but their finished products are the result of the unique skills of the two founders, based in Northern Sydney. 

Raild Wheels was born out of frustration at the poor quality of wheels supplied OEM from bike manufacturers, as well as the cost of decent aftermarket wheels. Eugene Holdenson and Hamish Simpson decided to do something about this and founded Raild Wheels in late 2020. Whilst there are many great wheel builders across the country, Raild’s razor focus on durable mountain bike wheels is unique. I spoke with Eugene about Raild’s focussed operation, and by the sounds of it they’re not slowing down anytime soon! 

AMB: When did you found Raild and what was the motivation?

Eugene: Hamish and I founded Raild in November 2020 and the motivation was that mountain biking is too expensive, full stop. Whilst Hamish has a long background in mountain biking, I’m from a BMX background and only got into mountain biking in early 2020. After dinging a rim at Thredbo, I was shocked to see the limited wheel and rim options available, particularly when compared to the custom wheels readily available in other countries.

Interested in more Aussie products? Check out our interview with Rubber Side Down.

Hamish was scheduled to move to Whistler in 2020 and was unable to go when COVID struck. I’d already purchased 60 XM481 rims from Chain Reaction after committing to Raild, and so I asked Hamish to give it a go with me. After just one week of selling our wheels on Facebook he quit his job to focus on Raild full time. He was thinking he’d move to Whistler when the borders opened but he’s still here – Raild is just too fun! 

AMB: Are all the wheels built by either Hamish or Eugene?

Eugene: Yes. Hamish is the highly skilled wheel builder, but we have a nice division of labour going on with the builds. I’m primarily in charge of stock management and sales, and Hamish focuses on building wheels and social media.

I lace the wheel – it doesn’t make any sense for Hamish to do it as it doesn’t require any skill! Hamish will build up to 10 wheels per day, which is the sweetspot for giving each wheel the attention it deserves whilst not draining himself mentally. We build a lot of wheels – 60-70 wheels per week during Summer – so it’s easy to see why our volumes necessitate such high standards and quality control. 

We believe the fundamental difference between our wheels and other offerings is that Hamish and I jointly own Raild, and every wheel that we send out is a personal reflection of us. Hamish won’t accept anything that’s not perfect. 

AMB: What is the process for a customer wanting to get a set of wheels built, is it mostly through your website or do people contact you for advice?

Eugene: 70 percent of our customers touch base with us prior to buying. The number one question we get is what colours of (Industry Nine) Hydras we have in stock. Our customers are usually about to spend upwards of $1000, and understandably they want to confirm they’re making the right choices. People have been scarred by compatibility mistakes in the past, so it’s nice to be a small enough business that we can answer the phone and talk directly to customers to ensure we’re meeting their needs.

AMB: If a customer isn’t sure what type of wheels they need, what’s the advice you give them?

Eugene: There are three things we ask people when they’re not sure what wheel set would suit them. The first is how heavy they are, the second is what bike they’re on, and the third is where they ride and how hard they ride. As Hamish and I both ride, we can make good recommendations from there. 

AMB: Aside from those factors, are there other considerations to consider, for example you’re based in Northern Sydney where the terrain is quite rocky, technical, and hard on wheels?

Eugene: Absolutely. Somewhere like Canberra is a good example of a place where most riders don’t need as heavy duty a wheel set as they might in Northern Sydney. We usually encourage our customers to ride a mixed wheel set, as you get the best of both worlds in terms of weight, ride quality, and durability. That typically means running a lighter, 28 spoke rim up front, with a tougher, 32 spoke rim on the rear. Over 50 percent of our wheel set sales are mixed, and we’ve only ever replaced one destroyed alloy rim on the front of a Raild wheel set. This attention to detail is just one of the ways which we set ourselves apart. 

AMB: Once a customer has ordered a set of wheels what’s the process from there?

Eugene: We hold a huge number of wheels in stock, and parts to build all sorts of wheels from scratch. We ship wheels that are in stock the same day, for example popular models such as EX511 rims on 350 hubs, and for a fully custom order we’ll normally ship the following day. 

AMB: Something we like to ask in the Australian Made series is if the company has any environmental goals or initiatives, does Raild have any ambitions in this area? 

Eugene: Hamish and I are very aware of the greenwashing that goes on in the bike industry, and I don’t think there’s anything particularly sustainable about what we do on a day-to-day basis.

The biggest contribution we would make to sustainability outcomes is that we try not to sell people things they don’t need. If someone calls us and says, ‘my rear wheel is broken, I’m on a budget, should I get the rear wheel or a full set?’, we’ll recommend just getting the rear as it’s highly unlikely you’ll break your front wheel. You’ll probably just end up with a spare front wheel sitting in your garage!

We also encourage people to reuse their old hubs, if they’re decent quality, instead of selling them new ones. Customers post in their hubs, and we rebuild them up using our rims and spokes. Think NSD and Cyclinic, just for wheels instead of forks. We’re launching a new platform soon for this, stay tuned. 

AMB: Currently most of your wheel building is concentrated on trail, enduro, and downhill usage, do you have any thoughts about getting into XC wheel building, or other disciplines like road?

Eugene: Once again this falls into the category of Hamish and I focussing on things we’re truly passionate about. Whilst we’ve certainly built road wheels for customers, we don’t offer them on our site as it’s not something we’re interested in.

As for cross-country and gravel, we’ll shortly be offering wheel sets with our own carbon rims.

AMB: With everything that’s going on with Raild are you looking at taking on more wheel builders?

Eugene: We hold a lot of stock, so we aren’t constantly trying to source parts. This is something a lot of shops struggle with. By avoiding this headache, we have more time to build wheels and answer the phone. 

The major problem with hiring wheel builders is that they just won’t care as much as Hamish. At times when we’ve needed a bit of help, every wheel has always been personally finished by Hamish as we demand such tight quality control on wheels bearing the Raild name. 

AMB: On your website you’re now stocking other parts such as brakes, rotors, and drivetrains, what’s the motivation behind this?

Eugene: Another thing about the bike industry that annoys Hamish and I is the cost of building a frame up. I’m happy to take a hit on our margins selling a bundle, including drivetrain and brake components, as part of a package with our wheels. A lot of our customers are doing complete builds, so it makes total sense. 

AMB: What can people look forward to from Raild in the future?

Eugene: There’s lots going on at Raild right now. Our mission is to reduce the price of quality wheels, and we’re working with a Belgian manufacturer Erase to release high end hubs at mid-range prices, cutting out the middleman and passing on the savings. 

We have the exclusive distribution rights in Oceania for the next three years – hopefully longer if we make a big splash! We’ll be selling coloured hubs, which is new for Erase as the European market is predominantly black hubs. When we told them 60 percent of our Industry Nine Hydra sales are coloured, they couldn’t believe it. 

We’re also working on our own line of carbon rims, which are made in the same factory as several other well-known brands. We’re aiming for a $1499 carbon wheel set, nuts! We’re applying the same attention to detail here, such as different carbon layups and weight between front and rear rims to ensure durability.