Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Question about Wheels/Rims

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Question about Wheels/Rims

Old 02-20-13, 11:26 PM
  #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Question about Wheels/Rims

Hello,

I just inherited my father's old 80s Masi Nuova Strada road bike and was wondering about upgrading the rims to something more modern, but keeping the same hubs. I know hubs and gears in today's world are wider than what I have right now. The hubs are Shimano Dura Ace and I'd like to keep it since the bike was built with full Dura Ace components. My question is: is it possible to change the rim and keep the same hubs and spokes? I think the current rims are Wolber which I know are no longer around.

Here is my bike for reference, but in blue. https://bhovey.com/Masi/MasiCatalogs/1988TenSpeed/4.htm
The andlebars and stem and not the same as in the photo as it was custom built by my father.

I'm new to cycling, so pardon my misuse of any terminology.

Thanks in advance community.
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-20-13, 11:39 PM
  #2  
Velophile
 
Epicus07's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,093

Bikes: See Signature.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by MasiNuovaStrada
Hello,

I just inherited my father's old 80s Masi Nuova Strada road bike and was wondering about upgrading the rims to something more modern, but keeping the same hubs. I know hubs and gears in today's world are wider than what I have right now. The hubs are Shimano Dura Ace and I'd like to keep it since the bike was built with full Dura Ace components. My question is: is it possible to change the rim and keep the same hubs and spokes? I think the current rims are Wolber which I know are no longer around.

Here is my bike for reference, but in blue. https://bhovey.com/Masi/MasiCatalogs/1988TenSpeed/4.htm
The andlebars and stem and not the same as in the photo as it was custom built by my father.

I'm new to cycling, so pardon my misuse of any terminology.

Thanks in advance community.
Great bike ! Yes you can certainly use those hubs for a new wheel build. Spokes are relatively cheap and should be replaced when you rebuild the wheels. Check out Sheldon Brown for advice on wheel building. You mention "upgrading" the rims. Are the wheels in good shape now ? Being from 1988 I would be surprised if modern rims would make much of a difference. If its not broken why fix it ?
Epicus07 is offline  
Old 02-20-13, 11:46 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
Lenton58's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Sendai, Japan: Tohoku region (Northern Honshu))
Posts: 1,785

Bikes: Vitus 979, Simplon 4-Star, Woodrup, Gazelle AB, Dawes Atlantis

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 58 Post(s)
Liked 74 Times in 41 Posts
I think that many of us are going to say that you should keep the wheels that came with the bike — assuming they are not worn out, or damaged. A lot of "modern" rims have a different profile than the rims of that era. And they usually have a lower spoke count; many of them will not go with your hubs. There are some currently produced rims that will look much like the ones you have, but if the ones you have inherited are good, I am not confident that there is anything to gain that is worth the trouble and expense of changing them. Engineering and metallurgy has (apparently) made modern wheels more resilient. A modern set I own never needs tuning — well not yet. Occasionally, my 70's and 80's wheel-sets need a bit of the attention with the spoke wrench.

If I had a bike as special as yours, I would keep it as near stock as I could. Rims do wear out, so you might be on the lookout for something that looks like the ones you have — thereby looking forward to the day when you may need them.
__________________
Vitus 979, Simplon 4 Star, Gazelle Champion Mondial, Woodrup Giro, Dawes Atlantis
Lenton58 is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 07:48 AM
  #4  
Bianchi Goddess
 
Bianchigirll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 29,716

Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.

Mentioned: 191 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2910 Post(s)
Liked 2,830 Times in 1,457 Posts
Hello MasiNuovoStrada, Welcome to the forums.

I agree with Lenton but would like to know about your bike not one like it.

Also I have a few questions. Are you going to be rebuilding the wheels? Figure atleast $1 a spoke and $40 or per wheel labor then add rims $30+

What is wrong with the current wheels? Are the excessively worn or damaged?

Are the current rims tubular (sew ups, the type you need to glue on the rim) and you want clinchers?

Why do you want modern rims, do you like the look of them?

What other bikes do you have? Are you an avid cyclist?
__________________
One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
Bianchigirll is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 11:02 AM
  #5  
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,935

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,367 Times in 1,916 Posts
If there's nothing wrong with the present rims, why bother replacing them?
JohnDThompson is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 11:10 AM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
SJX426's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Fredericksburg, Va
Posts: 9,580

Bikes: '65 Frejus TDF, '73 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia, '83 Colnago Superissimo, '84 Trek 610, '84 Trek 760, '88 Pinarello Veneto, '88 De Rosa Pro, '89 Pinarello Montello, '94 Burley Duet, 97 Specialized RockHopper, 2010 Langster, Tern Link D8

Mentioned: 73 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1601 Post(s)
Liked 2,187 Times in 1,092 Posts
I agree, don't fix what ain't broke. I acutually found NOS rims of the same vintage as the ones on my bike just to be able to keep it close to period correct even after the current ones wear out.

If it is an issue of tubulars vs clinchers, just get another wheel set.

Nice bike BTW!
SJX426 is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:45 PM
  #7  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Epicus07
Great bike ! Yes you can certainly use those hubs for a new wheel build. Spokes are relatively cheap and should be replaced when you rebuild the wheels. Check out Sheldon Brown for advice on wheel building. You mention "upgrading" the rims. Are the wheels in good shape now ? Being from 1988 I would be surprised if modern rims would make much of a difference. If its not broken why fix it ?
The wheels are in good shape. Based on the feedback I received, I'll stick with them until they break. And if they do, I have an extra set of the same wheels, although different hubs, on a 80's 6 speed Trek that I also inherited from my dad.

Thanks Epicus07
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:47 PM
  #8  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Lenton58
I think that many of us are going to say that you should keep the wheels that came with the bike — assuming they are not worn out, or damaged. A lot of "modern" rims have a different profile than the rims of that era. And they usually have a lower spoke count; many of them will not go with your hubs. There are some currently produced rims that will look much like the ones you have, but if the ones you have inherited are good, I am not confident that there is anything to gain that is worth the trouble and expense of changing them. Engineering and metallurgy has (apparently) made modern wheels more resilient. A modern set I own never needs tuning — well not yet. Occasionally, my 70's and 80's wheel-sets need a bit of the attention with the spoke wrench.

If I had a bike as special as yours, I would keep it as near stock as I could. Rims do wear out, so you might be on the lookout for something that looks like the ones you have — thereby looking forward to the day when you may need them.
I did notice the lower spoke counts when I compared it to my girlfriend's bike from last year. I'll stick to what I have for now. I know my dad kept the bike in great shape and away from the elements so they should be in great shape.

Thanks Lenton58
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:48 PM
  #9  
Velophile
 
Epicus07's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,093

Bikes: See Signature.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 2 Posts
We all would love to see actual pics of your bike!
Epicus07 is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:54 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
owenmyers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Huntington beach
Posts: 375

Bikes: Fondriest, 86 Team Fuji

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I think you would have to spend alot of money to get a modern rim that is better than those Wolbers.
owenmyers is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:55 PM
  #11  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Bianchigirll
Hello MasiNuovoStrada, Welcome to the forums.

I agree with Lenton but would like to know about your bike not one like it.

Also I have a few questions. Are you going to be rebuilding the wheels? Figure atleast $1 a spoke and $40 or per wheel labor then add rims $30+

What is wrong with the current wheels? Are the excessively worn or damaged?

Are the current rims tubular (sew ups, the type you need to glue on the rim) and you want clinchers?

Why do you want modern rims, do you like the look of them?

What other bikes do you have? Are you an avid cyclist?
Bianchigirll, The current rims are clincher I believe? The ones with tubes right?

The wheels are in great shape so I'll keep them based on the feedback. I just thought perhaps the modern rims provided some technological advancements from the past 20 years that might improve the performance. And yes, I've seen some pretty neat looking modern rims nowadays. I think my friend inherited some sweet carbon rims from a guy name Reynolds cause Reynolds put his name all over them in big letters.

As far as being an avid cyclist, I am just getting into the sport. I got my girlfriend a new bike last year and I've been running around the road with her on my old 80's Trek 12 speed bike. Man, those downtube shifters are though on the hills. I'm not sure of the model of that Trek, but my dad built it with with Shimano 105 components when it was his. The only thing I've changed on it were the brake levers and the handlebar tape.

Thanks for your feedback.
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:57 PM
  #12  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Epicus07
We all would love to see actual pics of your bike!
I'll get the pictures up next week. Stay tuned. I need to redo the bar tape and swap out the saddle.
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-21-13, 03:59 PM
  #13  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by owenmyers
I think you would have to spend alot of money to get a modern rim that is better than those Wolbers.
Owenmyers. I guess the Wolbers were a big name back in the 80's. I read online they got bought out and are a different company I think. I don't recall which though. As a kid, I didn't realize how my dad had built up his bikes with fancy parts. Maybe that's why I was never allowed to ride it as a child. And I guess I did have a pretty good bmx bike for my age now that I look back at it.
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-27-13, 05:44 PM
  #14  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
As promised here are pictures of the bike. Wheels are Wolber TX Profile. Handlebar is Modolo. Recently added Shimano STIs that work with the 7 speed Dura Ace components.

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0Bz...it?usp=sharing
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Old 02-27-13, 05:56 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 806
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 249 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 29 Times in 22 Posts
Ouch!!! Get a Cinelli 1r stem for that bike. Hurry before another retrogrouch sees it.
Wulf is offline  
Old 02-27-13, 08:39 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 919
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by MasiNuovaStrada
Hello,

I just inherited my father's old 80s Masi Nuova Strada road bike and was wondering about upgrading the rims to something more modern, but keeping the same hubs. I know hubs and gears in today's world are wider than what I have right now. The hubs are Shimano Dura Ace and I'd like to keep it since the bike was built with full Dura Ace components. My question is: is it possible to change the rim and keep the same hubs and spokes? I think the current rims are Wolber which I know are no longer around.

Here is my bike for reference, but in blue. https://bhovey.com/Masi/MasiCatalogs/1988TenSpeed/4.htm
The andlebars and stem and not the same as in the photo as it was custom built by my father.

I'm new to cycling, so pardon my misuse of any terminology.

Thanks in advance community.
Keep if the current wheels if they are in good shape. But I would buy two extra Velocity Aero 36H rims today (similar color, profile, and non-machined sidewalls) to eventually replace the current set. The replacement rim will be a little stronger and heavier ~1 oz. Butted DT 2.0/1.8/2.0 spokes would be my first choice if $ is not an issue. Otherwise, go with straight DT 2.0.

I've built many Aero rims. About 90% are round within +/-0.5 mm from the factory.

https://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=580
furballi is offline  
Old 02-27-13, 08:53 PM
  #17  
Curmudgeon
 
Wil Davis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Nausea, New Hamster
Posts: 1,572

Bikes: (see https://wildavis.smugmug.com/Bikes) Bianchi Veloce (2005), Nishiki Cascade (1992), Schwinn Super Sport (1983)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by SJX426
I agree, don't fix what ain't broke!
…snip
I agree, but being a Software Engineer, I'm reminded of the rest of the quote to which you refer:

(1) If it ain't broke don't fix it!
(2) If it ain't broke, fix it until it is broke!
(3) If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features!



- Wil
Wil Davis is offline  
Old 02-27-13, 09:04 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 107
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Wulf
Ouch!!! Get a Cinelli 1r stem for that bike. Hurry before another retrogrouch sees it.
I agree with Wulf. It needs another stem.

Beautiful bike you got there.
candid is offline  
Old 02-28-13, 11:16 AM
  #19  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 10

Bikes: 1988 Masi Nuova Strada

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by candid
I agree with Wulf. It needs another stem.

Beautiful bike you got there.
Thanks. My dad has that stem somewhere, or one similar to it. I know for sure a stem like that is on his Trek. My dad had to change the stem to that 90 degree one because he put some aero bars on there. The next time I'm home I'll see what spare parts my dad has lying around. It might be next to the old Apple IIc in the garage.
MasiNuovaStrada is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
pepor
Bicycle Mechanics
14
01-17-19 09:52 PM
OutnBack
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
0
01-25-18 09:21 PM
corrado33
Classic & Vintage
14
04-18-17 04:14 PM
oddurgf
Bicycle Mechanics
12
03-23-16 09:55 AM
rpenmanparker
Road Cycling
1
10-23-13 07:24 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.