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Clydesdales and Athenas

Noah D.
Noah D. Sendmail

Wheels?

posted over 3 years ago | Report

I ride about 100-150 miles per week commuting. I'm about 200 pounds right now and have to carry 20+ pounds with me both ways most of the time. We don't have lockers, so my daily cargo includes my work clothes and a laptop, with cords and accessories.

I keep breaking spokes! I avoid pot-holes. I've broken spokes on two different road bike wheels (the cheap original wheel and a Shimano WH-R500) and several mountain bike wheels, including a decent cross-country double-wall rim. It's always the rear wheel, where most of my Clydesdale weight and cargo (carried in panniers) sits.

Do I need to buy tandem wheels for my roadie? $500 downhill wheels for my mountain bike? Has anyone found a decent set of wheels that don't break the bank, but don't break under pressure, either?

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3 posts

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  • Ju-Lie M.
    Ju-Lie M. Sendmail

    I was having issues with the Bontrager wheels that came stock on my road bike. The rear wheel had something like 24 spokes, which was definitely not enough for this 200+ lb. Athena, as it was forever going out of true though I somehow managed to avoid breaking a spoke.

    I ended up getting some handbuilt wheels from a local builder--Velocity Deep V rims, Ultegra hubs, DT Swiss spokes. 32 spokes on both the front and back. I haven't had any problems since.

    Another bombproof combo is Mavic Open Pro rims and Ultegra hubs. If you don't have a local builder to go to, I highly recommend the fine folks at Colorado Cyclist. It looks like you can get a set of custom Ultegra/Open Pros for ~$260, which is a great price. (http://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/display/25350/) I've also seen that combo on Performance Bike, but they're machine built, so you would probably want to take them into a shop to have them checked and re-tensioned if you go that route.

    There really is nothing quite like a handbuilt wheel, though. :-)

    posted over 3 years ago | Report

  • Noah D.
    Noah D. Sendmail
    in reply to what Ju-Lie M. said:I was having issues with the Bontrager wheels that came stock on my road bike. The rear wheel had something like 24 spokes, which was definitely not enough for this 200+ lb. Athena, as it was forever going out of true though I somehow managed to a... read more

    Thanks for the advice. I was figuring I'd have to go with a set of hand-built wheels. That's a skill I really wish I could master. I've replaced a dozen spokes this year already. I might as well buy a truing stand and seal the deal. Not sure I'd trust my first few wheel builds not to buckle like a bowl of spaghetti noodles, though. That's not something I'd want to have happen on my morning ride to work, ya know?

    posted over 3 years ago | Report

  • Jeremiah U.
    Jeremiah U. Sendmail

    You did not mention how many spokes your running in your rear wheel. I am 370lbs and rarely have wheel issues, BUT I am running a 48 spoke rear wheel that I had built for me.

    Would it be worth looking for some cyclo-cross wheels? A lot will depend on your budget. My wheel cost me $400 to have built, but to be trouble free through all my commuting, training and racing it has definitely been worth it.

    JAU

    posted over 3 years ago | Report

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