Rim replacement on the cheap

Adam Rush said:

A friend of mine is going to be sending me a Gazelle in a few months.
The problem is that it's the wrong kind of 28" (28" x 1 1/2"😉 for where
I live. I'd like to replace the rims with 700C ones, but the hubs have
got to stay.

I was wondering if it would be a good (or a very bad) idea to just tap
7-8 mm of thread on the existing spokes and clip the ends. I'm not
familiar with the steps that go into the manufacture of spoke thread.
It looks unlikely that such a die would cost more than the spokes I'd
have to buy.

I suggest you find a shop in your area that has a good Phil Wood Spoke machine that has experience using it. Find out how much it cost to have the spokes threaded and cut.
You can then compare the price to buying new.
Does the Gazelle use rim brakes?
If so, how are you going to get them to reach the "lowered" rim height?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Adam Rush said:

A friend of mine is going to be sending me a Gazelle in a few months.
The problem is that it's the wrong kind of 28" (28" x 1 1/2"😉 for where
I live. I'd like to replace the rims with 700C ones, but the hubs have
got to stay.

I was wondering if it would be a good (or a very bad) idea to just tap
7-8 mm of thread on the existing spokes and clip the ends. I'm not
familiar with the steps that go into the manufacture of spoke thread.
It looks unlikely that such a die would cost more than the spokes I'd
have to buy.

Bad idea, as the die will cut the threads and weaken the spokes. You
want the threads to be rolled. To do that, you'd have to find a bike
shop with a Phil Wood or other spoke machine. But the problem with this
is that you have to take all the spokes out of the wheel, but the spokes
have taken a "set" in terms of their position in the wheels (inside vs.
outside, leading vs. trailing) and if you put them back into the wheel
in the wrong positions they are more likely to break. So you'd have to
sort and label them, and put them back into the wheel in the same
positions. What a PITA.

This is a traditional black Dutch roadster, right? IIRC there aren't a
wide range of bikes using that size any more- just those and bikes like
Flying Pigeons and such in China, India and Africa. Those tires aren't
that hard to find. Stay with the originals. It'd be *much* simpler.
If you absolutely have to switch, go with 27" rather than 700C to give
you at least some chance with brake compatibility.

Okay, good to know about the rolling and what not.

This is a rod-operated drum brake roadster. I realize that 28x1 1/2"
is probably the most popular tyre size out there, but 700C (28x 1 5/8"😉
is infinitely more practical where I live, and, plus, I have some rims
lying around.

Adam Rush said:

A friend of mine is going to be sending me a Gazelle in a few months.
The problem is that it's the wrong kind of 28" (28" x 1 1/2"😉 for where
I live. I'd like to replace the rims with 700C ones, but the hubs have
got to stay.

I was wondering if it would be a good (or a very bad) idea to just tap
7-8 mm of thread on the existing spokes and clip the ends. I'm not
familiar with the steps that go into the manufacture of spoke thread.
It looks unlikely that such a die would cost more than the spokes I'd
have to buy.

That's not possible.
Spoke threads are rolled, that is, they are formed by
pushing the material in at the trough which raises the
peaks. Dies can't do that - they simply cut away material,
which would leave the thread too small. Run your finger over
a spoke or look at one in a lens- it's obvious.
Theoretically you could ask someone with the proper tooling
to shorten your spokes but spokes -even premium quality
bright butted stainless - are dirt cheap compared to skilled
labor.

OK, that tiny issue aside, you are at another block. The
typical domestic model Gazelle uses rim brakes which pull up
from the bottom of the rim rather than press on the side. If
your Gazelle is like that, the 28-inch Roadster rims are
staying. (Wait until you see it at any rate - better models
have beautiful 28" stainless rims you may want to keep anyway.)

If the bike has hub brakes you can easily change to 700C.
With a Velocity Dyad and Michelin 700-40, the aspect is very
close. Here's such a conversion:

http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfromthepast/KARENDL2.JPG

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Unbutted 14g spokes can be purchased for $0.35/ea on the web. Are you
sure you bank account can't handle a $20 expenditure ?? A tap would
probably cost about $20 to get started ...

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Donald Gillies said:

Unbutted 14g spokes can be purchased for $0.35/ea on the web. Are you
sure you bank account can't handle a $20 expenditure ?? A tap would
probably cost about $20 to get started ...

And premium quality bright butted stainless are only $24 per
wheel with nipples. Hardly expensive

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

a 28" is a fat tire 27" rim, right?
panaracer has wonderful quality 27" tires with kevlar beads
(nashbar)but mostly 27" tires are extinct - except for the michelin?
lbs labor re rolling spokes is more than the spoke's materail costs.
if you do not ride hi mileages, a two wheel MO set with hubs may be a
good deal - cheaper hubs but instant ride getting tires at the same time

pasela not panaracer: panaracer is a pasela product

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

a 28" is a fat tire 27" rim, right?
panaracer has wonderful quality 27" tires with kevlar beads
(nashbar)but mostly 27" tires are extinct - except for the michelin?

Serfas

Quoted message said:

lbs labor re rolling spokes is more than the spoke's materail costs.
if you do not ride hi mileages, a two wheel MO set with hubs may be a
good deal - cheaper hubs but instant ride getting tires at the same time

--
Michael Press

[email hidden] wrote in news:1143504819.215974.138520
@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

pasela not panaracer: panaracer is a pasela product

Other way around. Panaracer is the manufacturer (the marketing name of
National Tire), Pasela is one of their many models.