Author Topic: Old wheels - can you trust them?  (Read 4003 times)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Old wheels - can you trust them?
« on: 03 August, 2013, 03:46:39 pm »
My daughter has asked me to sort out a functioning velicipede for her boyfriend to use as a commuter from Whitechapel to Islington. From the bits and pieces in the Bunker I have found:-

a 531 pg Claud Butler frame in the standard metallic orange that was very popular when CB were part of the Holdsworth group in the 1970s/80s. This is sound, but dirty.

a pair of wheels (the original for that frame are made of chromed steel and have rusted badly - amazingly, I still have them) which were made for me by Alf Hetchin's wheelbuilder in 1982 (they still bear the Hetchins transfers). The wheels are true but the spokes are a bit rusty, albeit seemingly tight.

Incredibly, the old chain and the gear changers all seem to work, even though they have been untouched for all of 35 years. The chain does not seem to be particularly worn. Everything needs a clean an lube, but that's hardly surprising after one-third of a century.

I am going to have to buy some brake cables. They are old Weinmann centre-pulls, which were all the rage at the time and about the best you could get without spending a fortune on expensive side-pulls.

I can easily find a saddle to suit - the original looks horrible and probably feels worse.

I will need some suitable brake blocks and a pair of pedals - the latter easily sourced from stock.

The only thing that concerns me are the wheels. Are they trustworthy after all this time?
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Biggsy

  • A bodge too far
  • Twit @iceblinker
    • My stuff on eBay
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #1 on: 03 August, 2013, 03:56:43 pm »
I had a lot of bikes in that and worse condition at one time.  There won't be any sudden catastrophe with the wheels unless the rim sidewalls are almost worn out.  The odd spoke breaking (eventually) will be no big deal.
●●●  My eBay items  ●●●  Twitter  ●●●

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #2 on: 03 August, 2013, 11:06:37 pm »
Thanks. When I've completed the bike obviously I'll give it a test ride or so. Given that I weigh about 50% more than the intended recipient, if I don't break them I doubt that he will.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #3 on: 04 August, 2013, 09:59:34 pm »
As long as they are visually reasonable, the only major issue will be nipples stuck fast to threads.  No drama  if they are true but you'll ping spokes the moment you try to adjust them.

Easy answer is don't worry unless they need truing.  If you want to renovate them and make them serviceable in the future then they need to be rebuilt with new spokes.

One option to consider is replacing the brakes with Tektro very deep drop double calliper jobs.  You can get them in bolt fixing, or  drill the fittings and use Allen bolt fixing callipers.

Regular side pull brake blocks will be fine if you keep the centre pulls.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #4 on: 07 August, 2013, 04:19:25 pm »
Well, the bike lives!

Hands up who remember Silstar crank sets? What makes them stand out from properly-designed ones?

I had finished the most vital bit (fitting new brake cables & blocks) and was about to take it for a test ride when I remembered - only one pedal! I found an appropriately-handed pedal (left, as it happens) and tried to fit it - bugger! The thread has stripped beyond hope. Wish I'd noticed that earlier.

Then: brainwave! We have more than one redundant 1970s bike in our garage so I went and plundered a left crank from Mrs. Wow's old (so old it still has its child seat fitted...) Viking that we bought from Alf Hetchin with the compensation money I got from the borough council when the mayor's Daimler knocked me off. It was Solida, but the same length as the Silstar and it fitted OK. I was surprised that Mrs. Wow's bottom bracket bearing on her old Viking was loose, and it didn't get that way after sitting in the garage for the best part of 30 years. She didn't tell me!

Anyway, I've been round the block on it and it's OK, if you like that sort of thing. Personally, dropped bars and derailleur gears... no thanks!
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

meddyg

  • 'You'll have had your tea?'
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #5 on: 28 August, 2013, 02:01:19 pm »
Quote
the compensation money I got from the borough council when the mayor's Daimler knocked me off.

you can't just say that without clarification !

And /or phot oof finished bicycle ...

Biggsy

  • A bodge too far
  • Twit @iceblinker
    • My stuff on eBay
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #6 on: 28 August, 2013, 02:33:50 pm »
I forgot to think about the spoke nipples, which may be virtually seized.  Don't even touch them with a spoke key that doesn't fit really well, otherwise they will round.
●●●  My eBay items  ●●●  Twitter  ●●●

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #7 on: 02 September, 2013, 08:20:36 pm »
Silstar crank sets were made by SR, later SR Suntour, manufacturers of cheap suspension forks (they bought the Suntour name IIRC).

Their main disadvantage is that they are swaged, like Brompton cranksets, so the crank can shear from the chainring under very hard pedalling and the chainring isn't very stiff so can rub on the front mech.  Having said that, I used a Silstar crankset for years and never had a problem.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Old wheels - can you trust them?
« Reply #8 on: 24 December, 2013, 03:42:50 pm »
The answer I was after was that Silstar cranks of that generation were held onto the spindle by nuts rather than bolts.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.