Hi-E supplied their own rims with odd hole counts like 42. They also had blank Super Champion rims and drilled to your choice. Probably the most iconoclastic of all component producers.
As to spacing, the early hubs would require a factory refitting of an axle. The later hubs have slip fit axles (simply cro-mo tubes) and are adjustable with spacers.
The bearings are press fit and captured by the flanges. This was (is?) a "factory" job requiring disassembly of the wheel because the flanges are removed. All the press fits are very precise. The hubs came back like new for half the price of new hubs.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
> A while ago I bought a pair of Hi-E hubs at a swap meet. The interesting
thing about them was that the front was a 32 hole while the rear was in a
high/low configuration.
>
> The spacing on this rear hub is 121mm accepting only a five speed
freewheel. The drive side flange is 69.5mm with a spoke count of 28 and the
non drive side flange is 46.5mm with a spoke count of 14. This would give
you a 42 hole wheel.
>
> I tracked down the Hi-E crew 10+ years ago when they were still in
business located I think in Tennessee. They indicated then that they were
still building hubs and rims for public consumption. I'm not sure if they
are still in business or not.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Peter Koskinen
> Chapel Hill, NC
> prkbikes@bellsouth.net