Bicycle Mechanics - Paired 24 hole Rims / Rolf Sestriere Wheelset / Hub Maintenance

Hey guys,

Just returned from a CL find. I bought a Rolf Sestriere front wheel (20 spokes), a Sestriere rear hub (24 holes), and 3 NOS Sestriere rims (20 spokes).

I wasn't really paying attention to the spoke count, and unwisely shrugged off the difficulty of finding a replacement paired 24 hole rim. I'm currently trying to upgrade the Rolf Vectors on my Lemond Buenos Aires.

Right now my options seem to be:
a) Keep waiting for a 24-hole Sestriere rim on eBay (which will probably cost more than what I paid for the whole lot), sell 2 of the NOS 20 hole rims.
b) Sell the the (beautiful!) hub and rims and wait for a full rear Sestriere wheel
c) Try to find a non-Rolf 24-hole paired rim

Additionally, has anyone had any luck servicing the front hub? There's no spot for a cone wrench. The only info I found said to just "pull them apart," but there's nothing for me to pull on? I tried lightly using some needle nose pliers, but I'm too afraid to chew up the aluminum. Any ideas?

Thanks!

I've seen paired-hole rims by Velocity, can't remember if they were 24h. But they do custom drillings anyway, IIRC.

I'd say they're the first stop for weird rims. I've seen a penny-farthing sporting a pair of AeroHeads!

...Hey, you might even be able to score a paired-hole OCR. That'd be sweet; a justifiable reason for the mismatched rims beyond the vagaries of fortune (IMO front rims should be lighter anyway).

I'm guessing if I ordered something like these 28h AeroHeads (http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?Item=100050437), they would be evenly distributed instead of paired. Is this something that has to be custom ordered? Hopefully selling a trio of NOS Sestriere's could offset some of the cost of a new AeroHead, but I have no clue what the demand is like.

I found this info from the '03 Rolf Prima user manual:

Using a small screwdriver, push the large diameter floating axle aside until the axle end is visible through the bearing. Carefully drive out one bearing with a blow to the exposed axle end with a drift punch. Remove the other bearing in the same manner.

I can't tell if this is supposed to apply to my non-Prima hubs, but I tried it anyway to no avail. I can barely get a small screwdriver under the hub lip, but I can't pry the cap off.

I'm guessing if I ordered something like these 28h AeroHeads (http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?Item=100050437)...

Dayum!
Gotta love the listed weights!:lol:

Dayum!
Gotta love the listed weights!:lol:

I would've expected the cost:weight ratio to be asymptotic. Guess they're on to something.

Also, I was planning on using these bearings for the front, unless anyone's aware of something cheaper: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Bike-Hub-Bearing-ROLF-Prima-Sestriere-2001-Front-Sealed-/140213112795?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20a55a4fdb

Dayum!
Gotta love the listed weights!:lol:

That's what you get if you round off to the nearest kilo... a shipping thing, maybe?

I guess a more general question is this:

Is it unsafe to lace a 24 paired spoke hub to an evenly distributed rim?

Is this something that has to be custom ordered?

After a bit of googling I found this post (http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=138988&sid=b012ff2c68c131965df2863617083fed#p138988) from 2006 saying "I contacted Velocity and they said they don't do custom drillings but that I can order an undrilled rim from them."

That'd be a start, I guess... then again, that's old info. New info: they've just moved (http://jacksonville.com/business/2012-03-03/story/premier-manufacturer-bicycle-rims-moves-australia-jacksonville) to Jacksonville, Florida : (


I guess a more general question is this:

Is it unsafe to lace a 24 paired spoke hub to an evenly distributed rim?

I wouldn't say it's unsafe. It might be a bit sub-optimal strengthwise (or not; it could be better - paired spoke rims aren't highly regarded despite their bad-arse looks), but the biggest issue is likely to be coming up with the most appropriate lacing pattern, and figuring the length of the spokes, since I'm guessing it'd be outside the purview of many a spoke calculator. It could well take some trial and error.

http://www.dtswiss.com/getdoc/1219c0b7-776d-46ea-8625-dedf5ec2de19/Datasheet.aspx

http://www.dtswiss.com/getdoc/1219c0b7-776d-46ea-8625-dedf5ec2de19/Datasheet.aspx

Thanks, I guess I managed to look at all the manuals except this one. From p.33 it looks like I'd need their "axel holder" to clamp the "axel adapter" (end cap) into a vice. Hopefully I can find an LBS that has this part. Kind of I pain I need a special tool. :(

I saw that set too. Good deal if you know what you're going. I decided that I didn't want to mess with unique hub/rim designs so I passed. Good luck!

After a bit of googling I found this post (http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=138988&sid=b012ff2c68c131965df2863617083fed#p138988) from 2006 saying "I contacted Velocity and they said they don't do custom drillings but that I can order an undrilled rim from them."

That'd be a start, I guess... then again, that's old info. New info: they've just moved (http://jacksonville.com/business/2012-03-03/story/premier-manufacturer-bicycle-rims-moves-australia-jacksonville) to Jacksonville, Florida : (



I wouldn't say it's unsafe. It might be a bit sub-optimal strengthwise (or not; it could be better - paired spoke rims aren't highly regarded despite their bad-arse looks), but the biggest issue is likely to be coming up with the most appropriate lacing pattern, and figuring the length of the spokes, since I'm guessing it'd be outside the purview of many a spoke calculator. It could well take some trial and error.

1. He's asking about paired-spoke hub...
2. http://www.mrrabbit.net/wheelsbyflemingapplications.php

Spreadsheet has had tabs for awhile for paired-spoke hubs, paired-spoke rims, and quad-spoke rims. Working on "modified-triplet" with the assistance of AEO and SortaGrey lurking around with his own "experiementation".

=8-)

Just bumping to see if anyone knew of any other (non-custom) paired hole rims comparable to a Sestriere. Rolf & Bontrager are all I can find, which I suppose makes sense if it was patented. I can't find any paired Velocity's. I guess everyone's cracked. :)

p.s. Thanks for the spreadsheet mrrabbit, great resource.

I found this info from the '03 Rolf Prima user manual:
Using a small screwdriver, push the large diameter floating axle aside until the axle end is visible through the bearing. Carefully drive out one bearing with a blow to the exposed axle end with a drift punch. Remove the other bearing in the same manner.
I can't tell if this is supposed to apply to my non-Prima hubs, but I tried it anyway to no avail. I can barely get a small screwdriver under the hub lip, but I can't pry the cap off.

Nono, that's not what they mean. Ever taken apart skateboard/rollerblade wheels?
Anyhow, you have two press-fit bearings, and between them is a spacer, or in Rolf speak - a floating axle. The floating axle is there to take the load when you clamp the wheel in place, it braces against the inner bearing races. So what you do is you insert something slender in the center bore of the wheel axle and poke the floating axle a tad sideways. Then you can get a drift punch to push against the inner bearing race and tap it out.

But if it applies to your hubs I can't tell.

... I bought a Rolf Sestriere rear hub (24 holes), ....I wasn't really paying attention to the spoke count, and unwisely shrugged off the difficulty of finding a replacement paired 24 hole rim.
... Try to find a non-Rolf 24-hole paired rim

There's no pressing need to match a paired hub to a paired rim. Some adjustment of spoke lengths may be required, but functionally, the paired hub will work just fine with an evenly distrubuted rim.

If you insist, a center-drilled 36H rim laced every 3rd hole empty will yield a 24H paired pattern.