Someone on here rebuild my wheels?

[ugo.santalucia]

Shaun, I don't think the rims look that bad, I think modern wheelbuilders tend to over tension, and there are plenty of spokes.
Keith

Modern wheel builders over tension because modern customers are hardly mechanically minded, let alone can true a wheel, hence we try to build wheels that last with zero maintenance. Low tension leads to spokes coming loose, wheels going out of true and spokes breaking... no serious issue if you have a bit of DIY.

I am a retro fan but modern rims are superior in any respect to old rims. Personally I think if the OP was attached to his rims he should have looked after them, trying to resurrect a dead rim is a bit of a pointless exercise. Those are my thoughts, anyway

 

[Midlife]

True, I should have looked after them but 35 years ago when I left home for University they were the last thing on my mind

Shaun

 

[ugo.santalucia]

True, I should have looked after them but 35 years ago when I left home for University they were the last thing on my mind

Shaun

It was the same for me... I managed to bring all other components back to showroom conditions, but rims never felt particularly good after many years of neglect, so I just fitted some new ones... remember a race bike was a race bike... I don't see the point in restoring it into something slow that feels like riding a Pashley... I think it deserves better, it deserves to be ridden like a race bike again... hence new rims and new tyres I'm afraid

 

[bm0p700f]

I would also not bother trying to reuse those rims. The TB14 is pretty much the only shallow classic looking clincher left.

A wheel is over tensioned if it leads to rim cracking. 1200N DS on a rear wheel is useally enough unless that exceeds the tension limit of the rim. Front wheels tension needs to be about 1000N unless it is a disc brake wheel then tension like a rear wheel. Older rims probably do require lower tensions to avoid cracking.

Modern rims are rounder and in every way better made as ugo has said. Rims are wear items trying to reuse a bad one is like trying to reuse than worn 70's chain - pointless.

 

[keithglos]

We are surely referring to 14 ounce Fiamme rims for tubular tyres.
I used to consider these heavy, and recently in the bikes I sold were our 48 year old Scheeren 8 ounce wood inserts, the Clement silks last used in 1977 were inflated and immediately ridden down the road.
Overtightening spokes is needlessly increasing stresses.

 

[Midlife]

I'm not sure what's wrong with building a set of wheels for practice and have them under a bike in the garage.... mainly to keep it off the floor.

I'm keeping them for sentimental reasons to look at......... not to do a Coast-to-Coast

Here's the spokes from the wheels, strangely enough they are the same size as an A4 piece of paper ..

Now to find some replacements

297mm or 11 and 11 16ths

Shaun

 

[ugo.santalucia]

For cheap spokes, you can buy some rustless spokes from www.sdeals.com if you are not going to use the wheels, then no point in spending more. They typically fatigue and snap at about 5 K miles and they are very reproducible in this, therefore I don't use them, but again, for showroom only they are fine.
If you can't find the size, then Alpina plain gauge will cost you a few pennies more. I assume you don't want to use more modern double butted ones...

 

[ugo.santalucia]

Overtightening spokes is needlessly increasing stresses.

You will find that the vast majority of wheel related headaches come from undertensioning and not the opposite. Some "butter" rims can't tae much tension, but this is a problem of the rim, not of the tension... I don't use such rims as they are junk in every other way too (too "soft", crack easy, you name it). Even among old rims, some were well built... problem is at one point they started producing 300 grams rims in the belief that the lighter the better, which were pretty much all junk

 

[Midlife]

Current spokes are 14-16 double butted chrome, I guess they don't make them anymore soI guess it's stainless.......

Shaun

 

[bm0p700f]

Stainless is better anyway. Go with Sapim or DT Swiss spokes. ACI are O.K I suppose and cheaper. Many wheel problems are also caused by cheap low quality spokes and nipples. Don't skimp here either.