Rims For Winter

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

Winter is different in different parts of the world. Where are you?
Winter is harder on things due to things like snow, ice, salt, sand, darkness, etc.

However, steel rims have thier problems with braking friction especially when they are wet. All rims sacrifice significant friction when wet.

What did you ride last winter?

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

Wow, how did it add up to so much money if you just have a single speed?

I can't think of a good reason to ride on steel. The biggest worry you
have is if salt and grit gets between your brake pads and your rim. That
will wear the sides of the rims out, but it takes a long time, and you
have to be really careless to let it happen.

Enjoy your bike! Any chance you can post a picture?

Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy

The Eye said:

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

More fundamental question: Does your area use road salt to clear snow
from the driving surfaces? If the answer is "yes", park the whole
bike and grab a $20 beater from a thrift store to ride until the salt
is gone. More than the rims will get damaged by road salt. If
there's no salt problem, then there's no reason not to just ride the
current rims and bike.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter.

No. Aluminum corrodes less than steel in wet salted road conditions.
Clean it periodically and you will be happy.

I spent

Quoted message said:

about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

"Werehatrack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The Eye said:

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

More fundamental question: Does your area use road salt to clear snow
from the driving surfaces? If the answer is "yes", park the whole
bike and grab a $20 beater from a thrift store to ride until the salt
is gone. More than the rims will get damaged by road salt. If
there's no salt problem, then there's no reason not to just ride the
current rims and bike.
--

Here in Helsinki, Finland they use heaps of salt on the roads. I've been
cycling throughout ~10 winters at least. No signs of corrosium on the bike
frame, rims or other parts.

Antti

Eye-<< I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to
ride
through the winter. >><BR><BR>
<< My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims? >><BR><BR>

If the bici gets really disgusting, just take a hose to it and rinse it off.
Not a car wash type hose but just a garden hose, rinse the 'big chuncks' off. I
ride my Calfee fixie all thru the winter also.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

More fundamental question: Does your area use road salt to clear snow
from the driving surfaces? If the answer is "yes", park the whole
bike and grab a $20 beater from a thrift store to ride until the salt
is gone. ...

Here in Helsinki, Finland they use heaps of salt on the roads. I've been
cycling throughout ~10 winters at least. No signs of corrosium on the bike
frame, rims or other parts.

If there truly is a lot of salt on the road there will be
substantially increased corrosion. The worst conditions are around
the freezing point where a nice sand and saltwater bath gets sprayed
on the bike. Perhaps in Helsinki it gets cold quick enough that
everything stays frozen (in which case salt is useless as a de icer)
but in general winter riding in areas where salt is applied to the
roads results in accelerated wear and corrosion on a bicycle.

There are alternatives to salt as a road de icer but they are more
expensive and most areas in the "rust belt" of the USA stick with salt
due to the up front cost issue. Maybe the Helsinki government is
willing to pay more for a less corrosive de icer.

I concur with the recommendation to use a beater bike for winter
riding in areas where there is salt on the roads. You can find cheap
aluminum rimmed road bikes fairly easily at resale stores or garage
sales. Aluminum does corrode in salty conditions, it's just not as
immediately obvious as steel corroding. Some automobiles that used
alloy wheels in the 70's had serious problems in this area because
they corroded in the salty conditions and then failed suddenly.

Steel rims are terrible for braking in wet conditions. I keep my eyes
open and when I see an aluminum rimmed wheel in the trash will often
take it home and straighten it enough to get it to work.

Bill Putnam

"Bill Putnam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If there truly is a lot of salt on the road there will be
substantially increased corrosion. The worst conditions are around
the freezing point where a nice sand and saltwater bath gets sprayed
on the bike. Perhaps in Helsinki it gets cold quick enough that
everything stays frozen (in which case salt is useless as a de icer)
but in general winter riding in areas where salt is applied to the
roads results in accelerated wear and corrosion on a bicycle.

OK, the corrosion rate may increase, but bike parts like cables and housings
are anyhow replaced after couple of years, and chains and cassette after
each winter, so the fear of corrosion is no reason to reduce cycling in the
winter. In Helsinki the temperature is often varying over and below 0 C, so
hte usage of salt is quite reasonable, the exact salt type used is not
available.

Quoted message said:

I concur with the recommendation to use a beater bike for winter
riding in areas where there is salt on the roads. You can find cheap
aluminum rimmed road bikes fairly easily at resale stores or garage
sales. Aluminum does corrode in salty conditions, it's just not as
immediately obvious as steel corroding.

Just check that there is enough clearance for fenders and studded tyres, I
doubt the installation of those for a modern aluminium road bikes might be
challenging...

Antti

Tom: I have pictures on a web site. The url is
http://www.technoscribe.net/mybike.html

I think $180 for built wheels with a new floppable rear hub and matching
front hub was a good price. After reading all the thoughtful comments, I may
put it away for the winter. The wheels are an aluminum alloy, plus they are
so sweet and true and I rather try and keep them that way. Can't help but
think that hitting potholes or bumps when it's 20 degrees will be good for a
rim. Plus the issue of salted roads here in Boston, MA.

"Tom Reingold" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

Wow, how did it add up to so much money if you just have a single speed?

I can't think of a good reason to ride on steel. The biggest worry you
have is if salt and grit gets between your brake pads and your rim. That
will wear the sides of the rims out, but it takes a long time, and you
have to be really careless to let it happen.

Enjoy your bike! Any chance you can post a picture?

Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

Polished alloy rims will get spotty when used on salted roads. It
doesn't affect performance but looks bad. Silver anodised ones
generally survive unscathed. The worst combination: mild steel eyelets
and polished alloy, as on some old Campag Lambda rims I once had. The
contrast between the rusty eyelets and white crusty rim is horrible.

Oh yeah - an old technique for protecting rims is to smear the
non-braking surfaces with vaseline as a barrier and leave it there until
Spring (by which time it will be filthy).

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

Dear Optic,

Had you but leased your well-boiled icicle, you might have named this thread "Whims for Renter."

W.A. Spooner

The Carl Fogel, the racer? I read here about people googling you and well,
I just want to thank you for this bit whimsy or rather rimsy.

Did miss the well boiled reference.

The Eye

"carlfogel" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to
ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the
whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I
spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should
I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

Dear Optic,

Had you but leased your well-boiled icicle, you might have named this
thread "Whims for Renter."

W.A. Spooner

--
carlfogel

Are you pulling the leg of a newbie?

How much Vaseline should I buy?

I'll have to change the name of the bike to Greased Lightening!

"Zog The Undeniable" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:4193ac55.0@entanet...

Quoted message said:

Oh yeah - an old technique for protecting rims is to smear the non-braking
surfaces with vaseline as a barrier and leave it there until Spring (by
which time it will be filthy).

The Eye said:

"carlfogel" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The Eye said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to
ride
through the winter.

The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the
whole
look.

My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I
spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should
I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

These are 27 x 1 ¼ tires.

Dear Optic,

Had you but leased your well-boiled icicle, you might have named this
thread "Whims for Renter."

W.A. Spooner

--
carlfogel

The Carl Fogel, the racer? I read here about people googling you and well,
I just want to thank you for this bit whimsy or rather rimsy.

Did miss the well boiled reference.

The Eye

Dear Optic,

Mostly I race tumbleweeds and the occasional outraged dog.

Details concerning a "well-boiled icicle" may be found by
googling for the phrase and its originator, the Reverend
Spooner.

Technically, I've committed a spoonerism by shifting your
comment to the other end of this reply.

Carl Fogel

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I just finished my bike single speed and I really like it. I want to ride
through the winter.
The bike has weinman alloy rims and I love the smooth roll, and the whole
look.
My question: Will I ruin them if I ride them through the winter. I spent
about $180 on the wheel set and I don't want to waste the dough. Should I
put back on the old beat up steel rims?

If it is wet very often and you ride a lot, then you can wear through the rim
in a season.
--------------
Alex

"Antti" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Bill Putnam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If there truly is a lot of salt on the road there will be
substantially increased corrosion. The worst conditions are around
the freezing point where a nice sand and saltwater bath gets sprayed
on the bike.

<snip>

my two cents ... a) aluminum does not corrode (beyond the protective
aluminum oxide layer) as for the rest of the parts ... if you ride your bike
in mushy conditions (or mountain bike at all ...) you should clean up
afterwards and the parts will wear more from use than road conditions ...
Enjoy the bike, and ride, that is what it is there for, no ?

eye-<< Are you pulling the leg of a newbie?

How much Vaseline should I buy? >><BR><BR>

Buy a bit of diesel fuel and a stencel(round) brush, use that to clean and
protect..

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Erg said:

"Antti" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Bill Putnam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If there truly is a lot of salt on the road there will be
substantially increased corrosion. The worst conditions are around
the freezing point where a nice sand and saltwater bath gets sprayed
on the bike.

<snip>

my two cents ... a) aluminum does not corrode (beyond the protective
aluminum oxide layer)

/pure/ aluminum does not corrode beyond the passive layer. but rim
alloys are far from "pure". if they're not forcefully passivated, ie.
anodized, they pit & corrode badly, particularly around eyelets where
there is electrolysis between dissimilar metals.

Quoted message said:

as for the rest of the parts ... if you ride your bike
in mushy conditions (or mountain bike at all ...) you should clean up
afterwards and the parts will wear more from use than road conditions ...
Enjoy the bike, and ride, that is what it is there for, no ?