Found good deal on new rims and spokes

I just received four new rims that I am going to build up. Didn't buy the spokes yet, wanted to be sure of the rim dimensions first, but I found where to order spokes at a good price. Thought I would share the experience.

My rims are 700c, all bought from Outsideoutfitters.com. I got 2 Sun (SunRingle) Rhyno Lites, black with machined sides for rim braking, spoke hole eyelets.

From their site:

SunRingle Rhyno Lite 700c Rim
Sun Rhyno Lite 700c 36h Black Rim w/Silver Sides Presta valve,RM8438
Product ID: 19367
Price: $25.93

I like them because they are strong and wide. My calipers measure them at over 27mm wide on outside and about 21.5 inside. I used one of these rims before and really liked how the wheel came out. I use tires about 40 wide and I would guess they would easily hold tires between 30 and 50 (or wider).

The other 2 I got are Sun CR-18. Similar to the rhyno lites with eyelets and machined sides, but the face is polished aluminum, almost as shiny as chrome. You don't see too many alloy wheels with a shiny surface. I often like my aluminum parts highly polished. These are still wide; 22.5mm outside, 18 inside.


Sun CR-18 29"/700c 36h ABT (Adv Brake Track) Polished,RM8491
Product ID: 2154

Price also $25.93

These were the best prices I could find for these items, especially the polished rims which are harder to find. Free shipping for orders over $111. I wish they didn't have such a screwy free-shipping limit. Why not an even 100 bucks? So I had to throw another item in the cart - Kenda tire - $15

I was thinking of buying my spokes from them too, but their prices on single-spoke or small lot orders didn't impress me. DT Swiss 14ga spokes have to be bought in boxes of 100 for over $50.

Google searching turned up Danscomp. They sell Sapim stainless 14ga (straight gauge) with nipple for 25 cents each. 25 cents! They custom cut/thread each one, so you have to order by phone (they answered right away both times I called for info).

That's definitely the best price I found after lots of searching. Someone here recently posted a link to holmeshobbies.com for custom spokes, who's price was $1.05 for the same spoke! (They might have a bigger selection of size/gauge?)
At danscomp.com the Sapim stainless silver 14ga item is #435905.

I've never bought anything from them, or used Sapim spokes before, so I'll let you know how that goes.

The rims and tire order arrived from outsideoutfitters with no problem. What I ordered was there with no damage.

So I made sure of the rim's measurements (ERD), and phoned danscomp to order spokes. I called them 2 times previously and they answered quickly and were helpful. I thought the cheapest stainless 14ga spoke they sold was $0.40 a piece. The lady said that the spoke (a butted Sapim) was only available in lengths shorter than what I need (about 290mm). So she recommended Primo brand spokes for 50 cents each. I had to do more online searching and found the ones I mentioned above for 25 cents.

But when I called back to place the order, I got a different woman on the phone who was very strange. She insisted I give her my customer ID. I told her that this was my first time ordering from them and that I don't have an ID. You can't order spokes online - only by phone. I said that if I need a customer ID, she should give me one so I can order. Duh! I was actually being very polite, as always, and she was strangely giving me an attitude. Also, every other sentence, her speech was impossible to comprehend. She actually sounded drunk. I have no problem understanding call-center people from foreign countries, and I don't think it was a "southern" or "country" accent since the company is in my neighboring state.

Anyway, after hanging up on her I called back and got a different person. The order went smoothly. I received it the next day. The spokes are the perfect length. They could have been a little shinier, like the DT Swiss and Wheelsmith spokes I have purchased in the past, but a little chrome polish will fix that.

Until recently, the only rims I ever had were chromed steel and a few plain (dull) alloy. These are the first black rims I ever had - got them because I have a certain design idea for my latest build.

Gloss black paint job with some blue glitter flake. Most everything will be black - pedals, seat, grips, solid black tires, etc. My motor is from a McCulloch weed wacker and has all its plastic parts black, even the fuel tank. It looks nice, but I do hate the fact that you can't see the fuel level at all.
Anyway, I will have blue accents on the bike. The reflectors on the pedals and mirror I'm replacing with the blue type. There will be blue led lights and other stuff. I'll post pics when I finish it sometime next year.

Shipping was free on my rim order because it was over $111.00. I'm pretty sure that it would have been under ten dollars shipping, anyways.