Crambie":bb11eyod said:
A bit of a shame to swap to 700c's in a way but at least you'll be able to brake in the wet, I'm presuming you mean alloy. I remember when I was young having to jump off in torrential rain coming up to a crossroads on a country road as my steel wheels just weren't going to stop in time and hedges obscured the view. You just to find a rustic looking rim to match.
Another very valid comment concerning wheels. I'm really really split on this. Here's my reasonings / ramblings:
A) Tire availability; I've got to be true with myself this is not going to be a big mile muncher bike (there
are others in the fleet for that) so in general looking for some reasonably priced 700A or 700B (still don't
know the rim size :facepalm: ) or some cast off or reasonable 700C tyres. Whaterver I will try, they should
be in harmony with the rest of the bike - no flash logos or a stupid reflective stripe. Plain black.
B) Originally, I was thinking mega rusty mudguards, old lights, etc. for a classic roadster build, but more
and more I'm edging towards skinny, stripped down and simple. This bike will never get ridden in the wet - there's no
need for more rust - so in a way (as much as I despise them) 60s steel chrome rims
may work. I really
like the original totally rust laden rims a lot from an aesthetic point of view; they are like the British roadster type for
rod brakes but narrower. They simply do look right and are period correct. Shiny chrome rims will be too bling I think
so leaning towards dull old alloy if I go 700C.
C) How to brake.... :?: :?: Rims and brakes go together. I'll post more info about the brakes, but it is
well documented (See Oldtel's 1912 Continental build thread among others) that old French caliper brakes
and old French rims are well.....not beating around the bush.....utterly shit stoppers:!: But heah, ever since when did
us folks on Retrobike concede to performance and common sense when building a bike? I'm going to see closer
what I can do with the vintage brakes but they are not inspiring any confidence. I may do something radical
:idea:
and have no brakes at all.
In short, like all my other bikes, I can see this evolving, having different guises and purposes over time.
