Commuting Wheels

sketchley

Looks like I've gone through another set of wheels! Albeit this time an impact on the back wheel caused a crack in the rim it looks like the front has the beginnings of some hair line cracks as well.

So new wheels it is

I liked the RS20 currently on the bike for two reason, the first they rolled well and felt quick, the 2nd the free wheel was quiet no clicky sound. A new set of RS20 can be picked up for £111.96 from Ribble http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... HIMWHFR370 but I think I need something stronger with more spokes as these are only 16 front and 20 rear.

Suggestions please in similar price bracket.

Paul E

If wheels cracked on me I wouldn't buy them again, I'm not exactly heavy at 11.5 stone but I have hit some potholes due to not being able to go round them due to traffic etc and not done a thing to my aksiums, the rear is very slightly out but thats me being finicky about it and not enough to cause brake rub and I ave them set close.

iPete

I buckled a Planet-X model C after 8k miles, so wasn't to let down but instead of a new set I purchased a white Halo Mercury Rear, 24 spokes, so far so good, its rather clicky but it looks the part 8)


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/halo-mercury-re ... ike-wheel/

sketchley

Paul E wrote:

If wheels cracked on me I wouldn't buy them again, I'm not exactly heavy at 11.5 stone but I have hit some potholes due to not being able to go round them due to traffic etc and not done a thing to my aksiums, the rear is very slightly out but thats me being finicky about it and not enough to cause brake rub and I ave them set close.

Agreed very unlikey to buy RS20s again. That being said, they've done about 3.5k miles London Commuting carrying 115KGs + panniers on occasions with laptop etc, and the cracks in rear are down to impact damage so can't really blame wheels for them. But that being said very slight hair line cracks in both front and rear are a concern.

I'm wondering about getting some wheels built by someone that knows what they are doing and can build a wheel for a fat bloke riding hard and fast commuting in london. Weight i'm not that concerned about, being bullet proof I'd pay good money for. But I wouldn't know where to start looking.

sketchley

The other option is to go for something cheap and accept I will need a new pair every couple of years like

Pair of Shimano R500 http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... HIMWHFR200 for £ 64 + delivery

or
Pair Pro lites http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ROLWHFR200 for £ 104 + delivery

sketchley

Make that every year, wheels were put on bike July 26th 2010!

iPete

Sketchley wrote:

Paul E wrote:

If wheels cracked on me I wouldn't buy them again, I'm not exactly heavy at 11.5 stone but I have hit some potholes due to not being able to go round them due to traffic etc and not done a thing to my aksiums, the rear is very slightly out but thats me being finicky about it and not enough to cause brake rub and I ave them set close.

I'm wondering about getting some wheels built by someone that knows what they are doing and can build a wheel for a fat bloke riding hard and fast commuting in london. Weight i'm not that concerned about, being bullet proof I'd pay good money for. But I wouldn't know where to start looking.

Had a look into this last year, have these two in my bookmarks:

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ (ignore the price list, drop him an e-mail with your needs etc,)
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s178p0

sketchley

iPete wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

Paul E wrote:

If wheels cracked on me I wouldn't buy them again, I'm not exactly heavy at 11.5 stone but I have hit some potholes due to not being able to go round them due to traffic etc and not done a thing to my aksiums, the rear is very slightly out but thats me being finicky about it and not enough to cause brake rub and I ave them set close.

I'm wondering about getting some wheels built by someone that knows what they are doing and can build a wheel for a fat bloke riding hard and fast commuting in london. Weight i'm not that concerned about, being bullet proof I'd pay good money for. But I wouldn't know where to start looking.

Had a look into this last year, have these two in my bookmarks:

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ (ignore the price list, drop him an e-mail with your needs etc,)
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s178p0

Thanks e-mails sent.

rjsterry

Sketchley wrote:

Paul E wrote:

If wheels cracked on me I wouldn't buy them again, I'm not exactly heavy at 11.5 stone but I have hit some potholes due to not being able to go round them due to traffic etc and not done a thing to my aksiums, the rear is very slightly out but thats me being finicky about it and not enough to cause brake rub and I ave them set close.

Agreed very unlikey to buy RS20s again. That being said, they've done about 3.5k miles London Commuting carrying 115KGs + panniers on occasions with laptop etc, and the cracks in rear are down to impact damage so can't really blame wheels for them. But that being said very slight hair line cracks in both front and rear are a concern.

I'm wondering about getting some wheels built by someone that knows what they are doing and can build a wheel for a fat bloke riding hard and fast commuting in london. Weight i'm not that concerned about, being bullet proof I'd pay good money for. But I wouldn't know where to start looking.

The cracking is probably related to the low spoke counts of the RS20s. A higher spoke count, will spread the load over more spokes and more of the rim/hub flange so will be better able to stand up to the inevitable impacts that commuting brings. Maybe look at some wheels aimed at touring.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/buyers-guide-touring-wheels--923/

Tricycleboy

Go with r500s. You do get some 50/50 reviews and maybe i've been lucky (2500 commuting miles and no problems), but at £65 odd quid a pair from ribble...

rolf_f

iPete wrote:

Had a look into this last year, have these two in my bookmarks:

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ (ignore the price list, drop him an e-mail with your needs etc,)
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s178p0

Plus 1 for Spa. Very happy with the wheels I had built for my old tourer.

sketchley

@rjsterry

re Spoke count, already reached that conculsion, trouble is most road wheel sets are 20 front 24 rear. I shall look again at touring wheels though.

@Tricycleboy

It's a good option. If I go for a factory built set it not worth me spending any more as I'll just trash them again, low replacement cost is big plus.

I do like the idea of hand built wheels though, waiting on a response from Spa, Wheelsmith and also Harry Rowland who came recommended on some other thread I found while searching.

sketchley

Hmmmm another option

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mwheel-shimano- ... ike-wheel/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mwheel-shimano- ... ike-wheel/

£124 for the pair

sketchley

double hhmmmm

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 0s178p2600

£175

Any opinions?

walkingbootweather

Rolf F wrote:

iPete wrote:

Had a look into this last year, have these two in my bookmarks:

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ (ignore the price list, drop him an e-mail with your needs etc,)
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s178p0

Plus 1 for Spa. Very happy with the wheels I had built for my old tourer.

Plus another one for Spa. One thing I would say though is it is a good old fashioned bike shop and you are likely to get a better response calling rather than e-mailing.

I spoke to them with a clear idea of what I thought I needed. After discussing my bike, weight and type of riding they said they would happily build to my spec but suggested something else that they reckoned would be better and were actually slightly cheaper. So confident were they that they even built and sent me the wheels without payment, asking me to send money or return the wheels after testing. I was delighted and sent cash the following week and have been recommending them ever since.

Think I spent just over £200 but I wanted something slightly unusual..

Good luck

welkman

I blew up a pair of RS20s in about 6 months on my rough country commute, then phoned spa who sorted me out with a pair of rigida rims on tiagra hubs with double butted stainless spokes. These were well below 200 pounds. The only thing to go wrong so far is one broken spoke but they have done some touring with four panniers etc. Having more spokes makes truing them easier, and having standard spokes rather than bladed ones means you can get them fixed in almost any decent bike shop (had to wait a week for a replacment RS20 spoke).

I noticed a big acceleration difference between the two wheelsets, but I also went from 23mm contis to 32 mm marathon plus tyres.

Im a similar size, carrying a similar load btw.

sketchley

@welkman How long have you had the spa wheels for? How many miles compared to rs20s?

welkman

I guess I have put about 1500 miles on them now. The RS20s are now on the girfreinds bike having been rebuilt and have been fine for her. She only rides about 30 miles a week and weighs about 7.5 stone though! They lasted me about 500miles, not suited to my commute, far too rough for lightweight wheels. I am actually quicker on the heavier wheels and tyres.

W

reformedfatty

Sketchley wrote:

The other option is to go for something cheap and accept I will need a new pair every couple of years like

Pair of Shimano R500 http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... HIMWHFR200 for £ 64 + delivery

or
Pair Pro lites http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ROLWHFR200 for £ 104 + delivery

I have pro lites that came with my bike. Solid wheels but the hubs are not well sealed at all. 1200 miles, see http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12784159

cjcp

Wait and see what the wheel-builders say before buying. You're a big bloke and and look like a sherpa on a bike with the amount you carry, so worth getting something build to suit your needs.

I'd have thought a 32 or 36h rim would suit.

sketchley

Well one has already said that 3.5k comutting in London with my weight is going to kill just about any wheel. So I might as well get another set of "Disposable" RS20's.......

Right now thinking cheap wheels + a diet might be the best option. :oops:

gbsahne001

check that the A319 is what you need in terms of OLN, as I'm using the same wheel on the hybrid with an OLN of 135; if you're using a road bike this is more likely to be 130.

Fatbirds also has the same wheel for £65 but it looks out of stock at the moment.

CRAIGO5000

Sketchley wrote:

double hhmmmm

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 0s178p2600



Any opinions?

I thought Shipman was dead?

sketchley

@gbsahne yes you are right although a hybrid existing wheels are 130, so I don't think 135 will work.


Doesn't look possible to get more than 24 spoke rear wheels off the peg. Will be phoning spa on Monday. A few days off the bike, not good.

Greg T

Bicycle in Richmond - Szabi (their ace tool juggler) has built me two sets of wheels and the older set on the fixed must be two / three years old now - must have covered 10,000 miles are dead true and haven't needed any attention in that time. Bomb proof.

I'm a lath like 82kgs as well . . . .

Yes they cost more but they last forever..

Barteos

Sketchley wrote:

Well one has already said that 3.5k comutting in London with my weight is going to kill just about any wheel.

It depends as much on the wheels themselves as on the tyre width and pressure you're running.
Given your weight, a sensible minimum would be 28mm. There are some wider fast 35mm tyres (Marathon Racer, Kojak...) which would prolong the lifespan of your wheels and improve your comfort without compromising the speed noticeably.

gbsahne001

Sketchley wrote:

@gbsahne yes you are right although a hybrid existing wheels are 130, so I don't think 135 will work.

my hybrid is 15 years old, so it's more like an MTB hence the 135

Poacher

Another vote for Spa Cycles. My commuter has a Sondelux, 36 spokes, Rigida Chrina built by Spa for a lower price than I could do it myself. Normally I build my own wheels.
At a similar weight to yours, I've just about standardised on 36-spoke Rigidas 3-crossed on decent quality hubs, e.g. Shimano 105. These will happily take up to 28mm tyres; I use Schwalbe Marathons. Having broken a few drive-side spokes lately, I'd recommend using heftier spokes here - either Sapim Strong (as used by Spa, I believe) or DT Swiss Alpine triple-butted. Almost off topic, did you know that the German for double-butted is doppeldickend? Could find that useful someday.

tim_wand

Pro Lite Comos. Tour Commute and CX on mine and I m 14 stone. Came out of the back of Clapham Tunnels (Very stoney) on mine fully loaded and not a worry.

1000 miles plus now and they havent moved an Inch. £90 on Ebay

Handbuilt 3 times normal spoke strength and look the biz IMO

rjsterry

Sketchley wrote:

Hmmmm another option

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mwheel-shimano- ... ike-wheel/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mwheel-shimano- ... ike-wheel/

£124 for the pair

That looks pretty reasonable. A colleague has a Dawes Galaxy with Deore hubs and he rides it fully laden without issue (they're MTB hubs IIRC, so pretty sturdy - roughly equivalent to Tiagra I think).

rolf_f

walkingbootweather wrote:

Plus another one for Spa. One thing I would say though is it is a good old fashioned bike shop and you are likely to get a better response calling rather than e-mailing.

And they can be a bit 'Yorkshire'! As it happens, they normally just recommend the Tiagra level hub rather than pushing people needlessly up the range - mine are Deore LX (tourer being MTB spacing) on Snyper rims. Probably done about 1000 winter miles without a wobble so far!

They are used to dealing with heavy laden weight what with being focussed on touring