In message <
[email protected]>, Keiron
<
[email protected]> writes
>Thanks all but i'm afraid matters are further confused. I dug out the
>rotting tyres that accompany the wheels to find the following designations:
>Front: 32-597 (26 x 1 1/4)
>Rear: (37-590) 26 x 1 3/8 ~ 650 x 35A
>
>This is exactly how they appear on the tyres.
>
>I'll further investigate the actual wheel size but assuming thats its one of
>these sizes can i purchase rims of these sizes anymore (preferably in the
>UK). Can i get appropriate tyres i.e. those which use straight rims?
I'm wading in with more on UK availability and context but most of what
the other posters have said applies in the UK.
The sizing you have given makes sense and no further information on the
old rims is needed. However you could usefully take some measurements on
the frame. How much space is there between the tyre and fork crown? Or
if the tyres are too shot to inflate, between the 597mm rim edge and
fork crown?
We have an old Mercian that came with 597mm rims but has plenty of space
for a 622mm (700C) wheel and 25 - 622 tyre and will still just about
take mudguards.
If you decide to stick with one of the old 26" sizes there are some
parts are readily available but probably not all at your local bike
shop.
You can get several of good tyres in the 590mm size in the UK including
the Schwalbe Marathon which is a long lasting touring tyre. (Any local
shop in the UK should be able to order these from Fisher.) There are
quite a few more basic quality ones around too. The choice is worse than
for the larger British touring size 32 - 630mm (27 X 1 1/4") and much
worse than 622mm (700C). The greater limitation in this size is alloy
rims. SJS in Bridgewater (sjscycles.co.uk) have some nice Sun CR18 rims
listed in their online shop but I was not been able to find any others
when I was evaluating an old frame. The CR18s are not cheap but would
let you build a really good set of wheels. (Not cheap in any size.) If
you plan to use the existing hubs, you need to check how many spokes
holes they have as well as assessing the condition of the bearings.
There were alloy rims made in 597mm and these often change hands at
cycle jumbles and between enthusiasts. The ones I have seen are 40 hole
for the rear and 32 for the front but 36 hole may well exist too. The
tyre choice is very limited although Schwalbe made some recently and I
think SJS still have some.
>Or if
>i'm able to get a 590/597mm modern wheel which probably has sloping rims
>will the older wienman calpier brakes be suitable?
I'm not too sure what you mean about the slope. On my 630mm Dunlop alloy
rims which have sloped brake tracks it's just the brake blocks that take
the angle. Old long reach side pulls are not super effective and if this
is a bike to use you might want fit some long reach dual pivots and
modern levers.
The other thing you may need to think about is the dropout spacing. The
narrow spacing on old frames is good if you want to use old hub gears,
fixed hubs and similar period parts or to use the hubs you have already
got but it is another hurdle if you are trying to turn an old bike into
a modern one.
Sheldon Brown's site is the place to read up on this, hub bearings and
practically everything else including how to measure brake drop. The
Glossary is a good way in and he has also set up an effective search
within the site.
If you overcome the brake drop problem, there are two related things to
consider about going to the 559mm mountain bike size. Your frame will
probably only take the narrower MTB slicks because of the space between
fork blades and between the chain stays and fitting MTB wheels with
tyres of the same section as you have now will lower the bike nearly
20mm which may or may not matter depending on the present bottom bracket
height, the crank length and the type of gearing - fixed wheel needs
more height than freewheel.
>I appreciate that these are checkable facts but fact is i cant seem to
>locate these products or data so i'm appealing to those who just happen to
>know or who have toiled through this dilemma already.
I've not heard of O' Brien and so I can't help with any idea of the
standard of this frame. The 597mm wheel size was used relatively
recently in the UK with steel rims for some fairly basic light commuter
bikes as well as for good quality clubman bikes with Reynolds 531 tubing
(in the 1950s and 1960s). Does the frame have any Reynolds transfers?
A lot depends on how, and how much, you get to use the bike. Spending
out on new good quality rims, spokes and tyres could make sense if you
commute on it over a good period even if the frame is nothing very
spectacular. With drop bars, a dowdy paint job and a basic rack this
could be quite a good stealthy commuter unlikely to attract the wrong
kind of attention in the bike racks. The suggestion that a 1970s 27"
wheel bike would be a better buy (the Bike Boom bike mentioned by a
previous poster) could be true although many of those bikes have fairly
poor alloy rims with rusted up spoke nipples. A few (those that were
used a good bit) may also have seriously worn brake tracks so new rims
will be needed - the value of those bikes very much depends on careful
evaluation before buying.
I "toiled over this 26" dilemma" with a nice frame that was clearly
intended for 597mm rims and in the end put the frame aside until I had
cleared a few other projects....
--
Martyn Aldis, e-mail
[email protected]
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