Just another note to clarify (thanks to Thomas Adams for pointing out my omission!) the rims I seek are indeed 32/40H.
Fraser Cunningham Cincinnati, Ohio.
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:49:10 -0700 (PDT) From: Thomas Adams <thomasthomasa@yahoo.com> To: Fraser Cunningham <frasertri@cinci.rr.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Parts needed for '50's Mercian restoration
Dear Fraser:
We need two more bits of info before advising you: what drilling are your hubs, and how authentic do you want to be? I'll assume you have a set of 32/40 hubs, as so many of the classic British hubs are set up with that most useful spoke count.
If authenticity is irrelevant, then Sun's CR 18 rim is available in multiple drillings including 32, 36 and 40 hole. It's nicely polished to boot, giving a semi vintage appearance. But this is a triple box cross section rim, and has a fairly high profile, not looking vintage upon close inspection. Rim stickers can usually be removed with some modest heat (blow dryer) if you want to disguise their modern origins. If polished isn't necessary, Mavic's MA3 is available with up to 36 spoking in an anodized matte silver finish, and looks semi vintage. Other 40 hole drilled rims today are usually touring/tandem items, and are extra stout and wide.
If you want vintage rims, there's not a whole lot of affordable options. In the 50's the only common clincher rims that I know of for high performance tires were Conloy's and Dunlop steels. Both rim sets will set you back a few bucks. I spoke to Mr. Von Tutscheck at Cirque this year, and he does have the Conloy rims in 32/40, and is asking something like 140 pounds for 1 set, plus shipping (probably another 30 pounds). That works out to about $240 dollars before shipping, and that's about what they're going for these days in the market when they do hit ebay. If you can gather a few more folks who want to buy a set you could save some $ on shipping with a group order. Do contact Mr. Von Tutschek directly to verify prices.
If you are willing to use tubulars, you might have an easier time finding rims, but 40 holes are still rare. Someone this AM had 40 hole Martanos for sale, but in a very light weight (320 grams). Fiamme, Mavic and Superchampion in old vintage styles turn up semi regularly on eBay especially in 32 and 36 drillings.
So far as I know no one is making a classic, polished silver slender/low profile clincher rim, and certainly not in a 40 hole drilling. I spoke to Velocity about getting a custom run done, but there is a 200 piece minimum order and/or a $200 surcharge for such a special drilling. And even then none of their rims have a super classic profile. Hope you can find what you need.
Tom (Conloyless) Adams, Shrewsbury NJ