# Need help on this set of wood rims.



## American Vintage Bicycle Supply (Apr 4, 2014)

I was given these today. Can someone help me on what these are? Track rims?


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## bike (Apr 4, 2014)

*how wide and*

how many holes?


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## fat tire trader (Apr 4, 2014)

bike said:


> how many holes?



 and how wide are they?


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## American Vintage Bicycle Supply (Apr 4, 2014)

fat tire trader said:


> and how wide are they?




1" can't remember how many holes.


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## fat tire trader (Apr 4, 2014)

If they are only an inch wide, they are racing or track rims.


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## Iverider (Apr 4, 2014)

Nice thing is you can probably actually use a modern "tubular" tire on them.

Dugast makes a 700x29 that should work well. You definitely need something that is wider than 25.4mm to keep things playing well together.


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## filmonger (Apr 5, 2014)

Those rims are made by a very interesting guy named A C Fairbanks. http://hschwartz.com/FairbanksBanjos/ExtendedChronology.html

He patented quite a few things but is better known for his banjo's .... He even introduced an electric banjo in the late 1890's. 

Nice example of one of his rims. 

Fairbanks also made rims for constrictor - below is an ad with specs July 1939 cycling Mag.





The wood rim is resilient and springy
and enhances the life of the tire and, when made properly of fine selected straight-grain maple, 
has proven a very serviceable and lasting construction for bicycles.

   Manufacturers of wood rims multiplied very fast.  There was a total of 24 factories during an
interval of six years manufacturing wood rims, some of which made a cheap rim out of elm wood.  
There were various styles of construction, but the three leading manufacturers of fine quality
wood rims were The Fairbanks-Boston Rim Co., Bradford, Pennsylvania, The Kundtz Bending Co., 
Cleveland, Ohio, and E. J. Lobdell, Marietta, Ohio.  The rims manufactured by these three concerns
were used on nearly all the high-grade bicycles manufactured in the United States.

   The competition became fierce and The American Wood Rim Company was organized and
comprised the following wood rim manufacturers:  The Indiana Novelty Co., Plymouth, Indiana, 
The Fairbanks-Boston Rim Co., Bradford, Pennsylvania, The Kundtz Bending Co., Cleveland, Ohio 
and E. J. Lobdell, Marietta, Ohio.





http://www.google.com/patents/US496971













Here ia a pair of fair bank rims with old US Special Racer tires on track hubs.


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## American Vintage Bicycle Supply (Apr 5, 2014)

filmonger said:


> Those rims are made by a very interesting guy named A C Fairbanks. http://hschwartz.com/FairbanksBanjos/ExtendedChronology.html
> 
> He patented quite a few things but is better known for his banjo's .... He even introduced an electric banjo in the late 1890's.
> 
> ...






Thanks so much! These wheels came out of the Lee Hartung collection. I'm just glad to own them as they are.


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## Freqman1 (Apr 6, 2014)

My '02 Pierce has a set of Fairbanks and I believe they are original to the bike due to the front hub and the rear hub has the Pierce ND brake arm on it. The rims appear to have been olive green with a black and red pinstripe. The catalog for '02 doesn't mention this though-only black or aluminum colored rims? V/r Shawn


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