My new (second-hand) bike

Alex Potter said:

I have just bought a 1980s (?) Dawes Lightning bike. It has 10 speed
Simplex gears. All seems well with it, except for the rims, which are
rusted steel. Is it worth getting new rims?

Yes. Alloy rims stop in the wet. (So do rusty steel ones, but clean steel
ones don't).

Quoted message said:

Is this even possible nowadays for 27 x 1.25 rims?

Yes, though you may have to go to a better class of local bike shop to get
them. The standard "just sell new bikes and bits" places will deny they
exist. You'll probably find the bits at the Mildenhall Rally next weekend
if you're in range of Mildenhall (NE of Cambridge).

You may find it simpler to get new wheels built up to fit, and it is worth
measuring to see if modern 700c wheels will align with your brakes (fair
chance they will), as 700c gives you a wider choice of tyres and modern bits
and pieces.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

in message <[email hidden]>, Alex Potter

(') said:

I have just bought a 1980s (?) Dawes Lightning bike. It has 10 speed
Simplex gears. All seems well with it, except for the rims, which are
rusted steel. Is it worth getting new rims?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

Is this even possible
nowadays for 27 x 1.25 rims?

Yes.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

:: Wisdom is better than weapons of war ::
:: Ecclesiastes 9:18 ::

Nigel Cliffe said:

Alex Potter said:

I have just bought a 1980s (?) Dawes Lightning bike. It has
10 speed Simplex gears. All seems well with it, except for
the rims, which are rusted steel. Is it worth getting new
rims?

Yes. Alloy rims stop in the wet. (So do rusty steel ones, but
clean steel ones don't).

Quoted message said:

Is this even possible nowadays for 27 x 1.25 rims?

Yes, though you may have to go to a better class of local bike
shop to get them. The standard "just sell new bikes and bits"
places will deny they exist. You'll probably find the bits
at the Mildenhall Rally next weekend if you're in range of
Mildenhall (NE of Cambridge).
You may find it simpler to get new wheels built up to fit, and
it is worth measuring to see if modern 700c wheels will align
with your brakes (fair chance they will), as 700c gives you a
wider choice of tyres and modern bits and pieces.

- Nigel

I changed the wheels on a bike a couple of years ago from 27 to 700c.
It was straight forward except I had to change the brakes so the pads
could reach the rims and not the tyre walls.
--
the.Mark

Nigel Cliffe said:

Quoted message said:

Is this even possible nowadays for 27 x 1.25 rims?

Yes, though you may have to go to a better class of local bike shop to get
them. The standard "just sell new bikes and bits" places will deny they
exist. You'll probably find the bits at the Mildenhall Rally next weekend
if you're in range of Mildenhall (NE of Cambridge).

I was looking for some 27" stuff at last year's Mildenhall but found
nothing.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon