Think of it from the point of view of the wheel manufacturer.

For their aluminum wheels, they're competing with other wheel manufacturers to hit the decent quality/decent price sweet spot.

For their steel wheels, they're competing with other wheel manufacturers to hit the lowest possible price point; the quality of the wheels is a secondary concern, if that.

That said, if you're reasonably careful, you can get acceptable service life out of almost any wheel, even a steel one.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZTL1II..._P9Quzb2EH40F3

So I bought that rear and matching front from WheelMaster on Amazon. It's $50 bucks for the back rim, $40 front, quick release capable, screw on freewheel type, generic cup and cone, Weinmann rim, stainless spokes in 36h... basic. I serviced the hubs when I got them with new grease and made sure they were tight, not too tight (it came too tight, almost indexed). I then put a dab of Tri-Flow on each spoke nipple and that was that. They popped and creaked for the first 100 miles, but since then not a sound. I'm 175lbs and the bike has an extra 40lbs of sound equipment on the back rack all the time. It's my fun ride, beater bike. They're yet to pop a spoke and are still within 1mm of true all around. For the price I'm very pleased with the experiment. I expected a LOT less than I've gotten out of them.

If you care to experiment sometime with a cheap, aluminum wheelset against your cheap steel ones I say give those a swing.

I have nightmares about truing old steel wheels. Talk about a Sisyphean task.

Your braking with a new Chromed Steel wheel will astound you. Modern chrome plating has a much higher coefficient of friction than the old stuff. This is why Harley riders put so many chrome parts on before they have to lay her down in an emergency stop! :D

Few things here-

- your idea isnt new. Its been thought about by most anyone who enjoys c&v and steel rims arent popular for a reason...or rather for reasons.

- buy whatever you find the most value in. i havent seen any snobbery in this thread so far. basic pushback to your suggestion that $25 steel wheels are a good buy isnt snobbery, its varying degrees of disbelief.

- Just because a bike isnt a $2200 iconic name doesnt mean it should sport $25 steel wheels. Thats an absurd conclusion to draw, yet your comment shows you think so.




Since we are talking wheels, ill stick with an analogy thats topical
- steel wheels are like the $8 Kenda K35 nylon tires on ebay.
- single wall aluminum rims are like the wire bead $27 Serfas Seca or Panaracer Pasela tires in bike shops.
- double wall aluminum rims are like the various $30-70 folding tires with 120tpi and flat protection.

All can get the job done. Just depends on whats important to you.

Indeed. Add a set of Kool-stop pads and you can easily do an end-over in an emergency stop.

Old dried out, hard-as-rock brake pads, yeah not so much.

I'm not sure I'd a buy a new steel wheel today, but the 40 year old steelies on my commuter have held up quite well over time. Though, last year I did, replace the rear wheel with an alloy wheel, with a nice off-set to allow me to run a 7 speed FW. I HATE how filthy it gets. My gum-walls have turned black from brake/aluminum dust.

Yes, that sounds like the Schwinn rim!

With plated steel get the Kool Stop pads, make sure the brakes are set up well, and make sure the rim sidewall is clean. In dry weather, they stop OK. In wet, they're not very good, so you have to be especially conservative riding then. Some of the old pads had leather inserts for wet weather, but they didn't do a whole lot. If you're looking for performance, the aluminum is better, but steel rims can work OK. My favorites are the really old stainless ones from the 1940s-50s. You see them on the deluxe Raleighs and Schwinns of that era, among others.

I'm moderately amused we are having this discussion ---

And perhaps not. I haven't heard of any recent breakthroughs.

I had steel rims on my one and only bike up until 2010 or so. The guy at the LBS convinced me to replace them (they were bent) with some cheap $80 alloy rims they had on hand. That's right about the time I started to get serious about riding again. The bike certainly felt a lot better with the upgrade. :thumb:

I've been thinking a Little about Stainless steel rims. With a variety of hub brakes available, I'd expected to see at least some commuter-oriented Wheels being built/sold with SS rims.
While not a huge issue, some folks do have concerns about aluminium and salted Winter roads. SS rims would eliminate that. And with hub brakes, the brake performance loss becomes moot.
And I've never seen a SS rim crack around the nipples.

Aside from the rust and poor braking issues, weight is something to take into serious consideration.

Hold any wheel by the axle and try to tip it from side to side. No resistance will be felt. Now, if possible...

Take two wheels, one with steel hoops and the other with alloy hoops. Now, holding either or each by the axles, give the wheel a good, really good, spin. Now try to tip it side to side and feel the resistance while the wheel is spinning. There is a gyroscopic effect and that effect is doubled(two wheels per bike, usually).

The heavier the rim and the further it is from the center of rotation, the greater will be the resistance. So, if ride quality and agility is your concern, forget the steel rim, it is just too heavy. And....

My guess in days gone bye, the steel rim was stronger than the alloy rims of days past. But compared to the technology that goes into alloy rims today, once again the steel hoop must go to the back of the bus. They just don't compare, in my opinion.