Cheapy cheapy wheelset

rally200

Lost my 2 spokes on rear wheel today (not for the 1st time). Wheels are style over substance Giant 24 spoke jobbies on formula (i.e. Giant) hubs - done 3000 ish miles all weathers on them & never serviced the bearings. Do I

1) have 'em rebuilt, and get the bearings overhauled while I'm at it

or

2) rebuilt on a new hub

or

3) Bin them - they were tut to start off with and I should expect spokes to keep breaking & the the hub is probably stuffed by now

If & when people answer 3 - could they recommend a cheap set of 36 spoke 700s which will take a 35mm tyre - weight is not important as its my bad weather commuter and I run it on 2 ton Marathon plus

roger_merriman

on my big hybrid with the 2 ton tires i just gave it cheapies from the local bike shop, the front wheel is still going stong, the rear doesn't last long but it's very cheap. main problem is weight, i use that bike for shopping sometimes, and fill it right up and that tends to kill the rear hub....

downfader

I found my mavic aksium were pretty strong, only 21 spoke and will take a 35mm tyre. If you need it for a little bit of weight (eg two big panniers) then they wont be recommended. Touring wheels can be bought with 36 spokes.Wiggle had a few listed.

bomberesque

take the wheel out and spin the axle with your fingers. you will feel if there's grit/wear in the bearings.

Ask your LBS for a price to replace the spokes and (if necessary) service the hub / replace the cartridge bearings. Make your decision from there.

Probably it is worth having the spokes replaced but not worth paying to have them overhauled, so it depends how the axle feels. If they are loose bearing hubs then you can do it yourself if you're up for it, It's fiddly although not tough but you'll need a few tools (cone spanners and probably a cassette tool) so only if you're interested. If they're cartridge bearings then for some faff you may be able to source the generic bearing but it's a bit of a longshot and the shop is unlikely to be too inteersted.

Almost certainly it is not worth rebuilding the rim onto a new hub

My alfine wheels are 24 spoke and I have done 1,000 miles on them in 3 months with panniers and no spanged spokes (yet... flw)