Rim Question
 

So on my lifan I have a 21" front wheel with a couple of "curb kisses" on it. Not to huge of a deal, but it would be nice to get a replacement. The question before the house is: The rim size is 1.4 X 21 - I know the 21 = the inches of the rim, but what on earth does the 1.4 mean?

Daddy 8)

Only guessing, but the Asian community's unfamiliarity with the SAE system would imply that 1.4 means 1.4", as measured by a caliper. Just a hair over 1 3/8".

1.4" wide I believe. Measured on the inside of the wheel.

I'll get out the measuring thingy when I get home to confirm. I wonder if a 1.6 rim would be OK : /

Daddy 8)

I think it will be fine. About 1/4 inch wider.

I'm not certain where to measure the width, but moving the ruler around I could 'kinda' see how it 'might' be 1.4". I can also see a 1.6" fitting just fine as there is plenty of clearance on the sides. So that being said, my hub is in great shape, and none of my spokes are bent, so what are the odds of an off the shelf Warp 9 being able to be laced in and good to go? there doesn't seem to be any special variation on the spokes, they look like OTS Honda. Anyone have suggestions?

Daddy 8)

Ahhh, that would be a good question for Spud, he's our resident relacing guru :D

im running a prowheel up front and a warp 9 in the back. no worries upping the width i bumped my rear up to 2.5" i think. just make sure the rim you get has the right number of spoke holes. and if your not familiar with lacing take lots of pictures of the wheel before you start.

Check YouTube as well. I found this vid, and it makes the process look easy enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENrRl2FyNTw&NR=1

The 1.4-inch and 1.6-inch measurements are taken inside the rim, and measure the distance across the dish of the rim to the inside edges of the rim shoulders. ;) For a 200cc motorcycle, the 1.6 x 21 rim is standard, and the 1.4 x 21 rim is a little on the small side. I recommend you get a standard, 1.6 x 21 rim; it will fit easily inside your forks. :)

A 1.6 x 21, Warp 9 rim is an excellent choice for your front wheel. :) Just make sure the spoke nipples are a fairly good match for the rim. If the Chinese spoke nipples are too small in diameter, you can order larger spoke nipples from Buchanan's Spoke & Rim. However, I think your Chinese spoke nipples will probably work well with the Warp 9 rims. :)

Indeed, you need to make sure you get a rim with the correct number of spoke holes. ;) Lacing the wheel is frequently more difficult than truing the wheel, so I also encourage you to take several photographs of your current wheel, and study the lacing pattern well before you take the wheel apart. ;)

Spud :)

Different hubs require different techniques for lacing the wheel. After lacing a number of wheels, you develop an intuition for the best way to proceed, given the shape of the spokes, et cetera. ;) Weldangrind found a superb video demonstrating the proper technique for lacing an old Honda/Chinese wheel! :D

P.S. If you decide you don't want to lace and true your wheel, I have a brand new, Lifan front wheel for sale, including the brake rotor. ;) Please send me a personal message if you are possibly interested in buying it. :)

Spud :)

I laced one set of bicycle wheels. Took me all day.