[CR]Convert to 26" rims for 1954 Hetchins

(Example: Framebuilders:Rene Herse)

Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 09:28:02 +0000
From: "Simon PJ" <simonpj@mac.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
In-Reply-To: <710745.17522.qm@web54305.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Subject: [CR]Convert to 26" rims for 1954 Hetchins

I have a 1954 Hetchins Brilliant 1a Tourer (with ASC hub), which started life on 26" rims but had been converted to 700c by the time I acquired it.

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/simonpj/hetchins/

I would like to convert the wheels back to 26" and would appreciate information and advice about the choices.

What would the best 26" rims have been in the immediately pre- and post-WW2 era?

Would the bike have been on 26" clinchers, or could it have been on 26" sprints?

What tyres would have been used, and are there any suitable tyres still available for 26" rims?

What's the relationship between the 26" rim size used in Britain in that period and 650B size used by French randonneurs? Might it make sense to use 650B rims so that tyres such as the 32mm Grand Bois ones recommended by Jan Heine could be used?

And finally, do you have recommendations for the best person in the UK to service a Sturmey ASC hub?

Thanks!

Wyndham Pulman-Jones
Girton, Cambs., UK.