Workshop Stories: New life for Easton Wheel

[Johan Bornman]

Workshop Stories: New Life for Easton Wheel

 

A friend dropped a friend's Easton Velomax Orion II wheel off with me some six months ago, with the instruction: Please fix for Gary.

 

The rim had cracked in several places and the one spoke finally had no anchor. Hence the wheel was running out of true and hitting the brakes.

 

 

 

No problem. Rim transplants are easy, especially on Eastons where the spokes are threaded on both sides and screwed into the hub. If you remove the rim, the spoke pattern remains intact.

 

 

I removed the rim and phoned the agent.

 

No stock, the Easton guru there told me. Phone in a few weeks time. Which I did. Still no stock. Eventually he confessed that even if he has stock, he won't sell the rim to a mere mortal like me, these wheels have to be repaired by the agents only.

 

Screw you too and thank you for your helpfulness. I'm sure my client will appreciate it.

 

The alternative now is the Internet or a similar rim from another manaufacturer. I measured the ERD - 601mm. My database of rims only kicked out some extinct rims: an Ambrosio Balance, Campagnolo Moskva (19)80, Matrix ISO (huh?) Mavic CXP 10 or T519 and a few other dinosaurs.

 

Many phone calls later and still nothing....nor anything slightly bigger or smaller either. I surf the various wheel and rim websites. Often the trick to these challenges is to find a rim from another wheel manufacturer, like say Mavic. (Mavic cottoned on to me converting their nice Aksium rims into Powertap wheels and now refuse to sell me any more "spare" rims without a wheel barcode. Anyone have a barcode for me?)

 

Another option would be to get a deeper section rim and cut these spokes shorter. But, that's expensive. The 28-point Easton ninja star moves to storage.

 

 

Six months later Gary gets anxious - his backup Eastons are also cracking. Per chance I speak to Benjamin of Cycles Africa that day (Sun-Ringle agent) and I tell him of the dilemma. Let me look in the Sun-Ringle vault, he says. It's a database of obsolete items still in stock.

 

How about a Sun-Ringle ME14A, he asks? I don't care what it's called, what's the ERD? 603.

 

2mm bigger? Hmmmm. OK send it.

 

The rim arrived this morning and Gary's wheel is now ready for collection. It worked like a charm. The extra 2mm was taken up by the spokes moving over to the right and the wheel is as good as new again, perhaps better, since this rim has eyelets.

 

 

 

Thanks to Benjamin who was prepared to listen and search a bit.

 

To make a long story short: anyone waiting for Easton spares may want to consider the aftermarket. Sun-Ringle MA-14A works like a charm on this particular wheel and a bastard wheel is infinitely better than a throwaway.

[Gert Janse v Rensburg]

Workshop Stories: New Life for Easton Wheel

 

A friend dropped a friend's Easton Velomax Orion II wheel off with me some six months ago, with the instruction: Please fix for Gary.

 

The rim had cracked in several places and the one spoke finally had no anchor. Hence the wheel was running out of true and hitting the brakes.

 

 

 

No problem. Rim transplants are easy, especially on Eastons where the spokes are threaded on both sides and screwed into the hub. If you remove the rim, the spoke pattern remains intact.

 

 

I removed the rim and phoned the agent.

 

No stock, the Easton guru there told me. Phone in a few weeks time. Which I did. Still no stock. Eventually he confessed that even if he has stock, he won't sell the rim to a mere mortal like me, these wheels have to be repaired by the agents only.

 

Screw you too and thank you for your helpfulness. I'm sure my client will appreciate it.

 

The alternative now is the Internet or a similar rim from another manaufacturer. I measured the ERD - 601mm. My database of rims only kicked out some extinct rims: an Ambrosio Balance, Campagnolo Moskva (19)80, Matrix ISO (huh?) Mavic CXP 10 or T519 and a few other dinosaurs.

 

Many phone calls later and still nothing....nor anything slightly bigger or smaller either. I surf the various wheel and rim websites. Often the trick to these challenges is to find a rim from another wheel manufacturer, like say Mavic. (Mavic cottoned on to me converting their nice Aksium rims into Powertap wheels and now refuse to sell me any more "spare" rims without a wheel barcode. Anyone have a barcode for me?)

 

Another option would be to get a deeper section rim and cut these spokes shorter. But, that's expensive. The 28-point Easton ninja star moves to storage.

 

 

Six months later Gary gets anxious - his backup Eastons are also cracking. Per chance I speak to Benjamin of Cycles Africa that day (Sun-Ringle agent) and I tell him of the dilemma. Let me look in the Sun-Ringle vault, he says. It's a database of obsolete items still in stock.

 

How about a Sun-Ringle ME14A, he asks? I don't care what it's called, what's the ERD? 603.

 

2mm bigger? Hmmmm. OK send it.

 

The rim arrived this morning and Gary's wheel is now ready for collection. It worked like a charm. The extra 2mm was taken up by the spokes moving over to the right and the wheel is as good as new again, perhaps better, since this rim has eyelets.

 

 

 

Thanks to Benjamin who was prepared to listen and search a bit.

 

To make a long story short: anyone waiting for Easton spares may want to consider the aftermarket. Sun-Ringle MA-14A works like a charm on this particular wheel and a bastard wheel is infinitely better than a throwaway.

 

 

 

Good service.....

 

 

[javadude]

Cool story Johan. Stupid of the local agents to refuse selling rims separately when you can buy them separately at Chainreaction.

[Hairy]

Nice read and good work on getting the wheel spinning again for the Client.

 

Please post more of these as they do make for good reading!

 

Thanks

H