kalash74

Guys,

I'm interested in replacing my old steel rims with alloy ones. From what I understand, there a couple of places (Dutch Bike Bits is one) in the Netherlands that carry these. The Pashley Guvnor comes with the all-black ones with gold pinstripe, which look really great, esp. with cream tyres. But my concern is that I'll be using rod brakes. (Maybe Kool-Stop, I've heard that they are really good for this application). Do you think the rod brakes will wear down the painted surface and pinstriping with time, or should I be OK. Otherwise, I'll just go for the non-painted aluminum...they just don't look as nice.

Here is the Guvnor in case you haven't seen it:
Guv'nor | Gents Classic Path Racer Bicycle | Pashley Cycles

brianinc-ville

EDIT: Never mind, I just read your query again -- the ones I've got are plain aluminum, so I can't help you. Good luck, though.

They're hard to find in the U.S.; easier in other countries. A couple of years ago, a particularly awesome C&V forum member brought me a pair from Colombia for my Raleigh DL-1 -- I haven't gotten around to building them up, but I remain grateful. I think I still want to use them, but if you get desperate, PM me.

dweenk

Looks like the Guv'nor has rim brakes. If you have a classic roadster, the brakes bite on the underside of the rim. Perhaps Flying Pigeon in Los Angeles may have alloy rims that work with rod brakes.

bwilli88 

I have been looking for a set of Alloy 40-635 rims, I have a set of chromed 40-635 rims to swap or sell if I find a pair of alloy ones.

crank_addict

The alloy aftermarket are made in Columbia. Profile is like the 'Special Section'. 36 hole depicted. They work for both, caliper or rod brake setup.

Also, there was a Weinmann, 26 inch in Endrick pattern from 1956. Not sure if these are aluminum or steel.

kalash74

Out of curiosity, what brand/make are yours? The only ones I know of are made by Rigida, which I think is the same as Van Schothorst (sp?). I'm not sure really if they are made in Asia or in the Netherlands (I suspect the former).

Edit: I now see that they are a different brand than Rigida. The "special section" you are referring to are known as "Westrick" (a blend between Westwood and Endrick). You are correct, they allow for caliper brakes. However, I think I'll stick with rod brakes for my DL-1...for one, they aren't drilled for caliper brakes. The other option, of course, is to go with a rear coaster brake...But I really want to just go with a regular freewheeling, 1-speed rear hub to save weight and increase simplicity. (A rear SA 3-spd hub would be tempting, but I'm kind of leaning towards 1-speed at this point).

So is the consensus to go with plain aluminum over the painted black? I love the black, but I also don't know how quickly the rod brake pads will wear down the paint. In the past, English cycles were sold with black rims and rod brakes fairly frequently. Note sure, though, if the enamel they used was baked on really well vs modern powder-coating techniques. As an example, take a look at these lovely Sunbeams from the early 1900s:






I've been lusting after a Sunbeam ever since I (foolishly) sold my 1931 Royal Sunbeam. That all-black "Vader" look is kind of sexy, I think, if you ask me.

crank_addict

I agree on the black finish.
Someday I hope to finish my mild hot-rodded DL-1 project. I think the black rims have a distinct style and yet I don't want a dull finish naked aluminum. The DL-1 is supposed to be the 'all steel bike' so I want to disguies the ally. For those Columbia made rims (CicloTorres), I've been considering powder coat and the other choice is to high polish. Regardless, will have to accept the wear created on the braking surface. I've been playing around with a repro steel Lauterwasser style bar, custom lever set-up for the rod brakes. Going with Koolstops, galvanized spokes.


More rim talk:
Just a guess, but descriptions of a 27" rim can be misleading. For example, the Swiss Weinmann do fit 28" (700c) tires. The old advert shows the tubular type (also known as 'sprints') and described as 27" but are for 700c tubular tires. I also have a set of 50's era aluminum Weinmann described 27" non-hook bead / high pressure (most would describe as clinchers), 6 sided, single wall only. Funny as I have a set vintage 28" (700c) wire bead tires on them, 27" tires will not fit.


Noticed the Guv'nor uses hub brakes. Small 20" frame uses the 26" rim. The other frame describes rims as 28" (of which fit for 700c). I'd like to know where to get a pair of those black 28" in the US.

NormanF

40-635 isn't a very common size - usually found on roadsters and path racers.

You may need to have a wheel builder build you a custom wheelset.

kalash74

So will you stick with the rod brakes, then? Which Kool-Stop pads are you going with, the salmon colored or the black (more traditional)?

Interesting side note about Sunbeams: If you look at the vintage advert I posted, you'll notice that it says that the center of the rims are enameled. I'm assuming the rest is aluminum or chromed steel--the part where the pads contact the rims, that is. It's of interest to also note that Sunbeams early on (circa 1920s or earlier) came with aluminum rims, which was rare for the time. Some of these cycles were pretty lightweight, advertised as weighing around 25 lbs. I never weighed my old Sunbeam, but I would guess it was around the 30 lb range, perhaps a bit more (it had steel rims).

crank_addict

^Going with KS salmon and then will black-out the outside of them. For the rims, may decide to leave the pad to rim area only as is.

kalash74

How do you plan to black-out the KS salmon? Do you plan to paint or dye it somehow?

By the way, if you are interested in alloy rims that already are polished or painted black with golden pinstripe, you might try one of the Dutch websites. I'm planning to order a pair of rims from the Netherlands once I decide to go black or polished aluminum. I'm thinking at this point to shy away from the black unless I can convince myself to go with a rear coaster brake (drum brakes are way too heavy, in my view).

crank_addict

On another bike, I blacked out the KoolStop salmon pads with permanent marker prior to installation. (Of course, with exception to the contact area.)

Keeping the rod brakes. Its a big part of the character.

brianinc-ville

Mine are the Ciclo Torres rims, from Colombia, pictured above. I'm not sure whether that's a manufacturer or a dealer, though.