So a bit like the delays I had at the start of this build project with my original struggle to find a frame, I’m now having a similar problem in sourcing a set of wheels to complete the build.
I had thought I had this sorted a couple of months ago, as I’d found a beautiful wheelset in great condition – Campag C-Record Hubs with silver Mavic MA2 rims – unfortunately just before I was heading into London to collect them, the seller contacted me to say he’d found a crack in the rear rim 😭.
If I’d known I’d still be searching for alternatives 2 months later I would have been even more devastated than I was at the time!
Returning to the search, I found and bought a set of Mavic MA40 rims with Campag Record hubs – a nice set of wheels with smooth hubs and they cleaned up very nicely indeed.
However… (there had to be a however, it wasn’t going to be that easy) …the rims were anodised black all over (including the brake track, which was still pristinely anodised black / no wear). Not something that bothered me at all when buying them and as I said, they were in pristine condition with no brake wear.
After giving the wheels a good cleanup, I fitted them to the frame to get an idea of what the finished product would be like, only to be disappointed by how wrong they looked together – the black anodised rims just looked out of place next to all the shiny chrome & alloy. If the brake tracks had been silver that would have looked ok, but all over black, no.
So, sadly I had to resell the wheels and start searching again – there have been some others, unfortunately I’ve not yet been successful in buying any, so at this point I’m still looking😞
As the months progress with no luck, it’s getting to the point I’m thinking I may buy some hubs and build a set of wheels myself – there is just one tiny little flaw with this cunning plan however, I’ve never built a wheel in my life before.
Not to be deterred, I saw a posting on eBay for a job lot of used wheels for collection in Oxford.
All were in need of repair, but as there hadn’t been a single bid and the auction was ending in a few days I placed the opening £0.99 bid and forgot about it – only to receive the “congratulations you won, please pay” mail from eBay!!
So, one small detour to Oxford on my way home, I now have 15 wheels to strip and practice building – even if I totally mess them up & fail miserably at building a usable wheel, it’s only cost me £0.99 (well, actually £1 – I felt bad enough buying them for so little, I couldn’t ask for the 1p change!!).
Given it’s only practising at this point, I’ll just use a frame when I get to truing & dishing, but may be tempted to cobble together a diy truing stand – if I do go down that road, I’ll try to cover in a future blog (no guarantees !!).
Now, if I actually adhere to Rule #5 and stop whinging about the garage being cold, I may even make a start at stripping & rebuilding – alternatively, I could sit in the warmth in front of the computer vainly searching for the perfect wheelset to suddenly appear at a bargain price…