Wooden rims...

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  • decided i am gonna bite the bullet and get some, is it sacralidge to build them onto goldtechs?

    i figure the old/nuschool mix will be ok, its seems to be ok so far...

    BUT which ones? i hear they last for years, work with brakes, comfy ride and can get clincher versions, what is the general consensus? total waste of money?

  • Very pretty, whats the pros/cons?

  • 'sacrilege'

  • Condor have a bike with wooden rims in their shop, I love to have wooden rims (ride quality must've been great), thought you can't use a brake unless the rims have some sort of paint/material on them.

  • i thought you could, from what i read somewhere, they are apparently harder wearing than carbon and some alu rims, but you need special pads

    and thanks platini i knew i'd spelt that wrong but couldn't be arsed to look it up

    how much are their rims ed?

  • Oh that's not so bad, I was expecting like £300 a pop.

  • I have built a set of wooden wheels. There are a few things you should know. First off, you can only do what lacing pattern the wheels want to do, (3x usually). The spoke holes are sunk directionally. You must use double butted spokes, also you need to get special nipples that are longer than normal. Finally you must use spoke washers. You will want to run them at a much lower tension then you would expect. (i forget exatly but at the end ill give a link of good reading). They are also much more sensitive to minor changes in tension, work your way up slowly.

    Ric Hertzberg is pretty much THE MAN when it comes to wooden wheels. I emailed him with questions and he was helpful and sold me supplies. Here is his website

    http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.com/

    http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.com/search/label/Building%20Wood%20Rims

    http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.com/search/label/Wheelbuilding%20Tips

    fwiw, wooden rims + disc brakes = ultra awesome. ghisallo is the only brand currently made, as far as i know.

  • ... or use wood-like deep-v's

  • The burled wood look of these remind me of the interior bits in my Rover



  • You must use double butted spokes

    Why?

  • lower spoke tension + greater elasticity allows for the wheel to spread deformation over a larger surface, creating an over all stronger wheel.

    i do not understand why anyone would ever want to use straight guage for anything given the option. its only benefit is slightly lower cost.

  • The burled wood look of these remind me of the interior bits in my Rover
    [B][/B]
    Only finished better

  • That green bike has been built up beautifully. I really like the use of moustache bars (usually a bit hit and miss IMO).

    The rims from benscycle look loverly (westcountry for lovely), and would look stunning on your bike.

    *Can't offer any practical advice I'm afraid, other than to build them with care (what onetwentyeight said), true regularly to prevent deformation, and don't store your bike outside in the winter.

    *(disclaimer: this information is based on recently acquiring an old wooden boat, and therefore might not be that relavant)

  • That green bike has been built up beautifully. I really like the use of moustache bars (usually a bit hit and miss IMO).

    The rims from benscycle look lovely, and would be stunning on your bike.

    ***Can't **offer any practical advice I'm afraid, other than to build them with care (what onetwentyeight said), true regularly to prevent deformation, and don't store your bike outside in the winter.

    *(disclaimer: this information is based on recently acquiring an old wooden boat, and therefore might not be that relevant)

    .

  • Fixed :)

    (disclaimer: I am a tad dyslexic, and have a tendancy to miss out words as well as mispell them. I do spellcheck whenever I have time, but as I am writing from a Norwegian PC, its a bit of a pain)

  • most wood rims are tubular only ;)

  • They look great, would love to see them - do it! onetwentyeight probably gives good advice about the washers.

  • Sounds like a good idea, but building them onto Goldtecs would not be good. There's a reason why there are campy hubs in the picture up there^. I'd use something classic and low key - personally I'd choose low flange Campy Record or DA track hubs. If you really want new school then maybe low flange phils, but I've got a goldtec and think they look too industrial to look good with the wooden rim.

  • most wood rims are tubular only ;)

    Would'nt tubulars + wooden rim be a better combination anyway?

    (I'm thinking in terms of comfort and feel)

    Just to continue being irrelevent.
    I have a 50 or so year old pair of wooden cross-country skis. I use them every winter (based in Norway) and they still have a great springy feel to them.

  • yes, better combo. but most on here couldn't be bothered with them.

  • A friend of mine built up his bike with wooden rims, and has had a hell of a time with them. He had to rebuild one a couple times because it just wasn't staying true. Slight variation in humidity drastically changes the wheel. Working with super-low tension, as mentioned has been difficult. He tied and soldered the spokes once the wheels were holding fairly true, as this supposedly helps when limited to very low tension.

    The build the wheels went on was a total bling build, and they do look fantastic, but they are a lot of work. Having seen everything he's gone through, I definitely would not use them on a daily rider. Show bike only.

    You can see a few pics here:

    http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2008/sept/2/william_talltreecycles.htm

  • onetwentyeight so there is no reason that you have to use double butted with wooden rims other than the normal reasons for wanting to?

  • i can understand the warping with old style one piece (or few piece rims), but the newer style ones i've seen are a machined multiplywood design, which you'd expect would be marine ply and hence not warp as much with temp or humidity?!??!?

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Wooden rims...

Posted by Avatar for tilover @tilover

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