How well do wheels cope?

Squareroot

Hello

Another sunny day and another new boy looking to go out and buy a bike.

Anyway, I've been swotting up on the specifications and trying to understand carbon forks, gear ratios, etc so that I can compare bikes. I'm looking to spend about £500 to £600 and have narrowed my search down to the usual suspects (Giant, Trek, Specialized).

I'm 50 years old and want to use the bike for fitness and enjoyment. I've pulled an old Halfords full-suspension mountain bike (cost £100 a few years ago) and have started doing 8/10/12 miles each day, but now want a proper road/commuter bike.

My real question is about the wheels and how well they cope with everyday roads. I undertand that they are no good for tow paths and off-road - but what about everyday road obstacles? I've ridden along the canal path, on cycle paths and on the main road and although the road is generally smoother, there are a variety of 'obstacles' including 10 different types of speed bumps, cattle grids, patched/repatched roads after the cable guys have been through, potholes, uneven grids, dodgy kerbs to get on to cycle paths, a half mile gravel path before getting on to a solid bike path, rutted roads, manholes etc etc.
I'm fine on the old mountain bikes but would a 'road' bike cope with these obstacles or would the wheels easily be warped? I can't imagine carrying the bike for hald a mile to get on the bike path, or getting off every time I come to a speed bump. Are these bikes ok for gneral cycling or more like F1 machines that need constant mollycodling?
ANy help would be appreciated on how wheels and tyres ccope on an everday basis. I'd probably try to get up to 20 to 30 miles a day, mostly on decent roads, but with the above obstacles in mind, i'm a little wary.

I was looking at a Giant FCR 1 or 2, or a Specialised Allez or sirrus Elite.

thank you

(difficult to type in this forum as the end of the message goes off the end of the page)

cougie

Have a look at the footage of Paris Roubaix at the weekend. Road wheels can take a lot of punishment.

It may be worth getting a nice set built up though - not really sure of the quality of the wheels on the bikes you are talking about.

I'd go for say 25mm tyres and keep them well inflated with a trackpump. Look where you're riding and you shouldnt have any problems.

I've used my Mavic road wheels all over the place - never had a problem.

alfablue

Short answer - road wheels will cope fine.

Longer answer - the factory built wheels supplied with bikes may not be as well tensioned as hand built ones - they may be prone to go out of true. Last year my g/f bought an entry level road bike (Trek 1.2, £550). The wheels on this have remained perfectly true despite riding on all sorts of surfaces including cattle grids. I suspect the LBS (which is a very good one) may have fettled the spoke tension in the pre delivery check, though I don't know for sure - maybe the wheels were just good as they were supplied. Anyway, if you buy such a bike and things do go out of true a good bike shop will re-true and tension the spokes for maybe £15.

I run some handbuilt wheels (Mavic Open Pro's on Ultegra, about £200 the pair) and they take a real hammering and have stayed 100% true, likewise the lightweight Planet-X model B's I have on my other bike. Road wheels may look skinny but they are incredibly strong.

So, I don't think you need to worry, any £500 bike will have much better wheels than your £100 mtb, and if they do go slightly out of true it is easily sorted.

Squareroot

Thank you both for your replies. Very quick, informative and reassuring.
I was getting rather worried that the thin wheels and tyres would not cope with the roads and I'd end up with buckled wheels. I was getting a bit paranoid looking at road bumps (and driving over them in my car and saying to myself a bike will never get over these') and making mental notes that a particular route was too rough.

I'm really reassured by your comments - thank you both so much. One additional question, but it's not too important, do inner tubes make any difference (I know tyres do) or are they much of a muchness?

alfablue

You can by latex or butyl inner tubes - butyl being "normal". Latex are lighter but lose air quickly, probably just for racing, get butyl.

Of the butyl ones some are lighter than others, some brands do different versions including light weight, but regular ones are fine, not worth chasing a few grammes if you are worried about road surfaces. I use Specialized or Schwalbe - both seem fine.

You also need to get the right size for your tyres, obviously, they usually come in a range, say 19-28mm. Also there is valve length - if you had aero wheels you need longer valves (but I doubt if your bike will come with aero wheels). The valves will most likely be Presta (the thin ones, rather than the Schreader - "car type").

Related to your worries, it is good for both puncture resistance and protecting your wheels to make sure your tyre pressures are correct. This depends on the tyre size and your weight, the tyres will have the max pressure on the sidewall. I run my 25mm tyres at 110psi (being quite heavy). You really do need a good track pump with a pressure gauge, and check weekly - the Topeak Joe Blow is a good value but highly regarded pump. I believe low pressures are a big cause of punctures.