Huffy/Murray ten speed as donor for alum wheels?

[warneral]

Hi ladies! I got a peugeot mixte last night and would like to switch out the steel wheels with something that will allow for better braking and something that is lighter.

Should I grab up the "free - needs work" old ten speeds I found on CL - Murray and Huffy so that I could use them as donor for wheels? I would donate the bike I don't need to St. Vinnies.

I'm trying to decide if this is smart or if I should just wait and buy new wheels later. It's about 45min of driving just to see them So I thought I'd ask here. I asked a million questions in the bike maintenance forum but this question I was hoping for some guidance on since it could save me an hour if it is a bad idea !!!

I will be taking before and after photos.

[RLKester]

If you can actually find good wheels that are the size you need from a "free" bike you could make a lot of improvement over steel rims. It is amazing how many people have great bike part stuff hanging around their garage left over from a upgrade. Try posting an ad on the forum or Craigslist for your desired parts and people will often go out of their way to help.

Unless you have a reason to need super strong rims (jumping curbs, drain guard flipping, etc) the more you do to improve your wheels the more you will love your ride.

[warneral]

Thanks. I will go ahead and check them out and if they aren't the right size, I'll go with the ISO on CL - good point!

[warneral]

haha they were in horrrrible shape. They were 26" ten speeds and so rusted I didn't feel bad not taking them with me! I am going to just change out the tires and keep slowly working on it and riding on it. Then I can decide how far I want to go with it.

[Tri Girl]

I got a pretty inexpensive set of wheels on eBay when I was building my Bianchi. I bought a used set of wheels from someone I trusted after asking a million questions, but I have seen new sets from a store called Rocky Mtn Cyclery for less than $100.