Finding wheels for an old English 3-Speed

I've got an old Hercules Balmoral I found while clearing out my Grandad's garage at the weekend. Not this bike, but exactly the same:

http://i.pbase.com/o2/42/534842/1/112838263.bTIEF3sV.HerculesBalmoral.jpg

I've stripped it down and given the Sturmey 3-speed a service and in general it's in lovely nick, except for the steel rims which are thoroughly past it. Inspection shows that spokes tension is way off, nipples are seized up, chrome has corroded away, and surfaces are horrible. The hubs are in great condition though. What's the best option? Are old 26 - 1 1/4" wheels pretty easy to come by?

You just need some fresh rims and spokes by spund of it.

sounds like an oldschool odd size. you might be better off changing to 26 or 27" rims so you have better tyre choice. should codt under 100 even if you have to pay for shop to build wheels up on the old hubs.
or cheaper yet just get a pair of used 3 speed wheels. likely under 50 for a vgood set.

~~This size is commonly used for cycle speedway. I emailed Archie Wilkinson a while ago as my girlfriend's bike also uses Roadster wheels. They weren't listed on their website, but they do sell good quality double-walled aluminium rims in that size in silver and they've got a braking surface. If you want a singlespeed wheelset they'll probably build one up with silver rims if you ask nicely - or you could just buy the rims and build them up yourself.

Their website is:
http://www.archie-wilkinson.co.uk/wheels-and-tyres.html

Tyres can be hard to find in that size, but the el cheapo Raleigh whitewall tyres I fitted on my girlfriend's bike have actually held up fine for everyday commuting for about 18 months, and no punctures either.

Incidentally does it have rod brakes or normal calliper brakes? If it has rod brakes, then it'll need rims specifically designed for rod brakes - normal clincher rims won't work. If that's the case, then your best bet is ebay or the retrobike forums.

edit - and yeah, like Brickman says, you might consider changing to 700c. Your 26 x 1 3/8 rims are 590mm, and 700s are 622mm, so the difference isn't very big. My girlfriend's roadster takes 26 x 1 3/8 rims but since the clearances are so huge, 700cs fit too. Get some 700s designed for a hybrid with wide rims so you can fit big fat 40c tyres - skinny tyres on a roadster would just be awful. The only problem with that is that you'll certainly need new brakes - the drop on your current brakes will be too long (and rod brakes won't work on modern rims, as previously mentioned). You probably couldn't size down to 26" (559 aka mountain bike size) because you won't find brakes with long enough drop (unless you fit drum brakes... or discs... now that'd be cool), and also it'd look crap.~~

Scrap all of that - I thought you said 26 x 1 3/8, but you in fact said 26 x 1 1/4... which is pretty rare. I imagine the only rims you'll find are NOS ones - but the good news is that they're 597mm, which is only very slightly smaller than 700c (622mm). You shouldn't have any problems changing to 700c rims as these old bikes have massive clearances. Just make sure you get wide touring/commuting type rims so you can fit some decently wide tyres.

how many holes in your SA hub?
if 36, I'd rebuild with these (and new spokes, obv) :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PAIR-26-x-1-3-8-ALLOY-RIMS-VINTAGE-ROADSTER-CLASSIC-TOURIST-BIKE-RALEIGH-CAPRICE-/180827524903?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2a1a290f27#ht_835wt_1037

you didn't mention tyres but SJS have some nice (ie old-ish) looking schwalbes for a tenner each:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schwalbe-hs180-rigid-tyre-26-x-1-3-8-x-1-1-4-inch-(28-32-590)-prod22902/

edit - to ditto lae's edit, I made the same misreading. 597 tyres will be very hard to find anyway.

I just bought a job lot of chromed steel "old style MTB rims" off fleaBay for a project I've been meaning to start for ages. I believe these are 26 x 1 1/4. They are essentially NOS (bankrupt stock sale). I've got a dozen of them, and I only need 2 for my project. If you still need some, I can do you a pair at cost.

What is the diameter?

@Lynx The rims aren't quite as wide as they looked. Measurements (taken with a dressmakers tape measure, so super accurate) are approx 572mm rim edge to rim edge which is roughly 559mm bead diameter. They are also 25mm rim width, with hooked edges and 36 holes. That says to me these are 26" x 1" rather than 650C or 650B.

Which will make it much easier to find tyres for them, but doesn't make them as rare as I thought they might be.