The Golden Boy 

In playing along with the Zombie Thread thing- I would have bumped the thread if I'd seen the Dirtdrop/Gran Bois post from 5 years ago.

I have a set of, what I believe to be, Modele 58s with the knurled braking surface- they're laced to some pretty Avocet sealed bearing hubs and currently reside on my 1985 Trek 620.




I've also got a set of 40 spoke Super Champions laced to some Earth shatteringly dominant Phil hubs as well as a set of Wolber Modele 58s laced to Suntour sealed hubs (that came on my Voyageur SP.

The Super Champion on the top, the Wolber on the bottom.

bikemig 

Super Champion 58s were easily my favorite touring rim. I built up a set with specialized sealed hubs and rode them across the US on a loaded tour. The wheels are still going strong.

verktyg 

DOH! I don't know how?

Yes, they're SC Mod 58s.


We sold quite a few tandems in the 70's. I used to build 40 and 48 spoke wheels for them using Phil Wood or Maxicar hubs in 650B, 700C and 27" sizes. The 48 spoke wheels were a bear to build.

My thumb joints are shot so I don't build wheel any more... ;-(

Recently I had a local wheel builder put together a set for me using SC Mod 58 700C rims with old style Normandy Luxe Competition hubs. They're going on a 1970 Motobecane Grand Record that I'm restoring. I got the frame earlier this year. It's in great shape and I have all of the period correct components.



Super Champion Model 58 rims were always my favorites. I built these wheels for my touring bike back in 1992. They still run true as the day I mounted them.



Same thing on my off road trekking bike...



verktyg

Chas.

verktyg 

Mine too...

We built lots of wheels at our shop in the 70's. Super Champion Mod 58 rims were always the easiest to build. They were always round and parallel flat on the sides.

On the other hand, the Rigida Rig-Alu Mod 58 knockoffs were crap! They were never round or flat! The alloy they used was soft - they didn't say true! They also didn't have hooks to grip the tire beads so HP tires could easily blow off.



Later versions added the bead hooks but the rims were still CRAP!



Model 58 cross section. The original hooks were not very big but they got larger in later versions for use with HP tires.



Mavic made a model similar to the Mod 58 called "Demontable". They had problems with the steel pins used to join the ends breaking.



Mavic fixed the problem by the time they brought out the Module-E rims in 1975.

verktyg

Chas.

The Golden Boy 

Those hubs are gorgeous!!!


BTW- all my Super Champion/Wolber/Modele 58s are 27"

Someday I'm going to have to do some Maxicar/Modele 58 wheels.

verktyg 

Yes, when new or in good condition they ran as smoothly as Campy hubs.

Two problems with those hubs:

1. They didn't have removable dust caps so they're a lot more work to clean and repack.

2. Normandy used weird proprietary cones on the axles and didn't easily interchange with any styles. Normandy discontinued making replacement cones for them about 1975-76. We used to get them from the Peugeot dealer down the street from our shop until even Peugeot ran out. We had a lot of "French connections" but we couldn't find them in France.

Those hubs came on PX-10s, Gitane Tour de France bikes (until about 1972 or 73 when they switched to Campy Nuovo Tipo hubs) plus a lot of other mid range bikes with better quality French components.

I've been using the wheel builder who made these wheels for about 6 years. They're always dead on and rarely need any truing plus he knows how to build classic wheels. I give him the hubs and rims and tell him what kind of spokes I want.

Notice the O-Rings on the cones. I spent the 70's in the Southwest. Water getting into the wheel and BB bearings was rarely a problem. Dust and sand was!

On better bikes we used to wrap pipe cleaners around the axles and BB spindles to keep grit out. I'd always wanted to try the trick with O-Rings instead.

A local Ace Hardware store has drawers full of O-Rings and they let me find the sizes that I needed. Cheap and easy sealed bearings.



verktyg

Chas.

callig

Super Champion Medaille d'Or on the front


And Arc-En-Ciel on the rear these have serrated brake surface while the Medaille d'Or rims are smooth they make light rims and so far I've had no problems with them

79pmooney

Arc en Ciel. 330 grams. I trained, club raced and spared wheels on them. Raced a Fiamme Ergal (290 gm) rear and Medaille d'Or front one season, then swapped out the front to the Ergal. (The Ergal was a much better, much stronger rim. I had to re-true the Medaille d'Or if I looked at it cross-eyed.)

Ben

transporterjr

I have a set of tubular Super Champions, but the spoke eyelets are a but rusted. Are these basically scrap at this point?
They measure 20mm across on the outside of the rim. The diameter is a bit of a mystery, as I am unfamiliar with tubular rims and the tires do not list the size. I measured approx 25" (?" across the rim.

I'd post a picture, but some reason it seems I lack permission to add the gallery.

JohnDThompson 

As long as they're round and true, the rims should be fine. If the rust bothers you, some aluminum foil and white vinegar may clean them up. Rim width is irrelevant for tubular tires.

CV-6 

What John said plus I have seen on several motorcycle forums that they have used Fast Orange hand cleaner on rust and corrosion with good results.

transporterjr

Thanks, I'll try the rust clean up hints. I have not interest in tubulars, but was wondering if anyone one would be interested in these - i.e. - that is, is it worth to try and sell (or barter for?) these rims?

MeadMan2

I have a set of Super Champion Gentleman clinchers with Wayless hubs & Roberge spokes, 5 Star I think. Those rims are strong.

Duke of Prunes

I recently acquired a very nice, though grimy '84 Trek 610, nearly all original, but the owner had also bought a pair of Super Champion Aspins, 36 hole tubular with Campanolo Record hubs. The original clincher wheels are with it, too, but I'm not sure if the ill-fated heliomatic hubs. I'm getting around to overhauling but I'm hesitant about keeping the non-clinchers.
--do 27 1/4" Super Champions still have fans out there--I'm inclined to sell them and not look back.
Or am I just being a weenie about learning/trusting/using sew-ups?

crank_addict

Oh, what the heck. One of these days I'll get back to this build and lace these Super Champion Mixte rims. 700c that accept both tubular and wired clinchers. Appear to be very high quality but have some heft.

crank_addict

Tubular all the way!

steelbikeguy

just when I thought I'd seen everything!

I'm familiar with tubies that can be mounted on clincher rims (such as the Tufos), but in this case, the tubies glue to those wide flanges? There's not nearly as much surface as on a regular tubular rim. Let me know when you take these out for the maiden ride... I want to watch you take the first corner.


Steve in Peoria

crank_addict

Steve- believe me, we're thinking alike. I've yet to see supposedly a center band molded to fit into the cavity when using tubulars. Its been described to me by a few but no one has them or even pointed to a catalog depiction.

Though for a first tire test, I'm planning for a wired clincher. This only to satisfy my curiosity whether the hook is worthy. Eventually and later will go for tubulars.

'Hooked on tubulars'

Matschwab

i have a bike with "wolber super champion modele 58" rims, any idea a date range for the rims at least, it has a blue and silver sticker

thumpism 

I have Phil/58 wheels that I built in the '80s and still work fine. Never built a pair with the knurled flats but have seen built sets before. Also saw the Mixte rims although I never built or used them either.

garryg

obrentharris 

VeloBase says "1979 to 1980s."

tkamd73 

63rickert

Velobase dating is in error. Bought bales of Super Champ #58 from André Bertin in 1973. Fairly sure they were around in late 60s. Bertin got Super Champ to make them for us in 559, 571, 584, 590 and 597 as well.*

josesroo