wheels for sidecar and bike

[Peter Schildhause]

I am setting up my R69S with a Steib 501. I know the standard advice is to use Steel Rims
on the bike but can one use alloy?? Will they bend the first time of use or will they only
bend under extreme conditions. Has anyone tried using Alloy wheels?? thanks

[Allan Atherton]

Since I have an opinion on everything else, I will try this one, too. I had an R69S with a Ural s/c. I did buy a BMW alloy rim and laced it to a BMW hub, and put it on the trunk of the sidecar for a spare, but I did not actually need to use it on the bike. I do not think the alloy rim would bend sideways, nor would it dent in any normal use. But if the s/c outfit were heavily loaded, traveling fast, and hit a bad pot hole, I think the soft alloy rim might get a dent. The dents might accumulate over time. The other part of my experience is that getting good rims, and getting them laced up, is very hard and expensive. Better to do it right the first time, and not do it two times. Use steel.

[Mark Huggett]

Hi Peter,

The problem with aluminium alloy wheels and stressed side car usage isnot so much the sidewards stability of the aluminium rims, but rather the tendency for the nipples to pull on the aluminium, thus loosening the spokes, and even ripping through the aluminium. Aluminium rims have become extremely rare and prohibitively expensive. If your alu rims are still good, save them and replace them with steel.
Best regards,

Mark
Mark Huggett GmbH