ahson

I apologize to bring this old thread back up. However I would like to know what kind of spokes did you guys use on your replacement, the CR-18? What brand, and size of spokes does it fit on these CR18 rims?

PolishGuy

Good to see this post bumped up. I'd also be concerned with rust holes in a rim, a little surface rust can be cleaned up. I cleaned and adjusted the rims on my old Raleigh Trent Sports and they work and look just fine. But since the rims are the very odd size of 597BSD, I built up new wheels with CR18 700c rims around a vintage S/A FW rear hub and Raleigh/SA front hub shod with Panaracer Pasaela Tour Guard 25mm tires; I'll probably go to 28mm tires when these wear out. I second Alfred E. Bikes but I think most on-line shops can get you a good deal. PG.

Amesja

I hope the OP wasn't talking about the drain holes put in by the factory...

ahson

Me? My orginal Raleigh rims are actually rusted out and that's why I am getting the CR-18 rims to replace them. I am just wondering what kind of spokes sizing should I go for. Thanks

Amesja

Well, there is nothing wrong with updating with alloy rims as they are lighter and give much improved braking.

It's just the "rusted out" bit that I'm having issues with. The rims are very beefy and not prone to rusting all the way through. The can get what looks like really bad surface rusting but you'd be amazed at just how easily that comes off with a little oxalic acid bath.

The holes you saw might just have been the drain holes put in there by the factory. They tend to look pretty nasty when there is rust around them but once they clean up it is obvious they are intentional perforations put into the rim at both sides of the wheel to let the rim breathe.

I've also noticed that older rusty rims will have some rust inside too that you can hear rattling around in there (the drain holes don't work all that well to drain water out when the bike isn't moving.) After a dip in OA most of that comes out but a little bit of oil sprayed in the holes settles it down.

Where did you get your CR-18 rims? I see they have some deals on Amazon for them now and Harris Cyclery has them as well. They aren't that hard to swap over if you tape the rims together and move the spokes over one-by one after first loosening them all most of the way but not letting the nipples fall off.

Even doing it yourself $60 or more in rims will double (or more) the initial purchase price of one of these old workhorses so it's not always worth it.

AL NZ

the alternative is to watch ebay for a set of Raleigh Stainless rims/wheels
I bought a 1955 Raleigh in the UK (off ebay) and brought it home to NZ in a container. The stainless rims are like new and will probably still look new in another 55 years
However, you will pay $$ for these, but if you factor the costs of new rims, spokes, labour to make wheel, a set of SS wheels may seem reasonable value

.. I just searched UK ebay - there are a couple of pairs of rims there at the moment . https://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_t...All-Categories

good luck, keep us all posted

Amesja

How do stainless wheels compare with Alloy and regular chromed steel wheels for braking power, especially in the wet? I don't have any experience with them, never seen them much less ridden them.

ahson

I just looked at the link that you provided (thx) and all of them are rims only. In that case, I still need to get new spokes and labour for them. It's true though, it will cost me a lot to build up two new wheels.

ahson

I am getting my CR-18 rims from Niagara Cycles - $31.6/each
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=415582

I am just waiting to see what kind of spokes do I need before pulling the trigger.

Amesja

You can re-use the spokes if you want to. Perhaps replace just the nipples if you think they are in too bad of shape. Most likely any rust on them is just staining from the rim though. I'd put anti-seize on them.

If you do go with new modern spokes you are going to need to use spoke washers on that hub I think.

Talk to the guys at Niagara when you order the rims and they should be able to hook you up with what you need.

AL NZ

Amesja, to answer your question in post #32, I have modern salmon koolstops on front, and grey ones on rear.
Great braking in dry on SS rims, initially non-existent when wet, but after about a second the rim dries and they stop well. I don't have a problem with that, I just plan ahead. It depends what you want the bike for - if you were commuting to work in hilly San Fran, I would not recommend it. I don't know Chicago other than what I see on Denny Crane (!), but it's fairly flat? If you just want to keep the bike 'period' for weekend fun, go the Raleigh SS if you can be bothered, or watch ebay and wait for a full SS wheel set to come up - they do so in the UK every month or two, from experience.

Amesja

So it sounds about the same as chromed steel then.

Not many hills around here but the right-hook is a pretty popular maneuver among car drivers. I don't much like riding steel-rimmed bikes in the rain if I can help it

nlerner

I've mostly used 14 gauge straight pull spokes on these kind of wheel builds. I've also not used washers to protect the S-A hub flange and haven't had a problem, but I haven't put any kind of high miles on those wheels.

Neal

ahson

It sounds like the washers will damage the hub?

nlerner

Sorry, that was poor syntax on my part. The washers are usually used to prevent damage to the hub as the bend of modern spokes doesn't quite match the flange of old S-A hubs. You can see some pics of said washers in this thread:

https://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.ph...=21291&start=0

Fwiw, my wheels have been okay without the washers.

Neal

wahoonc

I have done it both ways and can't say one is better than the other. I always thought the washers were to keep the spokes from premature failure due to stresses in the wrong place.

Aaron

nlerner

That makes more sense than breaking hub flanges! I think I'm mixing up reported problems with alloy shells (which I've also not experienced--I'm just blissfully unaware).

Neal

wahoonc

I think you would have to really work on breaking out a flange on the steel shelled AW hubs. Not saying it can't be done...

Aaron

ahson

I know some of you have rebuilt thses Raleigh wheels with the SA hub. Would you mind to share what's the length of spokes did you use on these wheel?

gna

I am working on this project now. I ordered a 40 spoke CR-18 for the rear wheel I will build up with an S5 hub. I used Spocalc, and came up with a value of 281mm for a cross 4 pattern. I was planning on ordering DT Stainless double butted spokes and using brass spoke washers. However, I used the ERD listed for the rim in my calculations, and I plan to check it before I order the spokes. I will report back in a couple of days.

ahson

Please do, and thanks!

gna

FWIW, I have used CR-18s before, and simply transferred the old spokes over, as I heard the CR-18 590 rim is the same size as the Raleigh Patent (westrick)rim. An old chart I have lists the spoke used for a 40 spoke AW hub with the Raleigh Patent rim as 11 1/16", which is 280.9mm, so I'm guessing that my calculations are correct. I'll check this weekend.

Do you have 32/40 wheels, or 36/36? Are they westrick or endrick rims?

gna

I measured the rims, and I came up with 579mm for the ERD. Either way, I still get 281mm for my rear wheel spokes.

ahson

Thanks gna! Are you going to use washers on your rear SA hub?

gna

Yes. With DT spokes, 2 on an inside (head on outside) spoke; 1 on an outside spoke. Per Bikesmith's SA Tips.

Do you have 36 or 40 spoke hubs/rims?