Wheels for retro road bike

[wesacosa]

Hi
I have a Raleigh Team Banana (cheap version, sadly) which I want to get back on the road. It has the original chrome wheels but one of them is very badly buckled. I am really struggling to figure out what size wheel I need to replace it with and the more I read the more confused I get.

With the tyre removed the wheel diameter is approx 25 inches, and the width of the rim is just under 1 inch. The tyres say 25-622 (700x25c).. I can find 26 inch wheels online but they dont state what width they are, I can also find a 700c wheel but they seem to be quite expensive and more serious looking , I am only going to use the bike to pop to shops etc.

Any help/advice on how to find a replacement would be much appropriated
Thanks
Wes

 

[ZG862]

That's a 700c wheel. The "622" bit gives it away. Expect to pay circa £20 upwards and please put an alloy wheel on rather than a steel rimmed wheel. The 1st time you try to brake in the rain will explain why. I'd imagine that yours has a threaded "freewheel" rather than a cassette type gear block - a picture would help match the advice to the requirement.

Check the RetroBike "for sale" section as there may well be something suitable. Also Gumtree for stuff local to you. Plenty of complete bikes end up in your local dump with perfectly serviceable wheels. It's bordering on criminal but completely off topic.

 

[wesacosa]

Re:

 

[wesacosa]

Hi
Thanks for the reply. Not sure if that picture helps. ALso, how would I know what width was ok or is 700c just one width ?
thanks

hmm
just noticed it has 622x28 (700x280) stamped on it Camera picked that up buy my eyes didnt !!

 

[ZG862]

The 622 bit is the diameter at the bead. 28 is the tyre section. You can stick on anything from about 20mm (not recommended) to 32mm on that sort of rim. Larger section tyres = lower pressure, more comfortable, higher rolling resistance (as a sweeping generalisation).

Looks like a conventional ("old fashioned") threaded freewheel on there rather than the modern cassette design, but I can't make out the splines (notched bit) of the inside to guess at the removal tool that you'll need before you can swap it over to your new wheel. A trip to your reputable local bike store will be cheaper than buying the tool if you're not planning on taking it off every month. Measure the distance between the inner faces of the dropout (the U-shaped bit of the frame that the wheel came out of) as this may affect the wheels you need.

 

[wesacosa]

thanks, its approx 12cm between the inner faces of the dropout