Britbike forum Forums Thread Like Summary - Closing rim lock holes

Please no debate on the pros and cons of rim locks; mine have been gone for a long time, and will remain gone, for better or worse.

This is about closing the holes vacated by the rim locks. Last time around, I used button-head screws, with rubber washers and Nylock nuts on the outside. This worked ok through two or three rear tires, but this time, after removing the tire, I noticed that the button-head screws had made holes in the rim strip, right in the center at the edges of the hex sockets.

It was a crappy rim strip, and I'm using a better one this time, but I really don't want anything sticking up inside the rim, and perhaps it's not necessary - the only reason to close the holes is to keep water out, and for appearance. Somewhere I've seen machine screws with very thin, flat heads, but I couldn't find anything like that in the hardware store.

So this time I'm trying a couple of layers of aluminum tape on the inside, over the holes. This leaves a slight recess on the outside, the thickness of the rim, with the sticky side of the tape exposed in the holes. So I'm thinking of filling the holes with clear silicone, in order to keep water out and keep the tape clean.

Ok, after more surfing, I found that they make plugs especially for this purpose.

I just ordered these: https://chargedcycleworks.com/products/drc-rim-hole-plugs

I guess duct tape works fine as a rim liner on a race bike but it does not work if you are going to be traveling with a heavy load (pillion passenger plus lots of luggage) in a hot climate. My wife and i crossed Utah in the middle of July two up on an MSS Velocette. Experienced multiple flat tires in that one day. Tubes were found to be cut on the inside in a line that corresponded to the edge of the duct tape I was using as a rim liner. Switched back to rubber rim tapes and have never had that problem under similar circumstances.

Mark......Lowes used to carry them in their "hardware drawers" but they dropped those. They would have to be the flush type and would probably need a "dab" of adhesive to keep them in place but it's the only thing I can think of that would look "clean" IMO.





I'll ask my son about that this weekend..........he's coming in for MerleFest. He just told me that one day when I was fussing about somebody being a dumbshit. I see examples of it almost every day. Will Rogers or Mark Twain probably covered all of it at one time or another.

Gordon

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I didn't find anything in the hardware store today, or at NAPA. Searching online, it seems like they have every size EXCEPT 5/16"! I knew about these though, we have 3/8" ones at work.


Hmm, an actual motorcycle part, that didn't occur to me but probably should have. I'll check it out.


Actually, that would be THREE valve stems (there were two rim locks).
Right, well I will at least have the aluminum tape because it's already in there.

Well shoot, that sinks my idea of using carriage bolts in the holes to make people think I used rim locks on the front.
I have a WM3 rim on the front of the Trident, so it has the holes, but I use a new rim strip at every tire change.

well, ill see what i have time to do. next weekend im training the number three son on the 250 ninja, as he's racing this summer for the first time and is inexperienced with the machine. im also doing something else that will take up the rest of the weekend but i cannot remember what it is.

remember when you could remember things? i can barely remember remembering.

We had a similar problem putting optional tire liners in our mobility scooter tires, which are 2.50" X 16" moped tires. These are rather stiff plastic strips that go between the tire and the inner tube, and are supposed to prevent flats from thorns and such. (They won't stop a nail, though.)

The ends of the tire liners were biting into the tubes. Now we round the corners and chamfer the ends with a belt sander before installation.

By the way, I received my rubber rim hole plugs (God that sounds bad!) in the mail, and now the wheel and tire are off to a garage for mounting and balancing.

A nice 100% rust free rim has been a long time in coming for Betty Bitsa. And now this one with stainless steel spokes and a powder-coated hub!

"By the way, I received my rubber rim hole plugs......."

Mark.......we're not here to judge.

Sounds like you got it well sorted..........................in the end.

Gordon