Rims and rear sprocket for a Mercian rebuild

[sweeter]

Sorry for my lack of detail (& correct jargon!) :facepalm:
I dismantled a nice Mercian from the late 70's (?) a few years ago and would like to re-assemble in order make it useable.
She had the old sprint rims with tubs which I would like to update. The old rusty spokes were cut out but I still have the rims. What rims would be good and not look out of place. I am not familiar with current rims, tyres etc...
Also the rear sprocket with the 1 tooth difference between gears was fine as a teenager but I'm now 52, what rear block would be useable in hilly Devon and 'screw' onto the old Campag small flange hub. Many thanks for any help/ideas. Mark

 

[sweeter]

Hi, can anyone suggest an online forum where I could get some friendly advice/ help with my above query?

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

If you are not too bothered about authenticity then 700C Rigida Chrina rims might be worth a look. They are reasonably inexpensive don’t have too deep a section and are available in silver. I built up a set on 36 hole Campag Nuovo Tipo hubs and they turned out to be a nice set of wheels. When I built up the wheels for my Mercian I was using 28 hole Royce hubs so ended up going for 700C Halo Retro rims which were more expensive but there were fewer options with 28 holes. So you might find that your choice of rims may be dictated by your hubs.

With regard to the freewheel, it’s a little flatter where I am and as a general rule I use a 14-24 five-speed block but you might want to try a 14-28 if it’s hilly. If you have cut the spokes without removing the old freewheel then you may struggle to remove this from the hub. Assuming that the thread on the freewheel is British then these are freely available.

I hope that this helps.

 

[Midlife]

..........late 70's ,that's my era (have a look at my avatar). Any pics?

Did you want to go back to sprint rims or move over to 700c clinchers (HP in our day LOL)

A lot depends on how much you want to spend.

Shaun

 

[hamster]

I have a Shimano 5 speed 14-28 you can have for the postage.

 

[sweeter]

I have a Shimano 5 speed 14-28 you can have for the postage.

very generous; YES PLEASE sounds a great option to try. How do I pay you?
Mark

 

[cce]

Planet x retro rims look the part and are dirt cheap at the mo....

 

[bduc61]

Re:

I confess it may be slightly easier for me being in France, the Mavic homeground

but I track period wheels with Mavic Module E rims ( clinchers). :idea:

You can find them on decent high flange hubs (such as Normandy Luxe Competition or better Pelissier 2000 professional )

I have yet to build Module 3 on Campagnolo Nuovo Tipo hubs for a "randonneuse"
or a pair of Module E on Campagnolo Nuovo Record high flange hubs as the period wheels with such hubs would in the vast majority of cases with tubular rims such as Mavic Championnat du Monde and I confess I prefer clincher for ease of use.

These Module E age pretty nicely as they don't have anodizing yet such as the M40 and G40 or Open CD from the 90's and they are sturdy :idea:
Sometimes available on the bay :idea: but the best idea is to buy a full bike for spare parts on local ads

 

[sweeter]

Re:

some really good tips and ideas, many thanks guys