Wheel repair, build question.
 

I'm working on a project where the front wheel is in great shape, the rear not so much, the rear has a flat spot from a curb. If I cannot find a matching rim, (Wolber super champion Alpine in light grey anodized). Can I buy new rims with the same profile height and replace with the existing hubs and spokes?

Gary3- Yes it's possible, but not easy to find rims with the same ERD (the dimension where the spoke nipple seat in the rims) always. Without this ERD being the same, or within a mm or two, your spokes will be too short or long to properly engage the nipples.

Another point is that the spokes are likely old and have gone through MANY cycles of stress by now. Additionally the nipples/spoke threads will be gritted up to a degree. These make the reuse of the spokes/nipples more problematic to build/tension well and resulting in less life.

I suggest that you replace the spokes/nipples and use what ever rims you like, not trying to stay with the old spokes. Andy.

If the spokes are good quality SS they can be reused. The nipples can also be reused if in they are brass and in good shape. Some spares should be on hand just in case. Your problem will be in finding a rim with the same or close ERD.

I would build a new matching pair reusing only the hubs. Should be easy to do under $100. See places like Bike Hub Store for inexpensive Kinlin rims and reasonably priced Sapim spokes. If you want an historically more correct rim profile, you can probably locate what you are looking for on ebay for a good price.

This is what I do when a rim wears out due to brake-track wear. I loosely tape the new rim alongside the old wheel, loosen the spokes, and then move them over to the new rim one at a time. Keeps all the spokes in the same position on the hub so they still lie in the same groove they may have created in the hub flange and should minimize any stress. If you know the current rim model you can look up the ERD on one of the wheel-build programs like Spocalc and then see what other rims have close to the same ERD (also check where the spokes on the current wheel bottom out in the nipples so you know if you can go bigger or smaller on the new ERD).

Me too. I just did a set with over 60k miles on them. I only had to replace a few nipples.

good advice here.

as stated previously, it's the ERD that is most important, IME. whether or not you wish to reuse spokes and nipples is usually a quasi-safety issue so i won't comment. anyway, if you decide to reuse the spokes and end up with mismatching ERDs. here's a couple of tips.

1) if spokes are a little too short, i've found that extra long nipples can give you an extra 2-3mm to work with. i've seen it stated that it is untrue, but i've used them on several builds and they will help.

2) i've found that if ERDs are even more out of whack, that changing the number of crosses in the lacing pattern can make all the difference. a little luck helps here. :)

3) sometimes, if the spokes are different lengths on the front wheel compared to the rear, or different lengths from the drive side to the non-drive side that some of them can be swapped around and reused. i've had wheels that had three distinct spoke lengths. you never know.