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pristine Mavic Reflex/Shimano Ultegra 6400 Wheels, Ti Spokes - $395 (treasure island)
part type:
wheels and wheel parts
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The wheels are exceptionally clean, spin true, and the hubs are buttery smooth. They retain the complete period-correct combination rather than having been upgraded or pieced together over the years.
Why the Reflex rims are special
Mavic has been making serious cycling equipment for generations, and its rim development is a big part of the company's history. Mavic introduced its first aluminum bicycle rim with integrated eyelets in 1934 and continued pushing aluminum rim technology through the following decades.
The Reflex came out of that long tradition of lightweight aluminum road rims. it was an unusually light, narrow-profile rim for its time (mid to late 90's), with the clincher version weighing around 394g and featuring a welded seam, double eyelets, and an approximately 17.9mm rim height. A clean original Reflex clincher wheelset considerably harder to find than the much more common Open Pro builds.
Shimano Tricolor hubs are HB-6400 / FH-6402, from Shimano's 600 Ultegra line. The 6400 series debuted in 1987 as Shimano 600 Ultegra, bringing technology developed for Dura-Ace into a more accessible racing group. Shimano gave the series its distinctive Tricolor graphics, and the group incorporated technologies such as SIS indexed shifting and SLR braking. The 8-speed 6402 generation arrived in 1992, along with the move to STI road shifting.
These hubs are classic Shimano cup-and-cone designs, meaning they're fully serviceable and adjustable. For a mechanic or collector, that's a major advantage over many modern wheels: cones, bearings, grease and adjustment are all straightforward, and a properly serviced hub can keep going for decades.
The wheels were hand-built by Wheelsmith, using titanium spokes rather than the much more common stainless steel.
That makes this a particularly unusual build. Titanium spokes were used on high-end lightweight wheels because of their low density and corrosion resistance, and they fit perfectly with the philosophy of the Reflex: keep the wheel light without resorting to a disposable factory wheelset.
The combination of lightweight Reflex rims, titanium spokes and Ultegra hubs would have been a serious performance-oriented custom wheelset in its day.
Specs:
• Mavic Reflex 700c clincher rims
• Shimano 600 Ultegra 6400 Tricolor hubs HB-6400 front / FH-6402 rear
• Titanium spokes,Wheelsmith hand-built wheelset
• Original Shimano quick-release skewers
• Original Shimano 6400 8-speed Hyperglide cassette
• CS-HG90-8 (Ultegra/XT) 13–26t Hyperglide cassette, shows very little wear
• 100mm front / 130mm rear spacing
• Rim brake
Condition is Extremely clean and close to NOS. The wheels have very little evidence of use, spin true and smooth, and the hubs are exceptionally smooth. The original cassette is also remarkably clean with barely any wear.
This isn't really a wheelset I'd recommend to someone simply looking throw it on a bike to ride errands.. It's much more interesting than that. It's a period-correct restoration piece for a serious 1990s road bike, a great example of the kind of custom wheelbuilding that was common before high-end factory wheelsets took over, and a particularly nice find for someone who appreciates the details: early 8-speed Ultegra Tricolor hubs, rare Reflex clinchers, titanium spokes, Wheelsmith craftsmanship, original skewers and even the original cassette.
A very difficult combination to reproduce today. The individual components can still be found, but finding them together, in this condition and with the original build intact, is the special part.
I'm a bike mechanic and vintage road-bike collector, so I'm happy to help with installation, cassette compatibility, bearing service, or putting together the rest of a period-correct 1990s build. I price my wheels fairly based on condition and recent sales. Many of these sets go for more on eBay (often $50–300 higher once you factor in shipping and fees). I’m a mechanic and collector, so everything is well cared for and accurately described—you’re getting a clean, ready-to-ride wheelset at a solid value without the hassle of auctions or shipping delays.
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