Originally Posted by
joejack951
I know you didn't ask about disc brakes as a possible solution......... For me, they've been worthwhile trade offs. I commute in all weather and ride a route requiring a lot of braking and lots of it going downhill. I'm almost at 8000 miles on my wheels built using American Classic hubs and IRD Cadence rims (one of lightest aluminum clincher rims made). I only run a front disc brake (canti rear) and I do the vast majority of my braking with the front.
My experience with bikes ridden in all-weather conditions is that the rear rim and rear brake pads fail first despite the large majority of braking being done with the front brake. I've always concluded it's because the rear wheel lives in a far dirtier, grittier environment. So, if I were trying to save rims I think I'd use a disc for the rear.