Alex Rims ACE 19

[fdimike]

I know this is a long shot but am going to post it anyway. I looking for a pair of these rims in size 26", 32 hole. I've emailed both the Thai ditributors but as usual no reply. I checked with a bike shop in BKK who did carry them but they are out of stock. I am now waiting for a reply back from the manufacturer in Taiwan.

If any of you out there happens to stumble on a pair of these rims while visiting your LBS please contact me. I've already tried Ebay and Amazon without any luck.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Have you tried Bok Bok bike in BKK? They have rims and stuff that other shops don't stock, Rigida Sputnik, Surly rabbit hole, Rohloff hubs. Probably will know if the Alex rims are available at the moment. They seem to be very competent wheel builders in fact their main business seems to be wheel building. Touring and MTB, i don't think they doing anything for racing bikes.

They are shut till after songkran. Open at 15:00 shut about 23:00 quite a cool shop. They work with Lek Bike in CM. I sorted out what i wanted with BokBok bike, got a quote. Went to Lek Bike paid a deposit. Wheels were sent to Lek Bike about a week later and paid balance. They seem to know their stuff and work with a network of shops across Thailand. They may locate your Alex rims in another shop?

[fdimike]

Thanks for the reply CNX. I have not tried Bok Bok Bike as i'm way up here in Udon Thani. I'll give them a call after Songkran. BTW My email to Alex Rims in Taiwan has gone unanswered as well. Maybe I need to switch manufacturers to Mavic or DT Swiss.

I have been using these Alex Rims ACE 19 on my Surly LHT for about 5 years now and have acquired a lot of kms carrying 4 panniers & a bar bag along with my less than slim body. So far I have had not problems with them but I'm really not sure how long I should go on these rims before replacing them. If you or anyone else out there has a good rule of thumb regarding when to replace a rim I would appreciate your imput.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Sorry i didn't give a thought about location. I normally i am on the Chiang Mai forum. Give Bokbok bike a try as they have all the decent rims Alex, Mavic etc. They are always putting LHT's together aswell. I am guessing they have a partner shop in Udon.

Unless you are about to go on a big tour i would be tempted to stick with your rims until there is a problem. Do you have cantilever brakes? are the rims concave on the braking surface? if they are you could replace them. Do they have a wear line built into the rim? can you see it?

In the past i have ridden rims until rim braking surface has cracked away from the rim under pressure from the inner tube. This only happens when the rim sidewalls are wafer thin. Quite often you can spot cracks when you wash your bike or the brakes grab at a certain point as the wheel rotates prompting you to investigate. Not a big problem if you are commuting to work or riding locally, you can normally continue slowly on.

If you want a really strong rim suitable for heavy touring, riding all the way to europe or you are a heavy guy, the Rigida Sputnik is the strongest one they do in 700c. I am not aware anyone else sells them in Thailand.

[fdimike]

Thanks again CNX. I appreciate your insight. I have Shimano XT V brakes and the 26" rims have a wear indictaor which is still quite visible. There are no cracks that I can see/feel nor are there any visible problems around the spoke eyelets. Additionally, I use Kool Stop brake pads as they provide good stopping performance with minimum rim wear. My intention was to buy a new set of rims to have them on hand if/when I need to change them. I know how these Thai bike shops operate always carrying minimal stock on hand with the normal "no have" can order from BKK. That's normally ok with me but then you've got to deal with the stock on hand with the distributor. As an aside I had a similar problem with World Bike which is the Topeak distributor here in LOS. I bought a new Topeak rear rack and trunk bag but they didn't have the rain cover and were not inclined to order it either until I sent an em directly to Topeak in Taiwan. Suddenly they changed their mind and obtained a rain cover for me.

I am about 95kgs and am carrying 2 vintage Cannondale panniers on the rear with 2 Taiga panniers up front. I'm also using Topeak bar and trunk bags. All toll I'm probably carrying about 35kgs.

[CNXBKKMAN]

If the wear indicator is still showing and there are no cracks i wouldn't be worried about them at all. 26 inch is a strong wheel size, apologies for throwing 700c info in earlier. I think BokBok bike is good shop for you as touring is their forte. I think they are are the Thorn, Rohloff , Tout Terrain, dealers for Thailand and they teach other shops how to build wheels. I have seen some of the custom paint jobs they have done on various Surly frames.

Actually i am a big fan of Surly bikes and would love to add 26 wheel LHT to my fleet. Its not an essential purchase so i am never going to go out and buy a brand new one but i should come across a second hand frame set or bike at some point. Maybe in the UK when i next visit.

[fdimike]

No need to apologize. I appreciate your imput. I guess i was just worrying needlessly. The next time I'm down in BKK I'll have to drop in on the Bok Bok shop as there aren't many shops here in LOS who even know how to spell touring much less support it.