oldlady62

Is everybody else having a hard time finding parts? I am getting an older bike ready to ride. The plan was to start riding it August first and I want to replace the tires and tubes. The bike has ISO 559 rims and previous tires were 1.25" wide. Well, there is nothing like that to be found, but I found some Schwalbe 26 x 1.35 tires. Close enough.

Then the next problem was finding ISO 559 tubes. First I bought the wrong kind online - 26 x 1 3/8. They were pretty big so I asked customer service. They were very nice and explained the difference between the fractional and decimal sizes. So, I went to the local bike shop today and they said the had 26 x 1.375. Great! I thought, and bought them. I got them home and they are marked 26 x 1 3/8 and also too big. Am I going to get a flat if I just stuff the extra into the tire? Because that's what I did.

Then on the second tire the rubber rim "tape" broke, Since I had the electrician's tape out, I tried that, but even with 2 layers I can tell it's not thick enough. I don't know if I will ever get these tires replaced! At least the new brake pads are the right size. I've had enough for today. I will start my time tape mission tomorrow. Does anybody have any good suggestions to cut any hours off my search? I don't remember this being so difficult in the past. Except I do remember using cloth handlebar tape for rim tape in my younger days. Looks like I'm going to have to take that other tire apart before its rim tape fails, too.

Even the dogs are unhappy.

shelbyfv

Your bike shop can help you with rim tape as well. Take your wheel in, there are a couple of different widths.

oldlady62

They didn't have tubes the right size. The store was practically barren. I will try another store, but supplies seem to be dried up.

bikemig 

The supply chains from Asia are not doing well. Things are getting harder to find and not just in the bicycle industry. Try eBay, the local bike co-op, and use google. You will find what you are looking for but you will have to look around.

delbiker1 

Definitely an issue in this time of Covid crisis. I have been waiting on a new cassette for a while and do not know when it is actually going to be available. Fortunately, I do not need it right now. When it gets here, it gets here. Have you searched Ebay. I found some things there, but if they come from Asia, it will take a while.

Steve B.

And as well EVERYBODY and their cousins are getting unused bikes tuned up. Thus the shops are swamped, have been since April, nobody has parts, the supply houses are empty and it’s not going to get better for months.

fietsbob

affordable stuff is all imported LBS here has a hard time getting a lot of stuff , like innertubes..

Pop N Wood

Gorilla tape works as rim tape. Bit heavy but very effective.

Using a tube too big can cause flats if you inflate it too fast. Need to fill it part way than deflate a couple of times to get any folds or kinks out. Definitely not the preferred way, better to have a tube slightly too small.

I just bought a new wheel and rim. Only issue is the normally quick mail order place took a full week to even pull the order. they are claiming covid.

Plenty of tubes on line. I've never had much luck buying anything at bike shops. they never seem to have what I need and try to sell me something else instead. Plus there are stupid long lines to get into them now. Would rather wait on UPS

dsbrantjr

You can use filament-reinforced packing tape instead of rim strip, or Kapton tape.

icemilkcoffee 

I bought a ton of bike parts online, on Ebay and a few off craigslist in the last two months and did not notice any kind of shortage of anything. I only use the LBS as a last resort though.
But get a rim strip (it's like a big rubber band) instead of rim tape.

CliffordK

I've folded tubes before. They'll last for quite a while, but it does give a place that will wear the tubes.

zacster

I have been really frustrated too by the lack of availability of things, and then when you find them online getting them shipped and delivered. It took 3 weeks for some parts from Amazon to be delivered. I had to contact one of the vendors when an item showed as shipped but then came up "awaiting acceptance" by the USPS for a week, and it was in the same state. The days of 1 or 2 day delivery by Amazon Prime seem to be over unless you're ordering a Firestick. That came next day even though it was 2 day shipping. I ordered a few non-bike things over the weekend though and they've come.

fietsbob

Some online sellers are middle men not warehouse operators they order from their guy to fill your order..
their guy may be out of the country..


Undisclosed detail: is this a single wall or a double wall rim ? covering spoke heads, or spanning a hole over them?

oldlady62

I've had some long shipping times, too. One day a part was due to arrive, next time I look at the tracking, it was rescheduled for 3 days later. Shops around here are busy with repairs. I have a bike to take in, but it can wait for the slowdown if it ever happens. Or I just might watch more Youtube and do it myself.

veganbikes

I am more frustrated that it is almost the end of July and we still have COVID-19 raging and people still aren't taking it seriously. Bike parts being out of stock sucks but if we had taken COVID seriously we wouldn't be out of stock of stuff. The bike boom is good in some ways but the reason for it is horrifying and the reason it is still raging is even more horrifying.

Also just FYI a lot of the U.S. manufacturers of parts are still working. I got a bunch of stuff from Paul Components no problem, sure some minor delays but not because of shipping on a boat from China and Taiwan mainly because they are trying to keep their awesome staff safe and sound and they are quite busy. Granted there isn't a U.S. tire manufacturer anymore but if there was I doubt they would make fractional 26" stuff. It is a nightmare set of sizes, nothing wrong with the bikes that use them just a really poor set of sizes for ease of anything.


This is good reason why folks should have multiple different bikes (or the same to swap parts) If one bike is down I have a few others to back it up. Plus having spare parts is always handy global pandemic or not. Common wear items are just handy and have gotten me out of some jams or helped me get on a ride or fix a bike or at least limp it along till I get the correct stuff.

JoeTBM 

Where are you located?

Pop N Wood

I've had rubber rim strips physically disintegrate inside the wheel after years of being there. Tough roadside fix I'm here to tell you. I had a spare tube but who thinks to pack spare rim tape?

bought a gallon zip lock bag of cloth tape at a swap meet for $5, so that is all I use now.

Phil_gretz

Cloth rim strips work best. Newbaum's 21mm is in stock at Performance's web site. Buy two and do both wheels correctly.

Senior Vagabond

I agree that there is little to choose from for parts, especially for 10-12 year old bikes. I need an Ultegra RD-6600 or 6700 long cage rear derailleur. Only found one on e-bay and it was worse than what I have!

pdlamb

It may possible to have a problem with cloth rim tape, but I've never had such a problem. Elastomeric strip is a whole 'nother story -- I don't trust them any more.

JohnDThompson 

Nominal 26" tire sizes are a hot mess. Bead seat diameters range from 559mm to 597mm. Rather than trying to memorize the arcane differences between decimal and fractional tire markings, instead use the ETRTO/ISO standardized markings that all bicycle tires manufactured within the last couple decades should display. The ETRTO/ISO markings look like this: "37-559" where the first number in the pair is the nominal width of the tire in millimeters and the second number is the bead seat diameter in millimeters. While bicycle rims can accept a range of tire widths, ultimately limited by frame and fork clearance, the bead seat diameter must match that of the tire or the tire will not seat on the rim. So, if your bike uses 559mm wheels, select tires and tubes for that bead seat diameter, and a width reasonably close to that of the tire you are replacing.

oldlady62

Just north of Cincinnati, Ohio.

oldlady62

Yeah, but the tubes I bought don't display the ISO number. And the sales person verbally told me the size in decimal, then on the box it's written in fraction. Of course, I didn't even look at the box thinking the employee gave me the right thing. I will at least take one back. I'm getting old, tubes didn't used to cost so much. LOL! I'm hoping the ones I found at Performance are the correct size. I will find out tomorrow, I think.

oldlady62

When I lived in Seattle there was a used bike shop that was full of bins of used parts. I used to love shopping for stuff there. I don't even know if there is anything like that in Cincinnati.

dedhed

Looks like some co-ops in your area who often sell used parts - cheap. Covid and open??? that's another question.

https://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki...nizations#Ohio