How to Make : Wide Rims + litle tricks

[OneHorsePower]

Hi ,
I am gonna share my successful experiment with you , it consist of building 1 wide rim with 2 junk tiny rims .
I have heard that in the old days , people use to weld 2 rims together to make wide snow tires ...
well... i don't have a welder ,did not want to have a weld in the middle,have only aluminum rim to work with.
But i found a way to make my wide rim anyways ,and being good looking also :mrgreen:
If you have the tools already , this should cost between 20 and 50 $

*NOTE* i use to speak french , so i don't know all the therms in english for tools and other stuffs , but i do my best !

you need :
-a pair of same Rims (with flat middle) witch have a laced back wheel (or have a hub and buy spokes)
-Grinder with a cutting and a grinding disk
-Drill with (spoke hole diameter) and one very slightly larger and one with (air "thing" diameter) and (a 45*"thing")
-Rivet popper
-Rivets (spoke hole diameter)
-(spoke hole diameter Bolts)
-Spoke tool
-used/flat tire tube
-sand paper
-(in this case) 1/8" X 2" x 72" aluminum plate found at hardware store (i took steel to save money , but it is 3 time heavier ,i don't recommend)
-File
-scissors
-ruler
-pen/marker
-few clamps
-minimum tool skills and precision

>Start by disassemble the 2 rims while taking care of the rear spokes if you don't want to buy new ones

 

[OneHorsePower]

>Put the 2 rims side by side and as you can see the spoke holes are not perfectly in the center of each rims , so i suggest using the closest to each other as i marked with a "X" so rotate the rims so the closest holes line up (keep in mind that you have twice to much hole now)
then mark the inside of the rims with line like picture to make sure you don't cut the wrong sides.

>Then Cut the side walls on the side you marked (the closer you can to the wall , must not cut in the holes)

>Take care, this could be very sharp , grind sand the ruff edges smooth

>Put the 2 rims side by side to calculate how wide the rim will be and see how large the center strip need to be
(my rim is 2.5" wide so the center piece is 2") >>>2.5" is about the larger you can go with a standard coaster hub , make sure it will work!!!

>Bend the flat bar into a circle (i did it over a 24" rim) and make you best to insert it inside one of the rims , clamp it the more you can so there is no gap left between the 2.
Were the end of the flat bar meet , clamp it and mark the area where it cross (add 1/8" cause it will drop closer to the rim when cut , and you better safe then sorry , you don't want any gap when finished.

>Cut behind the line and files it until you reach the mark perfectly Perpendicular , test if it fits (you must pull on it as hard as you possibly can to make it drop closed ,if you cant , file test, file test, file test ... when it will work , you should hear a "Click" >>>(do this on only one rim)<<< then fit the second one with the holes perfectly inline.
>Then Place the rim parts correctly (most flat middle rims have angles on the sides , i lined up the rims with those angles) if not ..find a way to do it !

>Drill some holes (farther apart holes only)(spoke hole diameter) along the perimeter starting by the middle part joint ,do them one at the time making sure the rim is well placed ...
so... one at the time you : Drill + 45*"thing"to clean the hole + add "a bolt"
This step is to make sure the rims are well placed all around , so add a few or as much as needed to make everything straight

>Drill all the holes (spoke hole diameter)
>Remove the center part and dill the closest holes (that will have spokes) with the slightly larger diameter so the spoke nuts wont rub on the extra thickness (center part) even at a angle
>Drill the air hole
>clean all holes on both sides >>>>>>>>>>optional>>>>>>>>and sand /paint
>Put everything back together and pop rivets (ONLY in the exterior hole , the ones were no spoke will go)

Cut and glue the old tire tube to make a wide "tire strip tube protector thing" (with contact-ciment clamped for few hours)
Then enjoy what your tire are gonna look like on the thing for a little more motivation :mrgreen:

>then all you need is to spoke that wheel!! witch was a first for me .. with patience anyone can do it!
you should be able to use the same spokes but since the hub is as wide as the rim , you need to get some angles in the spokes to have a strong wheel , so i did a crossed spoke thing .... same 3cross but the spokes go on the opposite side of the rims
>LAST STEP : CLean it / mount it / ride it!!!

there is a "How to" widening the rear chain stay , you may need to do it

you may think those spokes are new! .... well not really ,they are the original ones
here the little trick : Heat shrink tubes (used to protect electric wires) there come in various colors and add a thicker look to the spokes and cost me 6$ for the hole wheel

The tire is from the 40s and have been sanded with belt sander 40grit cleaned and letter painted

3" tire tube make the job for this 2.125tire on this 2.5" rim

Have fun !!!

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Nice job. Thanks :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[kingfish254]

Very cool!!!
Could you show a photo of the finished tire side of the rim with the tire removed?
This is a neat idea!!!

 

[OneHorsePower]

Very cool!!!
Could you show a photo of the finished tire side of the rim with the tire removed?
This is a neat idea!!!

i don't want to remove the tire just to take a picture , but the picture beside the standard rim is what it look like (with the middle part painted to prevent rust

 

[kingfish254]

That fine. I was just trying to see which side you popped the rivets on. It looks like you popped them on the tire side. Much better for tube protection. I wonder if there is a way to dress up the bugger end of the rivet that pokes on the hub side of the rim?

These are sweet looking. I have some 26x3.45 BOA Gs and it would be sweet to build up a nasty fat nasty rim for them.

 

[OneHorsePower]

When the 2 rims are side to side , the spokes go in holes the closest to the center - the rivets go in the closest holes to the exterior

O= spokes --> <--
o= Rivets <----->

o O|
|O o
o O|
|O o
o O|
|O o
o O|
|O o

unless you have a wide hub or lace it "of-set" and space the other side , 2 3/4"wide with the tire on is really the max you can go to clear the chain on a regular coaster brake

 

[jackdaw]

That's a great way to do the rims. And the spokes look great.

 

[thirstee]

Is that wrench your brake arm or is it a freewheel hub?

 

[OneHorsePower]

Yes it is ! could not find the "coaster brake plate thing" so i just improvised.

 

[Chips_Mahoy]

I like it! Might have to do something like that myself.... 8)

 

[OneHorsePower]

here is what it look like on a bike

 

[user 135]

Cool idea. ALso like the frame with the custom rack.

 

[teteplow tetepslow]

great idea...great forum

 

[OneHorsePower]

Cool idea. ALso like the frame with the custom rack.

(the rack) you do ? i have mix feeling and comment about it .. i thing its good looking , but at the same time its useless, but without it it look like its missing something at the back :?

 

[OneHorsePower]

great forum

Welcome! i do think the same
dont know how i missed it , iam a bike freak since 6yo

 

[kingfish254]

I like the custom rack and who cares if it serves no purpose other that looking cool!!!
I like the way it flows with the funky frame.
I got an idea. What if you took some flashing and made some scallopped panels that on the sides of the rack?
EDIT: Scratch that idea, I just played around with it in Paint, and it didn't really work.

I think the rack is cool as it is!!!
It really compliments the truss rods as well!!!
BRAVO!!!!!



That frame reminds me of the Triton bike I picked up recently to strip the Nexus 7 wheelset off of.

 

[OneHorsePower]

your frame is greater i think , mine have a bit to much of a gap between the top tube and the lower arch for my taste , but i still like it ... thank for the comment

 

[Wingman]

Ilikeit!!!

 

[Bike Bum]

Covering the spokes with shrink wrap is a great idea! I'm using that on my next project. I also like the look of the finished rim, very cool.