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Old rim quality

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Old 01-31-09 | 05:56 PM
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Old rim quality

I'm about to purchase some 27 inches tires for my 1982 Fuji Supreme. I was hoping to use it as a summer commuter. Which means it would probably see as much as 2000 miles a year.

Do you think the 25-year old Fuji rims would last very long at this clip?

OTOH, I was riding this afternoon and met a guy with 1970s Schwinn Sports Tourer (weird... no lugs...). He was the original owner and told me that he'd never replaced the alloy rims.
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Old 01-31-09 | 06:03 PM
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Heck gerv, I've got several sets of rims that are way older than a lot of BF members and they still work just fine. My beloved wife is an Urbandale girl...love those Iowegians
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Old 01-31-09 | 06:40 PM
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I am riding 50-year-old rims (Weinmann wood-filled) on my commuter. I do about 3K miles per year on them.
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Old 01-31-09 | 06:53 PM
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I think that old rims were made to last forever.

It was before corporations figured out that if it didn't break, you wouldn't need a new one.

I know a guy that uses his Model A Ford daily as a farm vehicle. Works just fine, no need for a new F-150.

I rode my old Campagnolo friction shifting, tubular wheeled, bike today. It worked just fine, faster than me, and as an added bonus, I can fix whatever breaks on it.
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Old 02-01-09 | 05:51 AM
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If you are going to be riding that much, go with a good quality set of tires.
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Old 02-01-09 | 07:58 AM
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I think yes. They last a long time.
In fact, I think there are some artificial reefs with some in them that will outlast the natural planet.
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Old 02-01-09 | 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Esteban32696
If you are going to be riding that much, go with a good quality set of tires.
I ordered a set of Nashbar Prima 2 tires since they were only 9.99 each and were somewhat highly regarded. The bike had the original tires on it... so I can't claim abuse on the part of the original owner. I think this bike has seen a lot of basement time, since my current commuter is only 4 years old and has 5 times as many paint scratches[ as well as two rear rims].
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Old 02-01-09 | 10:13 PM
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Bikes: Fuji Supreme; Kona Wo; Nashbar road frame custom build; Schwinn Varsity; Nishiki International; Schwinn Premis, Falcon Merckx, American Flyer muscle bike, Motobecane Mulekick

I rode my '82 Supreme outside for a year on its original wheels and now it does permanent duty on the trainer all winter on the same those same items. The bike had low enough miles on it when I picked it up that I would have no reservations about riding the daylights out of it. I put a couple thousand miles on my Nishiki's wheels before setting them aside, and then it was only to change over to 700's so I could mount studded tires. I think you will find that they are fine.
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