Dirk and Tom,
The French randonneur bikes came with a variety of rims. The Super Champion Gentleman was used a lot, and I think it is even narrower than the Mavic MA-2! Unless they came in different widths. I have seen the Super Champion 58 as well as Mavic Criterium. It may depend on the tire width used originally - whether a bike was built for 23 mm or 25 mm tires (28 was rare after 1970 - the French randonneurs also fell prey to the narrow tire craze, although not as severely as the racers. And those who didn't were riding 650B anyhow!) (Note that these are true widths, not what is indicated on the tire, which can be a very different thing.) (Before anybody scoffs at the idea that a bike will be built differently for different width tires - they are. You give the desired tire width when ordering the bike. Bridge placement and fork leg length is calculated so there is enough, but not too much room between tire and fender.)
However, since your bike is relatively new, I'd just use any nice box-section rim. If the decals are too modern, simply remove them. I agree that the latest versions of the MA-2 don't build very well. Which makes me wonder about their quality control. However, I have ridden them for many 10,000s of miles with no problems. I have no experience with the earlier MA-2s.
Different question: Does anybody know when the Super Champion
Gentleman first appeared?
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.mindspring.com/
Hmm, it's a balancing act between what's available, what's period correct and what looks nice. If your bike is older than 1970, I'm not much help on what rim models were available. If it's a 70's model, then I would suggest looking for the period correct Super Champion 58's, a wider rim that builds up into a tough wheel. To be avant garde, go for a set of Weinmann concaves (the "dust catchers").
If you want something more modern in a wider rim, the now venerable Sun CR18 is nice and wide, very tough and is about the only polished aluminum rim available today. Plus you can get just about any drilling you want. But it does have a slightly higher vertical profile than historic rims, and I don't know about availablity in Europe.
In narrower rims, the Gentleman is close in age, although the Mavic Module E is older. But if it looks good to you and the tires aren't too fat, the MA2's will be fine. They were always hallowed in memory by the Rivendell crowd, although I've heard a few wrenches opine they were fussy to true.
Good luck!
Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
>From: "Feeken, Dirk"
>To: "'Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org'"
>Subject: [CR]which rims for traditional french randonneur
>Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 10:10:11 +0100
>
>
>What kind of rims are correct for a traditional french Randonneur
>like Singer or Herse?
>My Singer with 28mmm Michelin tires and 42mm fenders has modern
>Mavic Open pro 622x15 rims. To be honest the greyish modern look of
>the rims annoys me, I would prefer classy polished rims. Would it be
>"historically correct" to replace the rims with polished Mavic MA2
>which are narrower (622x13) or did Randonneurs usually had slightly
>wider 622x15 or even 622x17 rims?
>I have a pair of red label MA2s and Wolber Super Champion Gentleman
>rims but both are 622x13.
>Which classic french rims have been made in 622x15?
>I know that MA2s would work with 28mm tires, but I want to know if
>it would also be "correct" to put them on the Singer (you what I
>mean).
>
>Dirk
>
>----------