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Old 04-26-20 | 05:38 AM
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French wheels




Found these in the back of my shed, are they any good and worth using any info welcomed. ( Normandy hubs, RIGIDA CHROLUX Rims, Atom freewheel )

Last edited by woodger; 04-26-20 at 05:42 AM.
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Old 04-26-20 | 05:48 AM
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I can understand why they were in the back! Hubs are the only value there and maybe the freewheel for the sprockets. looks like they came off a Peugeot or Motobecane or Raleigh or...….
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Old 04-26-20 | 05:57 AM
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Those are typical boom era wheels, found on many upper entry level, French models such as the ubiquitous Peugeot UO8. They were decent for the era, though heavy, and while the rim serrations improve braking, they don't perform as well as aluminum in this respect. The rim chrome is surprisingly good, but there's a fair amount of rust elsewhere. For me, the deciding factors would be the condition of the cones and races, and whether or not the spokes will turn. Even if the wheels are unusable for one reason or another, there are always people looking for these rims and axle assemblies, in good condition.
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Old 04-26-20 | 06:05 AM
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cheers, the axles move surprisingly well. may be a trip to scrap yard for them as they seem to de of little value.
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Old 04-30-23 | 07:44 AM
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Might be interested

Hey man, I really hope you haven’t disposed of them, they look in pretty good condition. Would you be interested in selling these if you are still in possession of these? Mainly interested in the front wheel.
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Old 04-30-23 | 07:53 AM
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While not a huge fan of chrome rims... those are 700c.
therefore I think they have utility-
good chance the freewheel threads are French so keep the freewheel with the hub.
I would use them on a grocery getter.
chrome still has bling.

I think superior to 27" because you can find an array of tires.

I would ditch the spoke protector. Yes, an OA bath could redeem it.
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Old 04-30-23 | 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
Those are typical boom era wheels, found on many upper entry level, French models such as the ubiquitous Peugeot UO8. They were decent for the era, though heavy, and while the rim serrations improve braking, they don't perform as well as aluminum in this respect. The rim chrome is surprisingly good, but there's a fair amount of rust elsewhere. For me, the deciding factors would be the condition of the cones and races, and whether or not the spokes will turn. Even if the wheels are unusable for one reason or another, there are always people looking for these rims and axle assemblies, in good condition.
they ARE 700c....
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Old 04-30-23 | 09:36 AM
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If you want to find a purpose for them, then find the right frame-set. These would go nice with a French porteur bike. Those free-wheel teeth look in top shape. Either polish or discard the spoke protector. Don't let the rust on that pie-plate sway you.
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Old 04-30-23 | 11:25 AM
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Old thread, indeed, about old wheels.
I have a Peugeot and a Sears bike having original such wheels, but removed them from my 1972 Steyr to use a 100/120mm-spaced Phil/Mod58 wheelset.

The thing with Chrolux rims is that the welded joint along the brake tracks may me smooth, or not. Lots of variation here between samples of random rims.

So I can't really judge random wheelsets without careful inspection or, much better, by trying them on a bike.

The rims are about 750g apiece, which is heavy, but which pales against Schwinn's own chromed 27" rims that weigh about 1100g each. Bare rims!

I live in California and do like chrome rims. I really prefer the better-finished ones made by Araya and Ukai, as they are much smoother in terms of the rim's variation of thickness at the brake tracks, so aren't a hindrance to riding in hilly terrain, in dry weather.
Some of the Japanese chrome rims have subtle braking dots on the sidewalls, which makes them a lot better for the life of my brake pads than the French Chrolux rims, and has a nicer hum to their braking sound.

Rims having canted sidewalls may show an effective variation of thickness at the brake pads simply because of poor control of their roundness during buildup into wheels, but which has nothing to do with their welded joint's treatment.

The bearings in Atom/Normandy hubs are not the most durable, but can be improved with Gr25 balls and will last much longer if their bearing tension adjustment only becomes slop-free upon tightening the axle's quick-release lever. Nutted axles do not compress upon installation to the frame, so can be adjusted snug at the work bench.
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