Which rims did Rivendell endorse in the early days?

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Andrew Turner

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Apr 12, 2022, 9:46:00 AM4/12/22
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Specifically, on the road models. I'm pretty sure my dad's Rambouillet has some Araya's but I'm not sure what model. If anyone knows specifics, I'm all ears. 

Backstory: I have a wheelset with nice hubs I want to reuse but the rims have lived a life already. I'm fine with A23's or something similarly modern, but NOS always peaks my interest. Plus, these older caliper brakes seem to gel a little better with the narrower rims of their era since the spring gets to contract a little more.  

Cheers! 
Andrew

J S

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Apr 12, 2022, 10:01:01 AM4/12/22
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Andrew, I am not sure what Rivendell suggested but on my early Riv 700c bikes I always used Mavic MA2 I believe.  

Andrew Turner

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Apr 12, 2022, 2:06:05 PM4/12/22
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Thanks for the intel. Good ol' Sheldon Brown mentions using Araya RC-540's on his Ram and wouldn't ya know it I found some in stock. Good to know. 

Mojo

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Apr 12, 2022, 2:13:51 PM4/12/22
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I replied to Andrew when I meant to reply to the group. In Riv catalog number 3 from summer 1997, they sold one rim, the MA2 for $34.

Mike Godwin

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Apr 12, 2022, 5:42:13 PM4/12/22
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My floor model Ram used Bontrager Mustang or Fairlane (some kind of Ford) with offset rear rim.  They had a big stack of Weinmann single-walled rims, and Velocity rims of some flavor. All back just at the turn of the century. Yup back in the early oughts. 
Mike SLO CA

Joe Bunik

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Apr 12, 2022, 5:59:54 PM4/12/22
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I'll second the RC-540 use, in fact I have an early Riv wheelset with
these. The rear rim has a few issues but is still running strong. I
was able to secure a backup replacement for it from RBW but I haven't
yet needed to relace.

Joe Bunik
Walnut Creek, CA
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Ben Adrian

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Apr 12, 2022, 6:35:26 PM4/12/22
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I scored a set of Mavic Open Pro rims for free when buying another wheelset on Craigslist. The guy just threw them in. 
I built them up with some Ultegra 6500 hubs and it's a strong, straightforward, and reasonable light wheel set that is adjustable and rebuildable with standard tools. 
I don't know if they were "riv endorsed", but they fit the spirit of Riv as I believe in it; graceful and durable bikes that can be worked on for years and built with industry standard parts that cab be rebuilt or replaced indefinitely.

Patrick Moore

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Apr 12, 2022, 8:58:41 PM4/12/22
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On my Ram, when I owned it, Open Pros + Ultegra 7 or 8-speed era hubs, until I swapped in a SP in the front. Yes, very nice rims and the wheelset did fit well with the Ram's design and intended use.



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Patrick Moore
Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

Fullylugged

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Apr 13, 2022, 4:11:06 PM4/13/22
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Rams shipped as completes with non machined Arraya rims. Grant touted them as longer lasting due to thicker wall material than machined.

Nick Payne

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Apr 14, 2022, 4:02:41 AM4/14/22
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On Thursday, 14 April 2022 at 6:11:06 am UTC+10 Fullylugged wrote:
Rams shipped as completes with non machined Arraya rims. Grant touted them as longer lasting due to thicker wall material than machined.

Yes, the Romulus that I bought about 20 years ago came with Araya RC-540 rims.
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