TREKarea2

[URL="https://imgur.com/a/RQJy9"]Link to wheel pics

I have tried to find a new rim to rebuild this customer's rear wheel as it has cracks at the rim. This wheel is about 8+ years old and Cane Creek divested themselves of their rims/hubs years ago to Velocity. I contacted Velocity and they actually have this rim as NOS. However, the rims they have are drilled for j bend spokes (i.e., the nipple holes at the rim are 4.0mm). They will not have anymore with the straight pull drilling i the foreseeable future, if ever.

The customer really wants to use his Cane Creek hubs with the straight pull spoke setup as he is currently using. I have tried to move the customer forward and away from this set-up, but I want to make sure I have eliminated any other options. I thought about using that NOS Velocity/Aerohead rim with washers but I am leery of inadequate spoke head support. The rep at Velocity agreed that using washers in this case was probably not a good idea.
Short of either, a) building up a new hub, rim, and spokes of the customer's choice, or b) selling him a pre-built wheel, as I see it I have only one other option. I could have spokes rolled at both ends but that offsets the purpose of having this spoke configuration to begin with - which is to move the nipple weight to the hub. In fact, he would end up with twice the nipple weight.

Before abandoning the idea of not using customer's CC hub, is there a new rim available with factory 2mm nipple holes on the market similar to this old Aerohead (black finish, aero, 700c, MSW, 15mm ID/20mm OD? The price point of any rim would need to be less than $100 MSRP.

Thanks for your help!

AnkleWork

The problem is over-constrained; good luck finding something to meet all your varied requirements.

Regardless of what you do, the customer will not really be happy and will blame you. I'd refuse the rebuild, not spend any more time on this, and offer a prebuilt wheel (and sleep better).

BTW, why would you consider replacing a cracked rim with an identical one? You've already invested way too much into this rebuild.

deacon mark

I repair guitars so folks bring me $100 guitars with broken headstocks and ask if I would fix them. Sadly I tell them that they are not worth fixing and my repair many times is more expensive than the guitar. Say no and avoid problems


Now on the other hand someone brings in there prize Super 400 with a broken neck then........we starting figure out how to get the job done making plans..

shelbyfv

Sometimes the best course actually is simplest. You probably don't need this aggravation for what you would make relacing a wheel and any solution other than direct replacement of the rim is likely to have drawbacks, as you have found.

CliffordK

Is the rim symmetrical or off center?

Aerohead Off Center rims are becoming less common, especially if you're picky about the colors.

Shimano makes a couple of wheels with nipples at the hub.. Hmm. Shimano R550. Does the spoke count match? Even buying wheels and stripping them. You'll likely be off with the rim ERD.
Shimano Wheelset WH-R550 9 speed compatible | eBay
Shimano R550 Road Bike Wheelset WH-R550 700c clincher 9/10 Speed | eBay

If the rims are right, you could hit Shimano up for NOS rims.

I think you should also be able to lace the wheel, spoke heads at the hub, nipples at the rim, using new straight-pull spokes, and thus use a stock Aerohead or Aerohead OC rim.

It should work, but whatever you do, it will take a little bit of tinkering, and careful measurements. Thus, more of a home project than a shop project.

TREKarea2

Good points from all - I explored a new wheel, either custom built or prebuilt early on in dealing with this customer. I also relayed my opinion concerning of throwing good money after bad. They have been quite persistent in my finding a rim and using their own hub. I agreed to do my best to go that route (within practical limits) and turned to this forum when I had run out of options.

As far as using a rim identical to the existing one - it apparently lasted 8-10 years of fairly hard riding and he got his money's worth based on the inherent constraints of the construction. I would imagine a similar build should last a reasonable amount of time.

Clifford - I will check out the Shimano angle. Not sure if straight pulls will work in a reversed direction on this CC hub.

All in all, it's been a huge time suck but I haven't worked with this configuration before. Sometimes spending extra time is what it takes to know I gave the best advice.

Thank you all for your comments.

rccardr 

Don't Mavic Heliums use the same straight spoke/nut in the middle at the hub design?
If so, you might be able to find a complete wheel or even a rim...

toddbiker

Hi,

Cane Creek at one time sold bushings / adapters to use the traditional size spoke holes with straight pull spokes.
The one caveat was it consumed about 2mm of spoke length (went inside the rim), your existing spokes at the hub might have approx that much latitude.
Looking at my Cane Creek wheelsets, some are flush with the nipple , others are 2-3mm beyond the nipple.
I would call Cane Creek to see if they are still available. Also an OC rear rim changes the length compared to a symmetrical rim and vice versa. Cane Creek might be able to give you the specs on this.