I need some help with upgrading my heavy beach cruiser wheels to some nice black single speed non disc brake wheelset, thanks.

The internet is your source for ideas. What size do you need? 26 inch, 29 inch, 700 or other. Coaster brake, freewheel single speed, internal gear or multigear derailuers hub system. Aluminum or steel rims? Any of these can be on a cruiser bike. If you have no idea then find a bike shop you trust and go through them. Roger

Hire them built at your local bike shop , shatre the wealth in your local economy

Bezos has more than enough..

Sturmey Archer has a Quality Coaster brake hub to build around..

Looking for 26", aluminum , quality spokes, hubs, single speed freewheel, all black. I have been searching everywhere. Most 26" are for mountain bikes disc ready.

I definitely go to local shops first. Heck, they see me enough to offer advice on some of the work I try at home or fix things proper after I screw up.

If the LBS isn't an option then Niagara Cycles is among many online sources for what you seek. Call them if their website is lacking. Good luck.
https://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/wheel-rear-26-x-1-75-black-alloy-cruiser-shimano-e110-coaster-hub-bolt-on-12g-ss-spokes-36h

No luck with local shops, I live in a smaller city. Ill check out Niagra, thank you. Ive been researching Bicycle wheel warehouse also.

This has been my quest as well, but I want mine polished. So far the best I have seen are Velo Orange, but they aren't wide enough for my application. Its hard to decipher the rim market. When you I find a rim that looks good to my eye, the seller doesn't list any info on the rim so I can buy spokes. Very frustrating. Water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

Bicycle wheel warehouse has some alien nation wheels, look ok, but I need upgraded hubs...sigh

Is building (or having them built) wheels an option?

Other than the expense, building your own is all positives. You get the exact rim, hub, spokes, and freewheel of your choice. Totally custom designed by you, to please YOU. And a hand built wheel will serve you better and longer than a machine built wheel.

There are plenty of 26 inch rims out there at low prices. TOP quality spokes and nipples can be purchased almost dirt cheap at DansComp.com. 72 Sapim stainless steel spokes and Polyax brass nipples for $18.00. And there is a huge variety of hubs and freewheels out there to choose from. I bet there are some wheel building professionals in your area if you don't want to attempt the task yourself. You could always try lacing them yourself and having a pro do the tensioning, truing and stress relieving.

It's a very satisfying feeling to build your own wheels. It also feels great to ride wheels that are exactly what you wanted.

Whenever I buy a bike - new or used - unless I know who built the wheels, I always de-tension the spokes, lube up the nipples, grab my spoke wrench and my trusty Park TM-1 and go to it.

My unsolicited two cents. You can find the ERD at the manufacturers website. That said, I personally won't use the published ERD to determine spoke length. For a variety of reasons, a rims ERD can vary a tiny bit from one production run to another. And when it comes to spoke length, we all know that tiny bits can be the difference between "just right" and "wont work".

Wise.

Very well said, you make valid points indeed. I should go the shop build route, I'm just concerned Ill make a mistake with dish, spacing...things like that. Looks like I will visit the local shops and start asking questions. Thanks for the advice. Im determined to finish my custom built cruiser this winter, I found a powder coating shop and also someone to prep the frame ( trim off unnecessary bits ) fill holes etc. Thanks again.

Understandable. Wheel building is intimidating. A couple of questions.

Have you read Sheldon Brown's wheel building page? I find his writing style and instructions fun to read and very easy to follow. If you want to shop around for a competent wheel builder, Read Sheldon's page first. Maybe even a couple times. Even if you don't want to build wheels, having that knowledge of how/why it all works and matters, will give you the power to shop better. You'll be way more comfortable and confident while trying to figure out what skill level the builder is at.

Filling holes in the frame? Do you mean with brazing or another form of metal filler? Or with auto body repair stuff?

Will do Mr Squid, never too late to gain some info. I was spoiled in the past living in Southern California, where there are many high end shops and I would just write a check! There are very few shops here in Columbus Ohio and the few we have are mostly just retails stores....but I am determined! Yes, a little welding on my Kulana frameset should fill the tab holes etc. I want it as smooth and simple as possible. I'm removing the front brake bosses, chain guard tabs, cable tabs etc. I only run a rear brake on the cruiser and my single speed (don't shame me!!!!) LOL

Ha ha ha ha ha. Me too for many decades. Tustin, Huntington Beach, Irvine here. How about you? Now I actually have to deal with a real winter, and they suck compared to home.



A man after my own heart. Yes. Strip that bike to the bones.

Yep, simple is better.....good to know you Mr. Squid!! error in posting reply, sorry, newbie

I agree 100%. Its a convenience thing for me more than anything else, and I get agitated when I can't find what I'm seeing in my mind's eye.

That way, when I sell a bike there are no excuses needed and none given. Full disclosure all the time and every time.

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