source of 451mm rims?

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I'm looking for some 451mm rims for my Raleigh Twenty (the back wheel
needs rebuilding anyway, so it seems like a good time to get rid of
the no-braking-in-the-wet steel rim.) Unfortunately it looks as if
they're a bit hard to get hold of...

SJS Cycles list one 451mm rim, but (a) 36 hole and I need 28 and
(b) it's steel anyway.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19958
seems OK but not due in stock until August. (I'm assuming that
"BMX rim" doesn't actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for
non-BMX bike".)

Googling for the last time this came up here brought up bikefix
and futurecycles as suggestions; but the former doesn't seem to
have 451 rims and the latter no rims at all. The other option
in the archives involved importing from the US, which seems like
a lot of hassle :-(

None of the online shops (with the honourable exception of SJS)
seem to let you say "show me only rims in the size I actually
care about" either.

Can anybody suggest anywhere else to look? (Plan B would be
to give up on the Twenty and buy a Brompton instead :-))

Thanks in advance
-- PMM

Quoting Peter Maydell <pmaydell@chiark.greenend.org.uk>:
>http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19958
>seems OK but not due in stock until August. (I'm assuming that
>"BMX rim" doesn't actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for
>non-BMX bike".)

Probably just means "built like a tank".

The Sun CR18 is meant to be available (orderable?) in ISO451 and is a more
normal sort of rim...
--
David Damerell <damerell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> flcl?
Today is Second Friday, May.

On Mon, 12 May 2008 23:34:00 +0100, David Damerell wrote:

> Quoting Peter Maydell <pmaydell@chiark.greenend.org.uk>:
>>http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19958 seems OK
>>but not due in stock until August. (I'm assuming that "BMX rim" doesn't
>>actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for non-BMX bike".)
>
> Probably just means "built like a tank".
>
> The Sun CR18 is meant to be available (orderable?) in ISO451 and is a
> more normal sort of rim...

Actually those rims are intended for use by lightweight BMX racers - I
suspect they're a bit lighter than the CR18s which are basically
undersized cross-country rims.

On Mon, 12 May 2008 23:07:57 +0100, Peter Maydell wrote:

>
> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19958 seems OK
> but not due in stock until August. (I'm assuming that "BMX rim" doesn't
> actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for non-BMX bike".)
>
These are twice the price but you get a choice of colour. :-)
http://www.alansbmx.com/product_info.php?products_id=3461

Peter Maydell wrote:
> I'm looking for some 451mm rims for my Raleigh Twenty (the back wheel
> needs rebuilding anyway, so it seems like a good time to get rid of
> the no-braking-in-the-wet steel rim.) Unfortunately it looks as if
> they're a bit hard to get hold of...
>
> SJS Cycles list one 451mm rim, but (a) 36 hole and I need 28 and
> (b) it's steel anyway.
>
> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19958
> seems OK but not due in stock until August. (I'm assuming that
> "BMX rim" doesn't actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for
> non-BMX bike".)
>
> Googling for the last time this came up here brought up bikefix
> and futurecycles as suggestions; but the former doesn't seem to
> have 451 rims and the latter no rims at all. The other option
> in the archives involved importing from the US, which seems like
> a lot of hassle :-(
>
> None of the online shops (with the honourable exception of SJS)
> seem to let you say "show me only rims in the size I actually
> care about" either.
>
> Can anybody suggest anywhere else to look? (Plan B would be
> to give up on the Twenty and buy a Brompton instead :-))
>
> Thanks in advance
> -- PMM


M5 recumbents use 451mm rims

--
/Marten

info(apestaartje)m-gineering(punt)nl

On 12 May 2008 23:07:57 +0100 (BST), Peter Maydell wrote:

> I'm looking for some 451mm rims for my Raleigh Twenty (the back wheel
> needs rebuilding anyway, so it seems like a good time to get rid of
> the no-braking-in-the-wet steel rim.) Unfortunately it looks as if
> they're a bit hard to get hold of...
>
> SJS Cycles list one 451mm rim, but (a) 36 hole and I need 28 and
> (b) it's steel anyway.
>
> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19958
> seems OK but not due in stock until August. (I'm assuming that
> "BMX rim" doesn't actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for
> non-BMX bike".)
>
> Googling for the last time this came up here brought up bikefix
> and futurecycles as suggestions; but the former doesn't seem to
> have 451 rims and the latter no rims at all. The other option
> in the archives involved importing from the US, which seems like
> a lot of hassle :-(
>
> None of the online shops (with the honourable exception of SJS)
> seem to let you say "show me only rims in the size I actually
> care about" either.
>
> Can anybody suggest anywhere else to look? (Plan B would be
> to give up on the Twenty and buy a Brompton instead :-))
>
> Thanks in advance
> -- PMM

451 is used on some wheelchairs; check with suppliers to that trade and you
may find aluminium rims that will do. They may have some extra holes for
mounting the handwheel, but you could easily plug those.

On 12 May 2008 23:07:57 +0100 (BST), Peter Maydell
<pmaydell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> said in
<Ly*V-Ics@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>:

>I'm looking for some 451mm rims for my Raleigh Twenty (the back wheel
>needs rebuilding anyway, so it seems like a good time to get rid of
>the no-braking-in-the-wet steel rim.) Unfortunately it looks as if
>they're a bit hard to get hold of...

Any good Bentmonger should have them.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Rob Morley <nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>On Mon, 12 May 2008 23:34:00 +0100, David Damerell wrote:
>> Quoting Peter Maydell <pmaydell@chiark.greenend.org.uk>:
>>>(I'm assuming that "BMX rim" doesn't
>>>actually mean "bizarre rim not suitable for non-BMX bike".)
>>
>> Probably just means "built like a tank".
>>
>> The Sun CR18 is meant to be available (orderable?) in ISO451 and is a
>> more normal sort of rim...

(The 451 CR18s don't seem to come in 28h, incidentally.)

>Actually those rims are intended for use by lightweight BMX racers - I
>suspect they're a bit lighter than the CR18s which are basically
>undersized cross-country rims.

Given that some of these rims seem to be intended for junior BMX
racing, are they all capable of supporting an adult's weight?
For instance, you gave a link to some Bombshell rims in another post;
looking at the manufacturer's website they have a wheel using those
rims which is specced at a maximum rider weight of 90lbs, which
is less than 40kg! Or is wheel strength a property of other bits
of the wheel?

(Also, why do half of these guys not say whether the hole for the
valve is presta or schrader?)

-- PMM

On 17 May 2008 19:26:37 +0100 (BST)
Peter Maydell <pmaydell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

> Given that some of these rims seem to be intended for junior BMX
> racing, are they all capable of supporting an adult's weight?

Possibly not - it depends how heavy the adult is and how he treats the
wheel.

> For instance, you gave a link to some Bombshell rims in another post;
> looking at the manufacturer's website they have a wheel using those
> rims which is specced at a maximum rider weight of 90lbs, which
> is less than 40kg! Or is wheel strength a property of other bits
> of the wheel?

It's partly down to the quality of the build. The problem with finding
28h 20 x 1 3/8 rims these days is that they're pretty much only used
for junior BMX racing - just about everything else has moved to the
406mm version of 20", and even then 28h isn't common (although it
should build into a stronger wheel than the equivalent 451mm rim).
Your best option in terms of parts availability is to use 36h
hubs, 20 x 1.75 rims, brakes that will reach the extra 22mm, and fat
tyres like the 20 x 2.35 Big Apple to retain as much ground clearance
as possible. Mudguard clearance might be a problem too.

In article <20080519093705.40ef43d0@bluemoon>, Rob Morley wrote:
>
>It's partly down to the quality of the build. The problem with finding
>28h 20 x 1 3/8 rims these days is that they're pretty much only used
>for junior BMX racing - just about everything else has moved to the
>406mm version of 20", and even then 28h isn't common (although it
>should build into a stronger wheel than the equivalent 451mm rim).
>Your best option in terms of parts availability is to use 36h
>hubs, 20 x 1.75 rims, brakes that will reach the extra 22mm, and fat
>tyres like the 20 x 2.35 Big Apple to retain as much ground clearance
>as possible. Mudguard clearance might be a problem too.

My old Dawes Kingpin folder had 440 ("500A") (chrome steel) rims, and
now has 406 rims with the fattest tyres I could fit in, but the bottom
bracket does end up a bit lower, so I'm using shorter cranks. 451 with
1 1/8" is also smaller on the outside than the original tyres.
I'll probably buy a better folder before upgrading to rims that are
a better fit, but I do mean to fit a five-speed hub sometime to replace
the current three-speed, partly because of the short cranks.

On 19 May 2008 11:36:41 +0100 (BST)
armb@chiark.greenend.org.uk (Alan Braggins) wrote:

> My old Dawes Kingpin folder had 440 ("500A") (chrome steel) rims,

For anyone wanting to replace these I saw some cheap alloys on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380025401915
Doesn't solve the problem of tyre availability though.

In article <20080520083903.6d3a7fb6@bluemoon>, Rob Morley wrote:
>On 19 May 2008 11:36:41 +0100 (BST)
>armb@chiark.greenend.org.uk (Alan Braggins) wrote:
>
>> My old Dawes Kingpin folder had 440 ("500A") (chrome steel) rims,
>
>For anyone wanting to replace these I saw some cheap alloys on eBay:
>http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380025401915
>Doesn't solve the problem of tyre availability though.

The tyres it came with weren't great, but were usable, and I think are still
in the shed somewhere. An LBS did have new ones (which I didn't buy because
I was planning to change size), but has since closed.
Worth considering though - thanks.

And searching eBay for 500A:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-White-wall-bike-tyre-37-440-500a-Good-Quality_W0QQitemZ110252302001QQihZ001QQcategoryZ27954QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Alan Braggins wrote:
> In article <20080520083903.6d3a7fb6@bluemoon>, Rob Morley wrote:
>> On 19 May 2008 11:36:41 +0100 (BST)
>> armb@chiark.greenend.org.uk (Alan Braggins) wrote:
>>
>>> My old Dawes Kingpin folder had 440 ("500A") (chrome steel) rims,
>> For anyone wanting to replace these I saw some cheap alloys on eBay:
>> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380025401915
>> Doesn't solve the problem of tyre availability though.
>
> The tyres it came with weren't great, but were usable, and I think are still
> in the shed somewhere. An LBS did have new ones (which I didn't buy because
> I was planning to change size), but has since closed.
> Worth considering though - thanks.
>
> And searching eBay for 500A:
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-White-wall-bike-tyre-37-440-500a-Good-Quality_W0QQitemZ110252302001QQihZ001QQcategoryZ27954QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Schwalbe has some perfectly reasonable 37-438's which fit 440 rims
wthout problems
--
/Marten

info(apestaartje)m-gineering(punt)nl

Peter Maydell <pmaydell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>I'm looking for some 451mm rims for my Raleigh Twenty

In the end I ordered some CR18s from aebike.com (even with the shipping
from the US it came out to 50 quid for a pair, so not too awful). I did
try phoning around several recumbent/folder dealers with no luck; closest
I got was that foldingbikes.co.uk had some with the wrong number of
holes.

The guy at alansbmx.com agreed that 'mini bmx' rims weren't intended
for an adult's weight, incidentally.

Thanks anyway for the suggestions.
-- PMM