SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Wheel rebuilding

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Trigger:
DID rims are fully chromed, if you want to stop water getting inside a old wheel builder used to put a O ring on every nipple to seal it  ;)

Laverda Dave:
I did read somewhere (Rick Parkington in Classic Bike if I remember correctly) that you must be careful if fitting stainless spokes with mild steel spoke nipples. Apparently the two metals will corrode together and you will have a difficult job taking them apart or making any adjustments at a later date. I'm sure there must be something you can coat the threads with though to reduce the risk of that happening?

the-chauffeur:

If you buy stainless spokes from reputable sources, you'll generally be offered a choice of nipples including nickel coated brass (I think) because the don't react.  As Dave says, you can run into problems with bimetallic corrosion (where two different types of metal fuse together) if you use the wrong combinations.  Again, so long as the source is reputable, they'll be able to advise what's most appropriate.  Either way, I use small amounts of waterproof grease on the spoke threads when I'm assembling, just in case. 

And whilst water can (and almost certainly will) get into the rims, the rust it causes won't be visible while the tyres are on.  Equally it's unlikely to ever eat it's way through or become dangerous unless you're very unlucky.  Depending on your perspective, the problematic stuff tends to be caused by things attacking the outer surfaces because as you've noticed, they spoil the overall look of the wheels

florence:
I'm only considering wheel rebuilds because the inside is corroded, I don't mind the outside being rusty but I have had tubes fail before when the rust has become rough.  Usually, I wire brush and paint the inside of the rims but it only lasts so long.  It might be good to have them maintenance free and should improve the value of the bike in the long term. 

matthewmosse:
Worth doing your own rebuild, I used a swing arm mounted In a vice as a jig, and a bit of welding rod as a pointer. I was tight and managed to re use my original spokes - though I seem to recall I had to cadge a couple of spares off a second wheel, which was mostly sized up too badly to save the spokes but saved enough. Gave me 2 hubs to re line. Ones still probably on a shelf awaiting the need to re lace. The cost was offputting.

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