Finding BE Rims Just Got Tougher

来週、この記事の日本語版を投稿します。

When acquiring a "project bicycle" for restoration, chances are it will be in rough shape.
(This is a photo of Eiryu bicycle prior to restoration)

In the good old days rims where chrome plated much like chrome wheels today seen on high-end motorcycles or automobiles.  However, in the majority of cases the chrome will have rusted beyond restoration.

Even if the chrome is still there, typically the pads from the stirrup brakes will have worn through the chrome exposing the bare metal.

So most of the time the rims have to be replaced.  Finding a good pair of NOS (new old stock) chrome plated beaded edge rims is not easy.  However, until last year one could resort to purchasing a pair of stainless steel beaded edge rims from Araya. 
Not anymore.

I checked Araya's homepage recently and noticed that BE rims were missing from the product lineup.  I contacted Araya and discoved, much to my dismay, that the company dropped BE rims from their lineup and have discontinued production. 

Now Araya is known worldwide for its rims.  It began manufacturing wooden rims in 1903 and metal rims in 1914.  Since the first metal rims were beaded edge one can estimate that Araya's beaded edge rim manufacturing spanned about 95 years.

I did a little research and discovered that up until 1965 beaded edge rims were the most produced type of rim in Japan. Thereafter, the wired-on (WO) type of rim surpassed BE rim production.  Wired on tires were lighter weight and easier to change.

As noted in the diagram below BE tires completely encased the tire tube and rely on air pressure to keep the tire bead seated.  WO tires rely on a wire to keep the tire bead seated. 
 

Basically, the four most popular sizes for adult full-size bicycles were:
26x 1" 1/4 (High end sports models)
26x 1" 3/8 (Basic utility model) Most common.
26x 1" 3/4 (Light carrier model)
26x 2"        (Heavy duty carrier model)

Apart from the overall condition of the chrome and size, there are two other main things to look for when searching for a good pair of NOS (New Old Stock) rims:  company or model logo and center lines.

(1)Company or model logo marks
Many of the old rims were manufactured with the bicycle company's logo which can be found between the first and second spoke hole on both sides of the valve stem.

Here is an example of a rim with the Maruka company logo.  Note that just below the valve stem is the manufacturer's stamp Araya.

Nichibei Fuji

Kawamura

Mizutani Ringyo

(2)Center Lines

Miyata (Note the black center line)

Araya (Black center line with gold trim)

Ishizuka (Green center line with gold trim)

Don't see much chrome on bicycles today. But 50+ years ago there were lots of chrome.  BE chrome rims add a nice touch.

Special thanks to S-san for sending in some of the photos for this post.
Next post will be the Japanese version of this one.  I'll be back with another English post soon, until then stay trued and happy wheels.