Raleigh Roadster wheel

[Tonee62]

Hi Folks,

I'm trying to get my old Raleigh Roadster back on the road, its certainly needs a bit of work doing to it. The rear 28" - 40 hole wheel looks as though it needs replacing which is a real shame as its a dyno hub, The wheel is chrome plated, and has a fair bit of rust on it, I've tried cleaning it up but I have serious doubts whether it would be good to use. I recently took it to a local bike shop who advised me to give up on it.....too much rust and has a flat spot. Its looking as though I need to find a replacement, does anybody know where I could pick one up. Would anybody reccommend having a wheel built with the existing hub, if I managed to get hold of a rim.

Thanks
Tony

 

[Zoiders]

I do voluntary work here

http://www.back2bikes.org.uk/

There will most certainly be a wheel available even if it's minus the Sturmey Dyno, the webpage is never up to date BTW and doesn't list all the donated bit's we get given.

If you can't get a rear get a stainless 40 hole front instead, stainless rims can be re-used and built back into other wheels, flat spots can be removed with the aid of a hammer believe it or not, it's a skill and not a bodge though.

 

[tyred]

Flat spots on rims for rod brakes are bad news as it would cause serious brake judder if you try to feather the brakes.

The good news is that replacement 28" rims are available from http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/rims-28-(635)-dept852/. The bad news is that they are only available in 36 hole, so you would need to source a 36 hole AG hub to build a wheel.

The cheapest option would probably to try and find a second hand wheel in usable condition. It would probably be a 36 spoke rim as they were the norm from the late 1950s onwards.

If you PM me, I could possibly put you in touch with someone who has had the 40/32 hole rims used on the older roadsters re-manufactured in small batches but he only sells them in pairs and they are quite expensive. I'm not sure if he ships them as he generally has been selling them within the VCC club in Northern Ireland.

 

[tyred]

I wouldn't worry too much about the rust if you can remove the flat spot. These rims were built with very heavy steel and surface rust won't do them any harm. If the chrome plating really has gone AWOL, just sand it well and spray it with silver wheel paint, or have it re-chromed, depending on what you want to spend.

Your LBS is probably used looking at modern wheels which are made from tinfoil in comparision to a rod braked roadster wheel.

 

[Tonee62]

Thanks for the information Zoiders and Tyred, I'll look in to getting a second opinion and getting the flat spot removed. I hadn't thought of spraying the wheel. Any idea how much it costs to have a wheel re-chromed and who actually re-chromes wheels? I've attached a couple of photos of the wheel, if the opinion is I'm flogging a dead horse, I'll try the second hand route. A 36 hole wheel might end up being my best bet.

Thanks again.

 

[Nick Salt]

You CAN build a 36 hole rim onto a 40 spoke hub. You will need to get 28 spokes at the reccomended spokecalc length and 8 spokes 6mm longer. The eight spokes will go either side of the 4 holes you leave on the hub. I left the holes opposite on each flange with 90 degrees difference between the flanges. I've done it myself and the wheel was still rotating true, and bearing the weight of me and whatever was on the rack at any given time, until I stripped the hub out for a different bike. Spokesave.co.uk are great for spokes. If you go down this route PM me or email if you need any help