Replacement wheel / hub for original Kalkhoff Pro Connect

[skamna]

Hello

The rims have gone on my 2008 Pro Connect.

It's an early one so is 24 spoke, 8 speed hub.

My bike shop says they can't find a rim to fit or something. They've suggested a new hub and wheel (Alfine).

Having done some reading this evening it does indeed sound like Shimano discontinued the model my bike uses. I think I'm right in naming it as a WH-8R25.

I'm sure other Kalkhoff users will have come across this problem before... it sounds like later models started shipping with 36 spoke wheels.

Is there a cheaper alternative to a completely new set of Alfine wheels? Rear will cost around £300 and front is around another £150 I believe.

Any pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

24 hole 700c rim | eBay

 

[Clockwise]

Planet X bikes are good for wheel sets. If it has internal gears in the hub then you will more than likely be looking at rebuilding the rear wheel as not many have them off the shelf.

Shimano Wheels | Wheels - Planet X Bikes

£100-150 wheelset
+different size spokes (£20?)
+£40 local bike shop rebuild with old hub

Would also check wiggle they can be good for wheels. Sounds like your local bike shop has a very steep markup tho as a front wheel they should just buy in ready to fit for £50-70 unless it's something "special".

 

[Clockwise]

You might want to jump on this one, I think it has a coaster brake on the rear wheel(thats why it has a torque arm) but if that isn't a problem it will save the rebuild.

Electra Nexus 8 Speed Townie Wheel - Ex Display | Chain Reaction Cycles

edit - googled the hubs and they both have coaster/roller brakes on them

 

[tillson]

I had this problem early on with my 2008 Pro Connect. The 24 spoke rear rim became dangerously worn within 12 months of ownership and just over 2000 miles. I could not find a 24 spoke rim of the correct width to replace it. There were plenty of narrow road rims available, but these are not suitable for this bike. (I think the ones Dave has linked to will be too narrow.)

50 Cycles solution was for me to buy a new set of wheels, including a new hub gear from them. Because the bike was still under warranty, I considered this to be unacceptable. We reached a stalemate over the issue and I believe that 50 Cycles behaved very badly throughout. There was a long thread on here about it, but 50 Cycles had it removed.

The bottom line is that the 24 spoke wheel set fitted to our bikes was virtually obsolete when 50 Cycles were selling the bikes. I made extensive enquiries with the UK Shimano importer / distributor and they could not obtain the correct rim.

Following the deadlock with 50 Cycles, they basically abandoned me with a newish, still under warranty expensive bike. Their solution being for me to buy a new wheel set and gear mechanism. This was an expensive option and because the original gears functioned perfectly, and the bike was still under warranty, it was an option that I was not prepared to take.

I wrote directly to Derby Cycles in Germany and explained what had taken place. They sent me TWO wheel sets, both 32 spoke. Since fitting, I've never had a moments trouble and have now done over 15000 miles. The second set is still in my garage, unused, but I don't want to part with them as I intend to keep the bike and they are a useful backup.

As for you, I would say look around for a 32 or 36 hole Alfine hub and have a new rear wheel built. Occasionally these come up on the German eBay site at reasonable cost.

 

[JamesC]

I was also disappointed that rims and spokes were unavailable for the 24 spoke wheels fitted to the early ProConnect. In my case, I wanted to carry spares with me when travelling with bike and campervan as I was happy to do any neccessary jobs myself if I had the bits.

Anyway, I opted to build new 36 spoke wheels early on.

To keep on top of cost with new wheels, decide whether you will stay with rim brakes and 8 speed hub. If so, then I can recommend the Shimano Nexus SG-8R36 8 speed hub which gives you the same 8 gears as your current WH-8R25 wheel, but without the facility for a disc brake rotor.
Rose stock the Nexus hub here. It comes with a rotary gear shift, but no worries if you want to stay with your existing trigger shifter.

This was just about the last hub in the Nexus design range (for rim and roller brakes), and incorporated most of the upgrades that came after your 8R25 hub.

James