Worksmans HD wheels

dirtyoldcrusier · Feb 11, 2013

Hey guys, I 'm thinking about ordering some worksman wheels. But thought i would get some input from some one who has them. Anyhow, Are the alloy ones better than the steel ones? & guessing they are a lot lighter. I noticed 24" ones are fairly less expensive as the 26" I see different options of drum brakes as well. Any input would be great. Over & out Dirty .shft.

WightBoy · Feb 11, 2013

I have the aluminum ones in 26" with the drum up front and coaster in the back. These wheels are light but the aluminum is thick as well. I ordered them from sportsman flyer. They look great and track straight. Also the aluminum ones come with stainless spokes!!!

bairdco · Feb 11, 2013

worksman wheels are the strongest bicycle wheels on the market today. they're virtually indestructable. i've never bent one or broken any spokes, and i'm really hard on my bikes.

i've got both, 26" and 24"ers, and i use them on my pedal cruisers, too.

the drum brakes aren't the greatest, all mine are a little spongy, but they stop well enough.

i'm pretty sure they only make the alloy rims in a 26. i've never used them, but sportscarpat puts them on his sportsman flyers, so they gotta be good.

the steel ones are heavy, but lightweight is the last thing i worry about on my bikes.

i've ordered them direct from worksman in the past with no problems, but i heard they were low on stock a while ago.

call 'em and find out.

WightBoy · Feb 11, 2013

bairdco said:
i've never used them, but sportscarpat puts them on his sportsman flyers, so they gotta be good.

I took mine out of the box after I got them and these things feel just shy of motorcycle wheels. Very sturdy! I agree about the spongy feel but with the shimano coaster rear they work well together. Way better than V brakes with wet rims!

dirtyoldcrusier · Feb 11, 2013

WightBoy said:
I took mine out of the box after I got them and these things feel just shy of motorcycle wheels. Very sturdy! I agree about the spongy feel but with the shimano coaster rear they work well together. Way better than V brakes with wet rims!

Thanks guys, I think i'll get the Alloy aluminum ones , with a drum front brake. looks like 300.00 should cover them

WightBoy · Feb 11, 2013

Unless things have changed, be prepared to wait a bit for them. When I ordered mine one of their lacing machines was broken. I would hope they have it fixed by now but I dont know.

dirtyoldcrusier · Feb 11, 2013

WightBoy said:
Unless things have changed, be prepared to wait a bit for them. When I ordered mine one of their lacing machines was broken. I would hope they have it fixed by now but I dont know.

Ordered today, told 3-4 weeks. 26" alloy clincher rims with stainless spokes!! Price $ 267.75 without shipping, should be 50-60 for shipping will e-mail me when shipped. Front drum wheel $147.00 Rear coaster brake $120.75 Now the hard part a long month to wait. Wish me luck guys! .shft.

bigbutterbean · Feb 11, 2013

I have a Worksman 26" front wheel with drum. Its steel, and a bit hefty at around 18 lbs or so, but I don't mind. I feel that it has pretty good stopping power, and when used in conjunction with my rear coaster, I never have any problems stopping. I will never use anything else besides drum brakes.

WightBoy · Feb 11, 2013

dirtyoldcrusier said:
Ordered today, told 3-4 weeks. 26" alloy clincher rims with stainless spokes!! Price $ 267.75 without shipping, should be 50-60 for shipping will e-mail me when shipped. Front drum wheel $147.00 Rear coaster brake $120.75 Now the hard part a long month to wait. Wish me luck guys!

Awesome, mine took about that long to get to me also. Hope all works out for you.

sportscarpat · Feb 11, 2013

Hi Guys,
The Worksman wheels are all built to order so they do take some time. The Aluminum wheels are super strong, too. Stronger than the steel? Probably not but how strong do you need? I have used lot's of these wheels. On my personal builds I typically run the aluminum rims and I anodize them black, then build them out with stainless spokes. Are they huge stoppers? No, but they are decent. To get better performance out of them don't use bicycle cables, use real motorcycle cables that have far less stretch. If you need sprocket adapters some are better than others. The Sportsman adapter will drop right in through even the fattest spokes with no screwing around. People will tell you the other adapters will fit, and they do, but it ain't easy getting them through the spokes! Nothing worse than forcing brand new parts together that are not quite right.
Pat

bairdco · Feb 12, 2013

yeah, i use jagwire compressionless cables on mine, which helps. most bike stores carry them.

the drums are made in france, according to what worksman told me, and they're very similar to Gremic hubs, which were also made in france, and those were used on many mopeds and motorcycles in the 70's.

dirtyoldcrusier · Feb 12, 2013

Thanks guys, looks like i will order a few more parts, new adapter, brake cables. Thinking about tires, this will be a casual driver, no need for speed / racing tires. Any suggestions? Thanks as always! Dirty

sportscarpat · Feb 12, 2013

Boontrager or Maxxis Hookworm tires are pretty nice. If your running a China two stroke on frame centerline then don't go larger than 26 x 2.125 because of chain clearence. As far as tubes go buy the Maxxis MTB downhill tubes. Don't buy thorn proof tubes as they are so stiff they sometimes don't fill evenly and can actually reach full pressure without full inflation evenly around the rim. As for rim strips use 21" motorcycle rim stips. They are nice and wide and very thick. All this is based on my personal experience. Your results may vary.
Pat

dirtyoldcrusier · Feb 12, 2013

Thanks Pat! As for the 21" rim strips how much cost are they? can't be more than 5-10 bucks? Bairdco, thanks as well guess i'll ask about them cables while i'm there!

bigbutterbean · Feb 12, 2013

I just use the rim tape that comes on the rim and supplement that with electrical tape. I run 1.95 knobby tires for better grip and my current tires are all black, came off a mountain bike and have a very tight bead so they seat nicely. I use Slime tubes (pre-filled) and haven't had a flat in 3 years.

kevyleven007 · Feb 12, 2013

I ordered a heavy duty steel wheel with front drum brake and 11 g spokes from husky bikes in houston and got it quite fast.Another option is bikeparts usa.they have 12g h/d wheels w/coaster brake or freewheel.but no front drum brake.a less pretty option is to tie and solder your spokes.

dirtyoldcrusier · Feb 13, 2013

Thanks 007, or is it James? LOL, just kidding. I have ordered stuff from bikeworldUSA, not bad prices either. But the wheels are no comparision to worksman. I want awesome wheels for this build.I believe huskey & bike world usa have the same vendor on chrome steel wheels. I had ordered from both & the wheels where identical . Another good vendor is Memory lane classics. Over & out,,, Dirty

kevyleven007 · Feb 13, 2013

lol.honestly,I'm getting kind of old to be a secret agent.bikeparts usa. not bikeworld. the only difference is the spokes which are 12g instead of 11g. But,yeah,husky and worksman are as h/d as I have found.I bought one of these with shimano couple yeaRS AGO http://www.bikepartsusa.com/bikepar...d,-Chrome,-Steel-Wheel&category=wheel-26_inch

kevyleven007 · Feb 13, 2013

IN FACT,thats whats on the bike in the pic by my name.I heard worksman wheels are getting harder to get

Tony01 · Feb 13, 2013

Go with aluminum rims

As a prior bike taxi driver, I can attest to the strength of different heavy duty wheels. Go with the Worksman Aluminum wheels if you can afford them. If you're on a budget I would suggest some 48-spoke Sun Rhynolites. The rims, spokes, and nipples are lighter, and you can find a multitude of heavy-duty BMX 48h hubs to use. While a Worksman steel wheel is good for at least 700lbs, it really is overkill for our needs. I have personally loaded 400lbs per 48h Rhynolite wheel on a fare of four military guys that sat on top of each other on a little 3-seater... And when a 48-spoke Rhynolite wheel folds on you in an accident, you're out a $25 rim, instead of a $70 Worksman aluminum rim.

Worksmans HD wheels

Member

Member

a guy who makes cool bikes

Member

Member

Member

Member

Active Member

Member

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker

a guy who makes cool bikes

Member

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker

Member

Active Member

Active Member

Member

Active Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member