Abec Wheel Pulley Doesn't Fit Abec Wheels

This article refers to the wheel pulley found in the MBoards Complete 36T Abec Pulley System. 

There is a bit of confusion surrounding the word 'Abec'. The community has decided that all wheels that use the same looking core as the brand "Abec Flywheels" will be referred to as Abec even though there are technically 2 different sizes of the core spokes. 

Here is a picture of the official Abec wheels:

There is a thinner core and a thicker core. The "Abec" core is technically the thinner version. Many pulleys were/are manufactured specifically for one of these versions. Nearly all unoffical Abec cores are the thicker version. 

In this case, the Complete 36T wheel pulley installs easiest into the thinner spokes but DOES still fit in the thicker spokes, it's just a much tighter fit. Many builders even prefer how tight the bolts are as they prevent the bolts from vibrating loose over time. 

The easiest installation method that we've found is to begin screwing the bolts into the core scoring the inside of the core on the way in. Then, back the screws out, place the 36T pulley components, and complete the install.

Alternatively, the community has decided that it is common practice to drill out a tiny bit of material to make extra room for the M6 bolts. We've done this ourselves and isn't difficult to do. It does not effect the performance of the wheels or structural integrity of the core as the official Abec style cores are still thinner than a drilled out thicker version. But drilling the core shouldn't needed, just an option. 

Here is an example of a 120mm Cloud Wheel with the thicker cores. The M6 bolts do fit but they must be screwed in to work it's way through the core.

Here is a photo of a M6 bolt half way through the Cloud Wheel's core as an example. In practice you'd continue to turn the M6 screw all the way down with the retainer cap installed as well. 

Here is an example of what it looks like when the M6 screws score the inside of the core. 

With DIY Products we are constantly trying to keep up with other manufacturers who make slight changes to their products unannounced. 

Cloud wheels seem to change minor details about their wheels often without much notice. 

Here is an example of the concave found on the back of the wheel: 

The concave shape seems to change once in awhile by a few mm here or there. Might be a slightly different mold that they use during production from one batch to another. 

The few millimeter difference can cause the wheel pulleys to sit lower than intended like this:

To correct this you'd just need to add a few washers between the wheel pulley and wheel to raise the pulley up revealing the entire width of pulley. 

All of these work arounds can feel frustrating in the moment, but this is the reality when trying to piece together multiple brands to form one unified build. Thankfully the work arounds are fairly easy and don't take too much time at all. 

If you still have questions feel free to contact our support team here: support@mboards.co