Replacing rim Rivets or eyelets
 

Hi Everyone,
I just acquired a Trek 610 with some rusty eyelets and a few broken spokes. The bike is all origional so I would like to replace the rivets and spokes. Has anyone replaced the rivets before or know how to replace them?

The rim is black anodized aluminum. I was going to have the rim re-anodized but found out that anodizing only works on aluminum(the rivets are rusting so they must be something else). I could remove the rivets. Replace them with aluminum ones and have the rim anodized.

Here are a few pictures

being realistic and practical, my advice is that you have 3 choices.

1- ignore the eyelet issue and replace spokes as necessary, then align and ride until something breaks.
2- build a new wheel with new rim and spokes on the original hub.
3- buy a new wheel with a compatible hub, ie. same width and No. of speeds.

Re-eyeletting rims isn't practical, and the cost in $$$ time and effort is more than a new rim, plus doing so would call for rebuilding the wheel, so you might as well start fresh.

The Sun M13ii is a good match for that rim - just replace it.
Sun M-13II Rim - 700c, 36H, Black

In my opinion those rims look fine. I would just clean the eyelets with steel wool and replace the broken spokes.

From those pictures that rust looks to be purely cosmetic. I'd put a dash of oil on each spoke nipple, replace the broken spokes, then true\align the wheels and be on my way. The effort to re-eyelet these is greater than effort needed to re-lace a completely different rim to the old hubs and most likely unnecessary. Just shine up the spokes with some steel wool and polish up the anodizing on the rim if you want, but dealing with all the eyelets... not a chore I will put myself through again. A brass brush would knock the surface oxidation off really easily, but it would also muck up the anodizing. Chemical rust removers are hit and miss with blemishing the anodizing as well.

I am not sure the difference in 700cm vs 27in rims. I am trying to keep the bike as close to original as possible

4mm in radius, 8mm in diameter, otherwise identical for any given rim model. Not a visible difference, but may have a material effect on brake reach and fork/fender clearance.

Rim eyelets all look pretty much the same from the outside of the rim, but in fact they are specific to each model of rim. So really, your only option is to find a stash of eyelets made for very same rim; and considering the eyelets in question were never sold separately from the rims, you'll never find them. Any extras they had, at the factory, went into the recycle bin when they stopped manufacturing the rims. If you could find a junked rim of the same model with better eyelets, you wouldn't be able to remove the eyelets without destroying them.

Have you looked for a replacement rim? In general, the Matrix rims do not command any premium in the market.

And, if it matters to you, I swapped from 27" to 700c on my '83 Trek 620 without encountering any issues, except that now I easily fit fenders with 28c tires, and could probably go wider.

Normally, when replacing a rivet, one would drill it out and just replace it. These rims are probably double walled. I am not sure if the rivet goes through both walls or is just on the outside wall. If it is on the outside wall, part of the rivet will be trapped between the layers when I drill it out.

If I like the black look then I could always buy a 27" aluminum (must be solid(only) aluminum to anodize because the process will eat other materials) rim and have it anodized.

I could also switch to 700 rims but that would require modifying the breaking system and probably a few other things.

Yes, replacing rivets is pretty easy.

These are not rivets. You could call them eyelets, or grommets. Even so, calling them grommets or eyelets is stretching a term to fit an object that they resemble, but probably makes the sound much simpler than they are. These things typically go through both walls of the rim, spreading the load of the spoke to both walls. If the dimensions are off by a fraction of a mm, they won't do that.

It sounds like you're in an internet spiral of worry here, watch out =) Find a friendly bike shop that will let you test fit a 700 rim and you can put the "will it fit" question to bed, or better yet a local bike coop if one exists. That's where bikes with willing owners and a good patina shine, hyuk hyuk.

Of the 10 or so bikes I've converted to 700 (converted, haha, sounds like work)... only 1 has required longer reach calipers. It was a Nishiki Cresta and compared to replacing eyelets, slapping on some 20 dollar Tektro brakes from eBay is super easy. But seriously, those eyelets, they look like they have lots of life left in them. I will now quote Zoolander, "doesn't anyone notice this, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"

It seems like you're worrying about a lot of stuff you don't need to be worrying about.

Any year of Trek 610 is a fantastic bike- a great bike. But it's just not going to be super collectable or worth a considerable amount of money or rare enough that people would shank their own mothers for. There's no overwhelming *need* to keep it stock. The value in these bikes is as riders- you can change out a huge majority of the components with "better" stuff and still maintain that "vintage Trek" aesthetic. By "better," I mean more higher end "vintage" parts as well as modern parts. Things like cables, housing, brake pads, chains... they're just SO much better than they were 30-40 years ago. Unless you have an absolute museum piece- it makes no sense to not use the classically styled modern parts. Any 600 series bike is a solidly mid-level bike- it's going to have some good parts and some middle of the road parts...

I like 27" wheels. But I like 27" wheels because that's what's on my bikes. Give me the opportunity to replace my 27" wheels with equal or better 700c wheels- and it's done. I've even set aside a set of super-adjustable canti brakes for JUST such an occasion if any of my stock canti brakes won't work on a 700C wheel (which I think they will). The most cost effective thing to do would to be clean up your wheels and ride. A little oil and a toothbrush around the eyelets will make a world of difference aesthetically. Your tires are in bad shape- replace those before doing any riding- it doesn't matter if they hold air now- wait until that sidewall gives way- you'll have a "thumb" of inner tube sticking out and it'll blow. But it is kind of neat to watch, as long as you're not on it. :D

To make that a badass bike- if the rims/hubs aren't dominant- get a decent set of new wheels. Go with 700c, there's no real reason not to. So many more tires available to you. (I love Panaracer Pasela TourGuards- but give me a chance to try out some other nice tires... I will.) If you want 'em black- get black, otherwise silver (aluminum color) rims are classy. The idea of getting silver rims anodized is... not good. Really, as long as they're not crazy deep V rims you should be OK.

For real, unless your wheels and rims have big problems, they'll be fine. 2 hours of riding and you'll forget about all the silly stuff you were fretting about.

Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and the little snow globe.

Best wishes!