Re: [CR] DAM Wodden Rims Wheels

(Example: Framebuilders)

Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:49:17 -0800
From: "Robert Goughary" <goughary@yahoo.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, John Betmanis <johnb@oxford.net>
In-Reply-To: <4B27A6C9.8080208@oxford.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] DAM Wodden Rims Wheels


Wood likes weather - and in the case of wood bicycle wheels, the wood isn't the problem - these rims are made from multiple plys of wood glued together and then machined into the wheel's final form - it's the glue used to hold the plys together that may or may not like the moisture. Newer Ghisallo rims are made with a marine grade epoxy that isn't water soluble, and therefore there shouldn't be any issue so long as the wood is allowed to soak in the moisture and then dry calmly and slowly. In the case of older wood rims, care should be taken to be sure that the rims don't get soaked to the point where the glues are softened. Outside of that, all of these bikes, rims, components, etc were made to be ridden and enjoyed. So long as they are still safe, they need to be on the road.

I bought a set of wood rims by another manufacture recently and can't wait to get out on them - Mine are hickory, which is a pretty flexible wood - I'd like to test them against the significantly stiffer beech that ghisallo rims are made from...Maybe in an upcoming Bicycle Quarterly we can get a test of an old vintage set of DAM rims, vs the hickory CBL Rims vs Ghisallo rims on road going bikes? Maybe even along side a set of Mavic GP4's?

Rob Gougahry
Stamford, CT USA


--- On Tue, 12/15/09, John Betmanis wrote:


> From: John Betmanis <johnb@oxford.net>

\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] DAM Wodden Rims Wheels

\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

\r?\n> Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 10:10 AM

\r?\n> W PAUL PATZKOWSKY wrote:

\r?\n> > The seller, Wheel Fanatyk, on Ebay also says that wood

\r?\n> rims needn't be coddled.  He is based in the Northwest

\r?\n> and has ridden his in the rain without trouble.  I have

\r?\n> several hundred miles on both sets of wheels that I built

\r?\n> with his Ghilaso rims and no problems.  One set of rims

\r?\n> even got wet in a rain shower, I wiped them down when I got

\r?\n> home and they're fine.

\r?\n> >   

\r?\n> One wonders how wooden wagon and car wheels survived all

\r?\n> those years before they were made of steel.

\r?\n> -- John Betmanis Woodstock, Ontario Canada