Commuting wheels

drdarthvader
drdarthvader Posts: 4
edited November 2007 in Commuting chat
After nearly 5,000 miles of London potholes, sudden braking at traffic lights and near misses with transit vans the wheels on my Specialised Sirrus have finally given up the ghost. The braking surface on the rear one is completely worn and the front wheel isn't far behind. I'm looking for advice on replacements.

Ideally I'd like to get some wheels where I'll notice the difference. I'm a fairly fast commuter (20-24 mph) so a nice light set of wheels would be great fun. However, I'd also like something quite sturdy so that I don't have to replace them again for a while. Are these mutually exclusive?

Or does the frame mean that a wheel upgrade is not worth it? Should I stick to something sensible and boring and save the money for the new bike, planned for Spring 2008?

Cheers!

Simon

Comments

  • whywontyoulisten
    whywontyoulisten Posts: 15
    I've never worn out the "braking surface" on a bike before...maybe some disc brakes would be a good investment too! :shock:
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    The rims do wear out - I wore out some MA40's - the rim wall cracked in the end as it had worn thin..

    Commuting wheels - you need well sealed hubs and tough rims - maybe handbuilt or some factory ones at the £100-£150 mark
  • akcp
    akcp Posts: 73
    My wheels are in a similar position - I have a similar bike as well (a Marin Fairfax). Been eyeing up the cheap older Ribble Shimano wheel set for around 80 quid. Would anyone think they are suitable for commuting (The RS10 or RS20 clincher wheels on the ribble site). I understand they are racing wheels but would these be good for commuting?

    OP - what wheels were you thinking about?
  • PHcp
    PHcp Posts: 2,748
    Give a decent wheel builder a ring, they'll have had far more feedback than even the most experienced forum poster :wink:
    Harry Rowland and Paul Hewitt seem to be the two with the best reputations, I've only tried Hewitts and now don't go anywhere else. The advantage of handbuilt over factory is you can re-use the hubs and spokes, so although they may be a bit dearer in the first place they work out better value over a few years, especially if you're going through rims every 5,000 miles.
    http://www.rstocker.freeserve.co.uk/harry.htm
    http://www.hewittcycles.co.uk/_bikefitt ... /index.htm
  • donnie murdo
    donnie murdo Posts: 986
    I had a set of wheels built for my single-speed commuter by these guys:

    http://www.betd.co.uk/result.asp?Catego ... and+Wheels

    I have to say the hubs are great so far and very sturdy I used the 36h Goldtec track hubs with Mavic OpenPro rims.
  • IsledeBlanc
    IsledeBlanc Posts: 90
    After the London streets destroyed the standard wheels on my Genesis Flyer, I had some built up by my LBS. Strength was the first requirement, Mavic Open Pro, On-One hubs, lots of spokes. With the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres these are possibly the heaviest (700x25) wheels in London, but, they perform brilliantly and are bullet-proof.

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