tech365commuter

Hello everybody!

So I am looking to build up a pair of wheels for the girlfriend. She is about 150lbsish and rides a very small road bike (normal 700c).

The reason I am here is because of her specific bike needs. She commutes year round in all weather. In addition to being a commuter she will semi-regularly haul 40lbs on her rear rack. Groceries and such. She never wants to have to buy wheels again, thus she is looking for something quite durable. Finally, we tour fully loaded (just not that often, she would not carry more than 30ish lbs).

Thus I am interested in what the forum has to think on some of the specific equipment choices.

Here are some initial statements which I would like feedback on.

1) It seems that since these will be custom wheels the front should be different from the back. If for no other reason the back will be carrying most of the weight.
2) MTN hubs seem to be better sealed than road hubs, correct?
3) As long as the parts are all high quality it seems like its more important who builds the wheel.
4) Seems like all the posts are suggesting brass nipples for longevity/durability? correct?

Here are the parts that I have come up with so far:

Rims:
Mavic: a719 565g, cxp 33 470g, Open pro 435g
DT: Swiss RR 585 585g
Velocity: Dyad 480g, Deep V 520g

Rear Hub choices:
XT
105
Ultegra
Phil woods (maybe)

Front Hub choices:
XT
105
Ultegra

I havn't really thought about nipples or spokes. (we run DT swiss at the shop)

I am guessing something like an open pro/Deep V & ultegra would hopefully be fine on the front, where there is little weight bearing. Something like the Dyad/585/a719 and XT on the back.

I am curious to think what people have to say about road/mtn hubs in both the front and the back.

Any and all feedback is welcome.

Thanks for reading!


TLDR: Need suggestions for custom wheels for someone who: is hard on her bike, commutes year round, and hauls a lot of stuff.

Go!