Question about quality - 'Alexrims'

[Jakob Krieger]

Hello newsgroup,


'Alex' is a Chinese manufacturer
(for junk, but also for well-ranked OEM stuff).

Can anyone give me an 'ok' or a warning buying
used wheels with rims labeled 'Alexrims EN24'?


I could get a set for immediate replacement,
but I don't like to buy crap. The rims look very
much like my junk set (bought it from a professional
'worthy gentleman' / 'WOG'), but these ones have
rivet-eyelets for spoke fittings (my junk set does
not hold the spokes properly, they seem do erode
the holes which are supposed to hold them).


Is there anyone who says: »buy, if riveted«?

Or is the reputation: »never buy that menure«?


I am quite alienated and really thinking about
selling all that bike stuff and getting really
good running-shoes (of course: Nike) for it ...


thanx in advance



jk


--
no sig

[avag...@gmail.com]

I cannot say for the rims you're writing of but we had a knowledgeable correspondent favoring Alexrims...whose domain I'm near this evening.

[Jakob Krieger]

- [avagadro, not putting his name into the header] / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 02:15:01 +0200

> I cannot say for the rims you're writing of but we had a knowledgeable correspondent favoring Alexrims...whose domain I'm near this evening.

I appreciate your answer and can tell
that I didn't mean the word 'rim' in a sexual way
as mostly encountered via google.


I am not picky, don't care about girls or boys,
but I will never go to bed with an American.
Ok, understood?


thx a lot


jk


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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- Jakob Krieger / Sat, 24 Oct 2015 23:53:57 +0200


Can't undo my request - please don't bother.


I am obviously not entitled to ask
(look at the first answer),
so I won't annoy again.


Sorry, my provider doesn't allow to cancel.



Live long and prosper
and keep on being proud
of your rim size.


(in fact, for this it would be
an advantage to go metric,
because then »3« would turn into »8«)



jk



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no sig

[avag...@gmail.com]

uh in the rim discussion.....Mavic was getting roasted then....the Alex rims were recommended by an LBS engineer..

this discussion group was larger then hosting several more VIP types than today

[Mark J.]

On 10/24/2015 2:53 PM, Jakob Krieger wrote:
> Hello newsgroup,
>
>
> 'Alex' is a Chinese manufacturer
> (for junk, but also for well-ranked OEM stuff).
>
> Can anyone give me an 'ok' or a warning buying
> used wheels with rims labeled 'Alexrims EN24'?

I can't speak to the EN24 model, but I've built two wheels with Alex
"adventurer" rims (eyeletted) for my commuter. Seems fine after a year.
I've heard Alex rims spoken well of on this forum for some time, so I
didn't hesitate to buy.

Mark J

[Jakob Krieger]

- [this avagadro dude who doesn't put his name into the header] / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 02:32:12 +0100

> uh in the rim discussion.....Mavic was getting roasted then....the Alex rims were recommended by an LBS engineer..
>
> this discussion group was larger then hosting several more VIP types than today

Shithead, I just asked about reputation of the brand.

Didn't want to discuss.


I'll fuck off here, not bother any mióre.



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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- Mark J. / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 02:39:20 +0100

>> 'Alex' is a Chinese manufacturer
>> (for junk, but also for well-ranked OEM stuff).
>>
>> Can anyone give me an 'ok' or a warning buying
>> used wheels with rims labeled 'Alexrims EN24'?


> I can't speak to the EN24 model, but I've built two wheels with Alex
> "adventurer" rims (eyeletted) for my commuter. Seems fine after a year.
> I've heard Alex rims spoken well of on this forum for some time, so I
> didn't hesitate to buy.

Thanks for your answer,
somebody else told me that it was unappropriate
to disturb this newsgroup,
so I regret and quit.


Newsgroups used be open,
now they seem to be a realm of
weirdos and fascists.


Sorry for disturbing prace-


jk


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no sig

[David Scheidt]

Jakob Krieger <j...@dashdotcom.de> wrote:
:- Mark J. / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 02:39:20 +0100

There have always been lots of weirdos on usenet. Ignore them, and
your blood pressure will be lower.

Alex's rims have been fine, in my experience, at least the ones with
sockets ofr the spoke nipples. unsocketed seem to be junk.


--
sig 39

[John B.]

On Sat, 24 Oct 2015 23:53:57 +0200, "Jakob Krieger" <j...@dashdotcom.de>
wrote:

Alex was/is a Japanese company, established in 1989, in Osaka Japan,
and maintains offices and warehouses in Osaka. They sell on line and
wholesale and their "motto" seems to be "Alex cycle specializes in
offering hard-to-find, high quality Japanese bicycle products at the
lowest possible price."

Alex Rims are very common here and I've built several road wheels with
them with no problems in several years use, but I have never used the
EN-24 which is essentially a MTB rim, I believe.

I see one site that sells them for 21 Euros each
http://www.camposlorca.com/en/alexrims-en24-disc-mtb-rim-p-1674.html
and another site has a testimonial:
http://www.mtbr.com/cat/tires-and-wheels/rim/alex-rims/en24/prd_463720_139crx.aspx
--
cheers,

John B.

[Tosspot]

On 24/10/15 23:53, Jakob Krieger wrote:
> Hello newsgroup,
>
>
> 'Alex' is a Chinese manufacturer
> (for junk, but also for well-ranked OEM stuff).
>
> Can anyone give me an 'ok' or a warning buying
> used wheels with rims labeled 'Alexrims EN24'?

I've built a few commuter wheels from Alex rims and they seem fine to me
for that end of the market.

If building yourself, there will likely be a noticeable (to a wheel
stand) flat spot at the weld, but you won't see that without a stand.

[John B.]

On Sun, 25 Oct 2015 11:27:47 +0100, Tosspot <Frank...@gmail.com>
wrote:

I never even looked to see whether any rim I used was pinned or welded
but never saw a flat place.
--
cheers,

John B.

[Tosspot]

Maybe a cm or so long. Always seems to be there.

[AMuzi]

Not sure about your meaning, but Alex is a manufacturer in
Free China ROC not mainland Communist China. They produce a
range of products none of which are 'junk'
http://alexrims.com/

From your description you have a poorly built wheel with
low and/or uneven spoke tension, a situation which would not
be different had it been a 'better' rim.

p.s. Although the wogs once began at Calais, we generally
don't use the term in polite English now.


--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[AMuzi]

On 10/24/2015 7:15 PM, avag...@gmail.com wrote:
> I cannot say for the rims you're writing of but we had a knowledgeable correspondent favoring Alexrims...whose domain I'm near this evening.
>
>

Stop in, Gene, and I'll make you an espresso.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

or a pro to do mine was well over $250 - I bought my Lexan for $51 and
less than an hour of my spare time had the replacement done.This
included removing the window, drilling and punching the rivets,
cutting the lexan to size, adjusting with the belt sander and
re-rivetting the frame, then re-installing it.

Took me longer to locate a decent supplier for the lexan than to do
the job. Took me longer to drive over and pick up the lexan than to do
the job (from waterloo to Cambridge and back). The time and gas to go
to cambridge to be able to get the part sheet I needed instead of
buying a whole sheet locally was time and gas well spent.

[Jakob Krieger]

- John B. / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 06:37:17 +0100

> Alex was/is a Japanese company, established in 1989, in Osaka Japan,
> and maintains offices and warehouses in Osaka. They sell on line and
> wholesale and their "motto" seems to be "Alex cycle specializes in
> offering hard-to-find, high quality Japanese bicycle products at the
> lowest possible price."
>
> Alex Rims are very common here and I've built several road wheels with
> them with no problems in several years use, but I have never used the
> EN-24 which is essentially a MTB rim, I believe.
>
> I see one site that sells them for 21 Euros each
> http://www.camposlorca.com/en/alexrims-en24-disc-mtb-rim-p-1674.html
> and another site has a testimonial:
> http://www.mtbr.com/cat/tires-and-wheels/rim/alex-rims/en24/prd_463720_139crx.aspx

Thanks.

So it shouldn't be extremely bad.

I'll talk to someone tomorrow who has a lot of
surplus stuff from a former bike-shop in his garage.

I think, I won't pick the cheapest, but if possible
the ones I really like.

The wheels I have now on this bike also cost money,
and they are ready for the bin after only a few months
of use. Construction fault everywhere you look at.


If this guy doesn't have good wheels, I'll probably
get the Alex ones. At least the holes of the rim that
take-up the spokes are riveted, which makes up some
possible weakness of the rim material.


jk



--
no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- David Scheidt / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 03:02:05 +0100

> There have always been lots of weirdos on usenet. Ignore them, and
> your blood pressure will be lower.

Yes, I'll try.

> Alex's rims have been fine, in my experience, at least the ones with
> sockets ofr the spoke nipples. unsocketed seem to be junk.

I think my crap wheels have these rims unsockeded.
Nipples seem to 'eat' through the rim profiles.
Big junk.


Thanks for the info.


jk



--
no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- Tosspot / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 11:27:47 +0100

> I've built a few commuter wheels from Alex rims and they seem fine to me
> for that end of the market.

> If building yourself, there will likely be a noticeable (to a wheel
> stand) flat spot at the weld, but you won't see that without a stand.

Thanks.

So they seem ok unless a top-thing is looked for.


jk


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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- AMuzi / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 15:17:53 +0100

> From your description you have a poorly built wheel with
> low and/or uneven spoke tension, a situation which would not
> be different had it been a 'better' rim.

It is in fact poorly built and failed because of that.

I can't just understand why materials built in communist
(ha-ha, they are no more since a long time ago)
or free parts of China are better or worse.

> p.s. Although the wogs once began at Calais, we generally
> don't use the term in polite English now.

'WOG' is an expression of scientology, meaning a non-sci.


jk


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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- Phil W Lee / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 04:08:11 +0100


> I have had no problem with the original equipment un-eyeleted Alex
> rims on my Bacchetta (559 rear, 406 front). As with most 'bents, the
> rear gets a pretty heavy pounding, as you can't really bunnyhop a
> recumbent over holes or bumps, or even stand up and use your knees as
> shock absorbers.

So, I won't worry.

thanks


jk



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no sig

[Sir Ridesalot]

On Sunday, October 25, 2015 at 9:28:02 PM UTC-4, Jakob Krieger wrote:
Snipped

> The wheels I have now on this bike also cost money,
> and they are ready for the bin after only a few months
> of use. Construction fault everywhere you look at.

You sound suspiciously like Joerg.

Cheers

[avag...@gmail.com]

NNNNNNNNNN

remeber the MTB group ? stunning. I was really taken aback by that....in the beginning.

What I remember abt the rims was...without rereading....is I was impressed by Sunrims double wall touring rim. Yet Colima ran over me like a triax with the Alex rim quality report. And I would retort you know and Colima would run over me again....like he was an Alex dealer.

This was done over a fire endlessly roasting Mavic importing, apparently I don
't know in real time.....truly bad metal.

I'm in in West Texas after a short stay at Inks on the Texas' Colorado River (?)during the rainy season. West Texas is off course mindbuckling empty. I closed in on imagining running out of gas, as an Easterner does first chance he gets but not the second that's fersure.

Inks is curious as the Hill Country there rests on a wide belt of ex ocean bottom slime turned into metamorphosed igneous rock when buried by the collision of plates a few years back. Looks like tufa but is not.

A great drive off that mound on US 377. Maybe 4-5 other cars. Shoulda brought the Quattro Replica.

The 'desert' is green with running water. The pan shaped cactus are luminescent green. The Inks area was still in drought after the Dallas debacle but better now that I was there. hehehehe....

A green 'desert' Tomorrow we head down to the Rio Grande for a second visit.

MTB touring is current at Terlingua with guided tours. I'll try avoiding them.

[Jakob Krieger]

- Sir Ridesalot / Mon, 26 Oct 2015 02:59:29 +0100

>> The wheels I have now on this bike also cost money,
>> and they are ready for the bin after only a few months
>> of use. Construction fault everywhere you look at.

> You sound suspiciously like Joerg.

Joerg is a name which about only occurs in my
home country.

No, the faults I am talking about did NOT result
from hard riding (or pretending to do this).


Btw - I know Joerg from online stuff.
May be he is a 'Sir Talksalot',
but not a bad person.



jk


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no sig

[Tosspot]

I'd have no qualms recommending them. For the money they are very good
value, and unless you're going to go absolutely medieval on their arses
they'll be fine.

Fwiw, I always use eyeletted rims, but more because it gives me a warm
comfy feeling than any mechanical reason. I think they look nicer as well!

[Peter Howard]

+1 on the eyeletted rims for the same reasons as you. If I can have ones
socketed all the way through to the inner wall so much the better. To
heck with the infinitesimal additional weight.
PH

[John B.]

On Mon, 26 Oct 2015 02:51:37 +0100, "Jakob Krieger" <j...@dashdotcom.de>
wrote:

WOG is an old term. It was first noted by lexicographer F.C. Bowen in
1929, in his Sea Slang: a dictionary of the old-timers expressions and
epithets, and predates Scientology by twenty years or more.
--
cheers,

John B.

[Jakob Krieger]

- Tosspot / Mon, 26 Oct 2015 07:22:35 +0100

> I'd have no qualms recommending them. For the money they are very good
> value, and unless you're going to go absolutely medieval on their arses
> they'll be fine.

Ok. I don't do extreme trails nor jumps in rocky places.
I like the MTB style bikes because they are more rigid
than racers and don't need paved roads. But I know the
difference between 'MTB style' and heavy-duty.

I think these wheels I have now got a production fault,
standard quality even of simple models is better.

> Fwiw, I always use eyeletted rims, but more because it gives me a warm
> comfy feeling than any mechanical reason. I think they look nicer as well!

Although people at the shop told me the method is out
of fashion, it is a plausible detail. The mechanically
stressed points are reinforced by such eyelets, what
makes sense with aluminium alloy.


The ones I might get from an other cyclist (the reason
I asked about brand quality) have eyelets.



jk


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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- John B. / Mon, 26 Oct 2015 11:57:20 +0100

> WOG is an old term. It was first noted by lexicographer F.C. Bowen in
> 1929, in his Sea Slang: a dictionary of the old-timers expressions and
> epithets, and predates Scientology by twenty years or more.

Ok, it was silly to assume anything of sci. was original.

The original meaning seems to be quite racistic, so I'll
avoid it.


jk


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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

- Peter Howard / Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:04:03 +0100

>> Fwiw, I always use eyeletted rims, but more because it gives me a warm
>> comfy feeling than any mechanical reason. I think they look nicer as well!

> +1 on the eyeletted rims for the same reasons as you. If I can have ones
> socketed all the way through to the inner wall so much the better. To
> heck with the infinitesimal additional weight.

I also think it is a good idea to tolerate minimal added
weight for reinforcement of possible weak points.
Nobody would spare washers on screwed connections either
(a standard M 6 x 11 mm washer weighs 1/2 gram).

Better to spare weight (and disturbing) by leaving the
smartphone at home (150 to 200 grams) ...


I am quite glad I asked here before buying the wheel set -
meanwhile I got another offer: A set of Sun Ringle wheels
with very good bearings (and spoke eyelets). I think these
are 'playing in a higher league'.



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no sig

[avag...@gmail.com]

yawl feel dumb spending time n money on eyeless rims then having a spoke pull thru.

this may not occur to the first time builder.

after lacing muh first sunrim double wall touring wheel, the rig went 13 miles before running thru an antique sewer grate lacking crossbars.

[Jakob Krieger]

- Jakob Krieger / Tue, 27 Oct 2015 00:12:58 +0100

looks a little silly to answer myself --

I didn't buy the used wheel-set with these 'Alexrims'.

Got a set of SUNringlé charger pro instead, with minimal
traces of use, as well as new. Hubs and bearings look
a lot more solid than the lower-level Shimano ones
I'd almost bought.

It has straight-pull spokes with eyelets at rim side.
The rims look a lot more sturdy than consumer ones
(what is a good idea in any case).

The whole 26" wheel-set weighs 1800 g (less than 4 lb).


... just to tell the rest of the story.

Thanks for everyone's answers, they gave me some new
aspects to consider.



jk



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no sig

[cycl...@yahoo.com]

On Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 2:53:59 PM UTC-7, Jakob Krieger wrote:
> Hello newsgroup,
>
>
> 'Alex' is a Chinese manufacturer
> (for junk, but also for well-ranked OEM stuff).
>
> Can anyone give me an 'ok' or a warning buying
> used wheels with rims labeled 'Alexrims EN24'?
>
>
> I could get a set for immediate replacement,
> but I don't like to buy crap. The rims look very
> much like my junk set (bought it from a professional
> 'worthy gentleman' / 'WOG'), but these ones have
> rivet-eyelets for spoke fittings (my junk set does
> not hold the spokes properly, they seem do erode
> the holes which are supposed to hold them).
>
>
> Is there anyone who says: »buy, if riveted«?
>
> Or is the reputation: »never buy that menure«?
>
>
> I am quite alienated and really thinking about
> selling all that bike stuff and getting really
> good running-shoes (of course: Nike) for it ...
>
>

> thanx in advance

Jacob - I believe that Alex Rims are not Chinese but from Taipei. The rims I have experience with are just about as good as anything in the world.

Of course they make a lot of different rims but it's like the difference in clothing from Hong Kong or China - while the materials are more or less the same the workmanship is better from Hong Kong and they are much closer to American sizes with greater Jersey length and the like.

[cycl...@yahoo.com]

On Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 7:00:02 PM UTC-7, Jakob Krieger wrote:
> - Mark J. / Sun, 25 Oct 2015 02:39:20 +0100

>
> >> 'Alex' is a Chinese manufacturer
> >> (for junk, but also for well-ranked OEM stuff).
> >>
> >> Can anyone give me an 'ok' or a warning buying
> >> used wheels with rims labeled 'Alexrims EN24'?
>
>

> > I can't speak to the EN24 model, but I've built two wheels with Alex
> > "adventurer" rims (eyeletted) for my commuter. Seems fine after a year.
> > I've heard Alex rims spoken well of on this forum for some time, so I
> > didn't hesitate to buy.
>
>
> Thanks for your answer,
> somebody else told me that it was unappropriate
> to disturb this newsgroup,
> so I regret and quit.
>
>
> Newsgroups used be open,
> now they seem to be a realm of
> weirdos and fascists.
>
>

> Sorry for disturbing prace-

Jakob - you have to get used to jerk usenet people just like you have to get used to jerk drivers. Both make you want to punch them out.

[Jakob Krieger]

cyclintom - / Fri, 06 Nov 2015 22:40:58 +0100

> Jacob - I believe that Alex Rims are not Chinese but from Taipei. The rims I have experience with are just about as good as anything in the world.

No, I am more informed now in this way:

Taiwan / Taipei products are mostly re-branded
and originally made in mainland China.


Meanwhile, I got new wheels (good ones),
and I examined the former ones.


The weak point were the hubs,
strange as it sounds. Trash.


jk



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no sig

[Jakob Krieger]

cyclintom - / Fri, 06 Nov 2015 22:45:12 +0100

> Jakob - you have to get used to jerk usenet people just like you have to get used to jerk drivers. Both make you want to punch them out.

Yes.



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