Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
I've been having issues with my rear wheel on my favorite 700c bike. Broke 2 spokes during past 2 weeks. It has the kind of wheel that doesn't have as many spokes as other wheels I've seen. Anyone else have similar problems? What wheel did you get to replace your rear wheel?
BTW: I weight 215.
I weigh the same, but carry about 35 Lbs worth of gear/food/dink each day. My 1st wheel on my Gary Fisher (Bontrager Camino if memory serves me right) lasted about 800 miles before it started blowing spokes left and right. The replacement wheel must have gotten a little extra attention by the staff at the bike shop as it was fine for about 2500 before it lost its 1st spoke. Around the 3000 mile mark the 2nd wheel lost two spokes within a few weeks. That is when I knew I needed to just buy a good wheel and not try to get a 3rd wheel ordered up from the factory.
The factory wheels was 32 spokes. For greater strength I went with a 36 spoke wheel and also went with a very strong Velocity Dyad rim. The Dyad has a semi-aero design, yet you don't need to use extra long valve stems. The more "V" like shape is also great when riding in lousy weather (i.e. snow/slush/rain) as it sheds the moisture off the wheel nicely. The wheel stays significantly cleaner. With rain I don't care, but with now/slush that is definitely a bonus.
I had my wheel made by Peter White. Peter does a great job. I ended up using a Shimano XT hub as he recommended it for being robust yet very reasonably prices. Admittedly between my Generator hub front wheel and the now matching rear wheel, my wheels are worth about as much as I paid for the entire bike (about $250 each for the front and rear wheel). At least I don't have to worry about the wheels. A well built wheel will last a long time.
Happy riding,
André