Can I save this wheel or do I need a new one?
- Thread starter ratrodtrikes44
- Start date
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Bet you can find alloy as cheap as chromed steel.
Pull it off, remove the tire and see how bad it is inside. That may be worse than what you see there. If the inside is solid you can clean up the outside and paint it. Beware that if you try to take the spokes out to paint it that you will probably find them rusted in place and just wreck the nipples, so maybe go around them to 'ring' with a wrench to find out if the tension is pretty consistent or not and if it spins pretty true; then you can decide if its is worth messing with.
doesn't look too bad. ride it 
if the hub is good yo could lace it to a coaster brake wheel if it is 20 inch
i did a similar "surgery" when i had my pilot
it just requires alot of truing
otherwise the lbs idea may be a good one
hope that helps
the other idea is sand it and powder-coat it if you want to customize it
Sean
i did a similar "surgery" when i had my pilot
it just requires alot of truing
otherwise the lbs idea may be a good one
hope that helps
the other idea is sand it and powder-coat it if you want to customize it
Sean
This bike has caliper brakes front and rear so paint/powder coat is not the best option. Likely it is a Sturmey Archer rim (Raleigh used a lot of these rims). I would search ebay.uk for a rim. The rim should be cheap enough but the shipping will kill a good deal. As a rider I would take the suggestion of putting two new aluminum rims.
I had a 72 with rusty wheels, but they were well made rims and were still viable. Over in Europe, those bikes were known as shoppers and got daily use for years, and they held up. Yours looks like someone painted the rim silver instead of cleaning up the chrome years ago. I'll bet the rust isn't that deep, but as noted above, you'll have to inspect the inside also to be sure. Then maybe just clean them up, wire brush, and repaint silver. If you decide to go with new rims, I'll agree, alloys will be best, but the cost to have them laced up might be a lot.
What is the spoke count? - Looks like more than the usual 20 inch kiddie bike. Otherwise, I would say the world is awash in 20 inch junker kids bikes for parts. If your concern is primarily function and safety, I would poke about with an ice pick. If the damage is not through or deep, then you are good to go. (In addition to inspecting the inside, as has been said)
Otherwise, I would say the world is awash in 20 inch junker kids bikes for parts. If your concern is primarily function and safety, I would poke about with an ice pick. If the damage is not through or deep, then you are good to go. (In addition to inspecting the inside, as has been said)
On my Raleigh 20, it had the original tires. When I changed them out with a good economy set, Michelin Diablos, it rode much better. High pressure tires may have done even better. Any little bit helps, as the 20 is a pretty heavy bike, but that's why it's lasted so long.
