Finding a 29er rim in the UK



P

phil

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I've started thinking about building a 29er, given I really should get
started on this whole 29er lark if I want to avoid walking the Red
Bull.

I'm having bother finding a decent rim for it. Searching the forums has
given a list of a few contenders, but they all seem to be unavailable in
the UK or discontinued ranges; the Sun Rhyno Lite, the Alex Adventurer
and the Mavic T217 (I think).

The internet isn't helping much as very few sites give the width of a
rim. Unless I'm missing something fundamental some don't even say the
diameter of the things either, actually; it would be just my luck to go
and buy a 26" rim by accident... :rolleyes:

The local bike shops have found one or two but these have all tended on
the narrow side, the widest two being 17 and 18mm inside width, which
doesn't sound like a lot. One of those is even a Gary Fisher dealer but
still couldn't come up with a rim unless I wanted an entire wheel (!?)
and they were no wider than the others anyway.

I seem to be surrounded by bike shops who find the concept of a large
wheeled unicycle alien and disturbing. Since moving here in September
I've spoken to one person who didn't say "ooo, no, we just do bikes" or
something similarly dismissive, but I could have been imagining that
because I've not seen him since...

They seem to be much more popular in the US, I'm surprised you people
aren't falling over them lying in the street all the time. Getting a
Rhyno Lite shipped over is an option but *surely* there must be
somewhere to get a decent 29er rim on this side of the Atlantic?

If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate
it...

Phil


--
phil - ex-studenty type

"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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www.sjscycles.co.uk have Mavic T261, Sun Rhyno, which are both okay
touring rims.

Mavic have decided to call touring rims "asphalt rims" now, the I think
the current one you want is called the A319. But I can't guarantee it
because mavic only let bike shop people look at the technical info on
their website that tells you how wide the rims are. You can get mavic
rims from any bike shop, they might have to order this one though.

Joe


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joemarshall - dumb blonde
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Very handy indeed... they're fairly local too, which is why I now have a
Sun Rhyno rim. :)

It's definitely a bike shop that is streets ahead of the Yeovil ones,
it's enormous! The front bit looks small and unimpressive, but the whole
site through the back door is massive. They have a room larger than the
ground floor of my house with nothing but rims in; there must be
thousands of the things in there. Crazy...

Right... now for the rest of it.

<goes off to unicycle.uk.com>

Phil


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phil - ex-studenty type

"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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phil wrote:
> *It's definitely a bike shop that is streets ahead of the
> Yeovil......*


Did they know you were a unicyclist, if you didn't tell them, do next
time that you are in the shop. And always ask for Robin.
It is a really cool shop and they have a big "under the counter" section
of one off and odd things.

Cheers

Roger


--
rogeratunicycledotcom - ok ish Unicyclist
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I have built a couple of 29" (700C) wheels for Roger using 48 hole Mavic
T261 rims, this hub:
http://tinyurl.com/wdh0
and DT-Swiss Tripple butted spokes.

/\/\
p.s. spokes & rims supplied by http://www.sjscycles.com/


--
mike.hinson - Unicyclist since Nov 2000

"I have to overcome a 'stress hill' when tightening the nuts, but once
installed they sit in a 'stress valley'. "

--Klaas Bil
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My next question was going to be about spokes. The wheels I have just
used whatever came with them, but this one will need me to get the
spokes separately.

Other than getting the length right I know very little about the choice
of spokes, so are there any in 'this lot at sjscycles.co.uk'
(http://www.sjscycles.com/store/cat299.htm) that stand out? What kind of
spoke thickness / butted-ness would work best for a wheel like this?

Ta muchly!

Phil


--
phil - ex-studenty type

"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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phil wrote:
> *My next question was going to be about spokes. The wheels I have just
> used whatever came with them, but this one will need me to get the
> spokes separately.
>
> Other than getting the length right I know very little about the
> choice of spokes, so are there any in 'this lot at sjscycles.co.uk'
> (http://www.sjscycles.com/store/cat299.htm) that stand out? What kind
> of spoke thickness / butted-ness would work best for a wheel like
> this?
>
> Ta muchly!
>
> Phil *



Go for the double butted DT spokes, I think what you want is 13g to 15
guage.... but ask Robin what he supplied us last and get them, they are
fantastic. They are not cheap but really worth it. If they don't have
them in, they will get them in for you. The length comes out pretty
close on our spoke calculator, remember it is 4 cross for 48 spoke.

Cheers

Roger


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rogeratunicycledotcom - ok ish Unicyclist
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This is the type of spoke Robin supplied Roger with (I know because he
delivered it to me to build the wheels & I have measured it & seen the
box it came in.)

http://tinyurl.com/23jaf

I think this must be the spoke Robin describes as:
13 / 16 / 14g DT triple butted Alpine III stainless spoke and 12mm brass
nipple.
http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm?cat299.htm

I am not convinced about the gauge sizes here, Park Tool's web site
says:
"In the … and the bicycle industry, the gauge system is Washburn & Moen
Company"
[http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/tm_1.shtml]

This table of wire gauge sizes:
http://tinyurl.com/2wp6g
shows that the spoke discussed above is better described as:
13 / 15 / 14g

I keep measuring spokes & finding they are all sorts of different sizes
& none of them fit with any table of wire gauge sizes that I can find so
perhaps it would be better to drop the gauge sizes & refer the actual
spoke diameters. Comments welcome.

/\/\


--
mike.hinson - Unicyclist since Nov 2000

"I have to overcome a 'stress hill' when tightening the nuts, but once
installed they sit in a 'stress valley'. "

--Klaas Bil
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Thanks, I feel less like a spoke-purchasing rabbit in headlights now.

rogeratunicycledotcom wrote:
> *remember it is 4 cross for 48 spoke.*

This one will be 36 spoke. Weight saving efficiency, or asking for a
bent wheel? Time will tell... :rolleyes:

Phil


--
phil - ex-studenty type

"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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I've been using DT double-butted 14/15 gauge with good success on both
types of hub for the 29er wheel.


--
U-Turn - Member of Generation XO

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.

'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)

'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)

'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)

-- Dave Stockton
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