So I've had continual rear wheel problems with my Trek 7.3FX. They went away for about 5 or 600 miles after getting a handbuilt rear wheel from the LBS. Then it popped a spoke. No biggie, had another LBS close to work replace it. Then another. Annoying, but buddy has truing stand and tools, replaced it, tensioned everything, good to go.

37 miles later.. another.

At this point, I just want to put the damn thing in the trash and give up on cycling. I'm beyond frustrated at the whole ordeal, and never riding the piece of !@#! again seems more appealing than fixing it again.

If I remember correctly, you have a couple bikes don't you? Do you have problems with the other bikes?

Oh, man. I'm so sorry. I don't have any suggestions, but I know someone will shortly.

If I remember correctly, you have a couple bikes don't you? Do you have problems with the other bikes?

I also have a Hardrock Sport that I've had 0 problems with. Heck, I've taken it offroad several times, without issue. Well there was one, but that was me straying a inch off the trail and becoming friendly with a root :).

At this point I'm tempted to get rid of the Trek, and just stick with the MTB. I love the speed of the FX, the handling, and the fit.. but this is just plain ridiculous.

Some questions:

Are the spokes snapping at the hub end or the nipple end?
Drive side or non drive?
Are you hammering up hills really hard when it happens? If so, you generate a big torque load.


So I've had continual rear wheel problems with my Trek 7.3FX. They went away for about 5 or 600 miles after getting a handbuilt rear wheel from the LBS. Then it popped a spoke. No biggie, had another LBS close to work replace it. Then another. Annoying, but buddy has truing stand and tools, replaced it, tensioned everything, good to go.

37 miles later.. another.

At this point, I just want to put the damn thing in the trash and give up on cycling. I'm beyond frustrated at the whole ordeal, and never riding the piece of !@#! again seems more appealing than fixing it again.

I just went though this. Some LBS mechanics who might generally be pretty good still aren't good at building wheels.

Buy a new wheel. Buy a high spoke count good quality factory built wheel and install it yourself. It'll be cheaper than fixing what you've got more than a couple times. See what Colorado Cyclist has available. Try to get one without weird spokes so you can easily learn how to fix a broken spoke yourself. It's not hard and can be done on the road.

So it's a wheel issue, not a Trek(bike issue)? Is it the same spokes that keep breaking in the same location or random?

I am having similar issues. LBS said to upgrade the wheel. They are not cheap, but it should cure it. I am about 245# and carry between 20-40lbs on my trunk/pannier setup. I have about 1300 miles on the original tires and wheels. The wheels were the lower end because it was the Sirrus and not the sport, comp, or expert. I have busted two spokes and the LBS said they would continue and if I plan on carring the same type of weight I should upgrade the wheel and try to get a front rack to distribute better. My hub on the rear wheel is also wearing out.

Don't give up. And if you throw out the bike tell me where I can pick it up at.:D

Some questions:

Are the spokes snapping at the hub end or the nipple end?
Drive side or non drive?
Are you hammering up hills really hard when it happens? If so, you generate a big torque load.


Hi Tom!
First, every other spoke I've broke were at the hub, today was at the nipple.

It's been a mix, but the last two were non-drive.

And finally, it seems to happen when I'm not really hammering it. The last time, basically coasting on a MUP after a long ride. This time, costing through an intersection.

I just went though this. Some LBS mechanics who might generally be pretty good still aren't good at building wheels.

Buy a new wheel. Buy a high spoke count good quality factory built wheel and install it yourself. It'll be cheaper than fixing what you've got more than a couple times. See what Colorado Cyclist has available. Try to get one without weird spokes so you can easily learn how to fix a broken spoke yourself. It's not hard and can be done on the road.

Well, that's the thing, this wheel was hand built and not exactly cheap (well to me it was, but.. long story). I'd hope that it's stronger than machine-built, but heck, the wheels on my Hardrock are indestructible..

So it's a wheel issue, not a Trek(bike issue)? Is it the same spokes that keep breaking in the same location or random?

Well, the wheel is on the bike, so I like to place blame on the whole thing.. :D. Anyway, different locations and seemingly at random.

I don't know what problem is....the only time I ever had wheel problems was after I crashed and screwed one up. I started riding at about 375 pounds.

It's got to be either a problem with that particular bike or just really, really bad luck with wheels.

I had similar problems until I replaced the original rims with double eyelet rims and had a very experienced builder build the wheels up. The spokes I chose are dtswiss stainless straight guage 2.0, beefy as heck and more likely to be used on tandems, which make for a very stiff but strong wheel.

I'm told that the problem with single/no eyelet rims is it allows the spokes to become loose as the wheel rotates which in turn leads to metal fatigue and spokes snapping. That pretty much confirmed my experience with single eyelet rims and, so far, there's been no problems with double eyelet rim and thicker spokes.

hope that helps

I am having similar issues. LBS said to upgrade the wheel. They are not cheap, but it should cure it. I am about 245# and carry between 20-40lbs on my trunk/pannier setup. I have about 1300 miles on the original tires and wheels. The wheels were the lower end because it was the Sirrus and not the sport, comp, or expert. I have busted two spokes and the LBS said they would continue and if I plan on carring the same type of weight I should upgrade the wheel and try to get a front rack to distribute better. My hub on the rear wheel is also wearing out.

Don't give up. And if you throw out the bike tell me where I can pick it up at.:D

See, this is the most frustrating part. The stock wheel lasted all of like 150 miles, before it popped spokes every 10 miles. They told me they'd warranty it out, build me a new wheel that would "definitely" last. Well, it sure did hold up to the promise.. :P.

Anyway, that's the most frustrating part.

Was it a Velocity Deep V? What kind of wheel and how many spokes?

It sounds like an assymetric stress issue, uneven spoke tension from the original build. You may want to ask about this in the mechanics forum. Refresh my memory about this wheelset, brand, spoke count, etc.Hi Tom!
First, every other spoke I've broke were at the hub, today was at the nipple.

It's been a mix, but the last two were non-drive.

And finally, it seems to happen when I'm not really hammering it. The last time, basically coasting on a MUP after a long ride. This time, costing through an intersection.

A couple of other ideas -- I don't think they are all the cause but they might contribute to early breakage:
1. Do you hit the turns really hard when going fast, and do you move your body off the seat to the inside of the turn so the bike itself stays more vertical? If so, that would increase the sideways force on the wheels and stress the spokes more. I think the couple of spokes I broke, on an old bike with old wheels, happened when going hard around a corner with a heavy backpack strapped on the back wheel.
2. Also, I am in the habit of starting my bike by standing on one pedal and swinging my leg over as it starts to roll. For stopping, I swing one leg off and stand on one pedal as the bike comes to a stop. I heard on BF that Sheldon says that's bad to do because of the sideways force it puts on the wheels (I am trying to learn to be straddling the bike when I start or stop rather than be off to one side). If you do that, especially as a clyde, that might shorten spoke life also.

I am no expert, so ignore all this if it sounds like mere speculation.

I'm wondering about side pressure too. Do you stand when you climb and lean the bike over from side to side as you pump?

As far as the wheel, it's a 32h Sun RhynoLite with a Deore hub. Spokes are the heavy gauge DT stainless.

Regarding how I ride, occasionally I whip around corners, but not leaning overly far when I am. I guess I could back off on corners.. :)

As far as climbing, I'm seated and don't do the whole side to side thing. In fact it's very rare that I ever get out of the saddle while riding, generally I only do it to give my bottom a break. I do, however, put out loads of torque, this I know. I power up hills with generally reckless abandon - ever seen a 360 pound guy fly up a 4% grade at 20 mph before? - and like to "light it up" on straightaways.

I think overall I just need to accept this as a fact of my cycling hobby, and deal with it accordingly. It kind of sucks that this spoke broke at the nipple, as I JUST put new rim tape on the bike :).

So I've had continual rear wheel problems with my Trek 7.3FX. They went away for about 5 or 600 miles after getting a handbuilt rear wheel from the LBS. Then it popped a spoke. No biggie, had another LBS close to work replace it. Then another. Annoying, but buddy has truing stand and tools, replaced it, tensioned everything, good to go.

37 miles later.. another.

At this point, I just want to put the damn thing in the trash and give up on cycling. I'm beyond frustrated at the whole ordeal, and never riding the piece of !@#! again seems more appealing than fixing it again.

Once in a while a batch of spokes is not heat treated correctly and they fail too easily. Once you have broken two spokes on a wheel it is time to have the whole wheel re spoked with another batch of spokes, they are all going to keep breaking.

If the shop that repaired your wheel has a batch of bad spokes they might not know it. You can't tell from lookling at them. Have your wheel completely respoked, don't keep fiddiling with a wheel after two broken spokes,the others are stressed, it's a waste of time. Find another shop or wheel builder to respoke the wheel, the bad spokes are impossible to identify by looking. Anyone could get a batch of bad spokes and not know it.

If this does not work you probably need a better quality rim, or a higher spoke count wheel, but it almost always works, as long as the same batch of spokes is not used again. After two spokes break don't keep have spokes fixed, do them all with another batch of spokes.

I do, however, put out loads of torque, this I know. I power up hills with generally reckless abandon - ever seen a 360 pound guy fly up a 4% grade at 20 mph before? - and like to "light it up" on straightaways.



I think the spokes on MY bike broke when I read that...:D:D You're an animal!

If you throw it out will you tell me a couple days in advance so I can wait outside for it? :) hehe

I am rather new and have no helpful ideas for ya, would love to grab the 7.3fx for free though haha :P

As far as the wheel, it's a 32h Sun RhynoLite with a Deore hub. Spokes are the heavy gauge DT stainless.

32h? Guys like us might be better off on 36h or 40h...

My recommendation is to contact Anthony at Trinity Cycles in Texas:

http://www.trinitybicycles.com

Tell him your situation and have him build you a wheel. He is exceptionally good, and his rates are very reasonable, although the shipping will cost you a bit. Let him recommend the rim and hub combination; he knows what he is talking about.

There are various wheelbuilders around the country who have great reputations for building bomb-proof wheels. Where do you live?

- FBB

Given how you ride, I'd have to recommend at LEAST a 40 spoke rear wheel, just to handle the rotational sheer you can generate, given the fact that you power like that up hills! The few extra grams aren't going to make a difference, really, and the long term benefits in wheel durability will be enormous!As far as the wheel, it's a 32h Sun RhynoLite with a Deore hub. Spokes are the heavy gauge DT stainless.

Regarding how I ride, occasionally I whip around corners, but not leaning overly far when I am. I guess I could back off on corners.. :)

As far as climbing, I'm seated and don't do the whole side to side thing. In fact it's very rare that I ever get out of the saddle while riding, generally I only do it to give my bottom a break. I do, however, put out loads of torque, this I know. I power up hills with generally reckless abandon - ever seen a 360 pound guy fly up a 4% grade at 20 mph before? - and like to "light it up" on straightaways.

I think overall I just need to accept this as a fact of my cycling hobby, and deal with it accordingly. It kind of sucks that this spoke broke at the nipple, as I JUST put new rim tape on the bike :).

See, this brings up another frustrating point of this whole deal, I kept telling the LBS that I wanted a 36h wheel - but nope - they were downright insistent that this combo would be the way to go. I even threw out the "price is no object" at that point to test waters, but again, nope, this combo. So if I seethe a little about the situation, please don't mind me :).

Regarding the other options, they sound great, but right now budget is a limitation. I could certainly afford a rebuild, or to pick up a(nother) new rear wheel.. but it's going to pull money out of other places. Other places with a voice that will say "I thought this wheel was supposed to be "the one"?" :).

It's a very frustrating thing, overall, but over lunch I'm going to grab my Hardrock to take on a tour of local shops this afternoon. I'll see what they all have to say, and make it very clear how unhappy wheel problems make me :).

This forum is so frustrating! Guys ask for advice, give them good advice and they still go in the wrong direction. WHy? Maybe because the guys at the shop want to sell you what they have in stock, so they swear, "yeah, these are for big guys".

The other reason? Because these big guys want to think that they can get away with lite wheels like the skinny guys. Face it, you can't!

I wish I could ride with some of them so they could see that I know what I am talking about. Other Clydes her can vouge for me. I climb, I ride hard and I use the Deep V. Hevy wheel but strong. I do 12,000ft climbs, I fly at 32 mph down the bike trail. If my wheels handle this after 10,000 miles, I know they wrok. The 20 spoke wheels are crap, the standard box rims are crap, but nobody listens!

With wheels like the Deep V, you will add some weight but gain it back in stiffness and responsiveness cause it won't flex like the other wimpy wheels. Believe me!

I have a friend that use Mavic SSL($800) swore by them after 2,000 miles. I told him about other Clydes I had met that cracked the rear after 5k maybe. He swore they were great wheels. Well they cracked the other day. SO waht does he do? He buys the liter more expesnive pair at $1200 csue the guy at the shop swears they are stronger. SO we do a mtn climb on Saturday and his wheels are crooked after 40 miles. $1200? My God! But he doesn't want to hear it, thinks his 220 lb body will be faster with liter wheels. Funny thing is we're coasting down the mtn at 30 mph. Neither of us pedaling and I'm dropping him . I have a $25 Deep V on the rear of my wheel and he has $1200 wheels!Sheesh! I bought ther im, $25,DA hub $100 and $20 for spokes and my wheels are faster than his coasting?

Look at these pictures! The box rim is a bit bigger than the braking surface. Now look at the Deep V, about 3 times the size of the braking surface. I went thru the same heartache you guys are going thru. I found a way to eliminate it but nobody listens!

You can find a DeepV online somewhere for $45. Order it and have it built up for your bike with 32 14 g spokes,DT Swiss. Your bike has 700 wheels, use a 28 instead of the stock 32 and it will be fast and strong. I use a 23 with no problems! LBS guys are going to give you what they have in stock, not order what you really need. If you're a strong rider, you need strong wheels and like Tom says, the lil bit of extra weight aint gonna slow you down, can only help!


Weak box touring rim,36 spoke
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/boxrim.jpg
STRONG 30 mm rim, 32 spoke with 10,000miles, still perfect!
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/DeepV.jpg

Weird. I got almost 2,000 miles out of my stock wheelset on my Trek 7200. When I had the wheel rebuilt, the LBS used DT spokes.


Have you tried DT spokes? I have had no problems with those. I have gotten 2,000 out of one build and I currently have 2,040 on this set.

You don't need a bunch of money, just ahve to be willing to do it yourself.

Order the rim online $45

Buyt the spokes $25,

pay for the shop to build it $45

After 200 miles, the wheel will lose tension as the spokes seat and break in

YOU MUST have the wheel retensioned or spokes will break as the spokes are allowed to wiggle and move causeing breakage. If they are tensioned properly, they willremain stif and solid. ANother point I have made over an over to riders but they don't lsiten cause it's too easy to avoid having to work a little bit.

I wish I live near you, I'd build the friggin' wheel myself jaut to prove it!:eek:

Common conversation with other riders.

Dude, my spoke broke and my bike is only 6 months old.
Did you take it in for the 90 day tune up?
Yeah
Did the guy retension the wheels
Nope, he said they were a bit out of true so he straightened them.
Yeah, but did he retension them after the break in period.
Nope, said the wheels were fine now cause they are straight
No they aren't, they need retensioning or you will continue to break spokes.

A month later

Dude, I broke another spoke
Did you take it in like I told you
yeah but the guy said they were fine cause they are straight
dude, I ought to slap you, take it in for retension or you will break more spokes.

A week later, dude I broke another spoke
Now yo need to rebuild it with new spokes cause the others are more than likely weak now
Dude at the shop says I need new wheels
Yeah, he's making money off of you

3 months later
Dude, did you take the new wheels in for retension.
Nope, the dude said they are fine!
Shhhheeeeeeeesh!

I can't vouch for any wheel set. I would ask someone besides the TREK dealership for a good wheel and see what they say. I was at 250 when I bought my bike and they said the setup I have with my Jamis is fine for the weight, but they also said they could build anything I wanted or needed.

I bought in Council Bluffs, because the TREK store was nowhere near as newbie friendly. If you want to know where, PM me and I will let you know.

See, this brings up a great point - LBSes are clueless on the needs of big guys. Not just clueless, but some fail to listen - as Beanz pointed out!

Seriously Mr Beanz, I'm as frustrated as you are. I told them over and over again that I thought a 36h would be better, but they insisted on the 32h wheel. With the credits they were giving me, the only other thing I could have done would be to refuse to let them work on it, and take it somewhere else. In hindsight.. I think I should have done that!

Again, I also think that the shop, and another shop ignored my request to have the wheel tensioned. At the 150 mile mark I took it back in, and told them guy to check the tension. He came back out and said it was a little out of true, but nothing major. Same thing.. did you check then tension? Uhh yeah. You SURE? Uhhh yeah. POSITIVE? Uhh yeah. Several hundred miles went by, and I stopped worrying.

Same thing with the second shop. Replace the spoke, please check tension. Did you do it? Work order says so.

So I'm at the point where I'm going to do another home-made repair job. At the same time I'm going to tension the damn thing myself, I don't trust 'em anymore. What kind of tension should I be looking for on each side? Seemed when we checked it before, drive side was generally 25 and non-drive was around 20.

You have a 32 hub, you will be fine if youget a Deep V. I have no frustration since I started using them I use them on my tandem also supporting a combined team weight of 400 lbs.

You need them!

I don't know what the tension settings are. I took them to a buddy wheel builder that checked the tensions for me (same guy that tunred me onto the Deep V,a clyde racer). I was right there when he did from feel alone. He showed me the chart and my readings, so I know they are correct.

Yep, the 32h is the problem. I'm just under 200 lbs these days, and I still have to be pretty picky about my road wheels and spokes. I recently got a new rear Mavic with 36 beefy spokes, double-eyelets. It only has about 400 miles on it, but I usually have to start truing my tires after a couple of hundred miles. This one is still dead-on true. No problems at all. And I hit lots of things like railroad tracks downhill at over 25 mph on a regular basis. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm happy so far. If this one dies within the next 2 years, I'm going to follow Tom's advice and get a new hub-wheel combo with 40 spokes. Even with such issues, I just love riding on the road too much to give it up.

I think that your LBS should replace the wheel with a factory-built 36h that works for you. It all depends on how badly they want you as a continued customer. If they are too cheap to provide decent survice, then see if you can at least get a 36h wheel/hub combo at their cost and have them throw in the labor to switch out your cassette for free.

You should not have to take it easy on corners, in my opinion. Why ride at all if you have to baby the damn thing? It should PERFORM and not be a problem if you keep it oiled and clean.

Oh, and let ME know if you are throwing that bike out too!

Have Fun Out There!

Another thing I do that really helps. I don't let shop guys touch the wheels. They straighten your wheels and don't really care too much how they do. The turn thi n that and bind your spokes.

When I work on my wheels, I use a marker (Sharpie) place dot on my spoke so I can tell when they move or bind when I tunr the nipple. SHop guys get it true, kick you in the *** and push you out the door before you notice!:D

I've had wheels pinging on the road before cause the shop guys twisted my nipples.

one other solution is aerospokes. They're bomb proof, don't need trueing and can take disc brakes

http://www.aerospoke.com/order.php?cat_id=003

I have adiffernt view on 36 hole hubs. Ihave a riding partner,230 lbs and a double century rider. He had 36 hole Mavic CXP33's built. His wheel went out of true immediately. I really think 32 is fine if you use a stronger rim like the Deep V.

PLUS, he ended up losing a chunk of the hub between spokes. MY thoughts are that a standard hub with more holes is less meat between holes, resulting in the breaking Ultegra hub he used.

I have a bike with 36 spoke wheels. There is three hundred thousandths of an inch of material between each hole (.300). On the standard 32, there is four hundred thousandths fo meat(.400) I guess you can form your own opinions. But I'd rather go with more meat and a stronger rim.

I'd chose a DeepV with 32 over a Mavic OP 36 hole anyday. Not to mention OP's are noisey tickers!

one other solution is aerospokes. They're bomb proof, don't need trueing and can take disc brakes

http://www.aerospoke.com/order.php?cat_id=003

I looked into Aerospokes when I needed a rear tandem wheel. Wheelbuilder friend suggested to pass on them. Noisy, real heavy and they crackle and wear at the point where the cf wheel meets the hub. Said he has had manyh returns because th cf fails at stated junction. Just what he told me, plus they are about $600-$800 a set? BDinger sounds like he's on a budget right now, like the rest of us!:D

One more option...

Velocity USA sells hand built "replacement" wheels at very reasonable prices, and the build quality is quite good, with 14g stainless spokes:

http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=525

http://www.velocityusa.com/img/w_replace_logos.gif

I just got a 36h "Glider" wheel, which looks absolutely stinkin' bombproof. It is so wide, you probably need to run 32mm tires or wider. Does your frame have enough clearance to handle that? If not, then you could downsize to a 36h Twin Hollow, which should also be very strong.

Yes, these are single-walled rims, but they are still very sturdy.

Any bike shop can call up Velocity USA and order these, so you don't have to worry about the wheel building skills of the teenage LBS employee who is good with vice grips.

- Forbes

Well, plan seems to be to go ride to the shop this afternoon and see what they say. I'm doubting much, but if anything I can get some recommended tenions for the spokes. This weekend I'm going to head over to visit a friend who has, well, a ton of tools! We're going to replace it again, then check the tension of every spoke.

Then, I'm going to track down some quality rims, spokes, and hubs to build up another set of wheels. If nothing else, then I'll have another set of wheels for when (not if) this busts another spoke.

Given how you ride, I'd have to recommend at LEAST a 40 spoke rear wheel...!

+1 i would go at least 36h. Ol' man brown says that used to be standard on bikes, easier to true, and all around Tougher.look for 29er MTB wheels, they are 700c and i 36h is pretty common, online at least(i hate to pay retail, and hand built just sounds painful in the wallet . My ride partner has a 7.x frame and he runs 35mm tires i think, so the bigger rim/tire combo should work.i'll repeat a quote i read on here awhile back "There are three characteristics of wheels...cheap,strong,and light. Pick any two..."

Bdinger- don't throw the bike away!! I went thru almost the exact same thing you did with my Trek 7300. I'm 245 lbs (and dropping). I finally broke down (no pun intended) and bought a rear 135mm Aerospoke. Yes, I had a problem with some "clinking" or "cracking" noises, but we (me and Aerospoke people) deduced it was due to the pawls not catching the first tooth right away, and the wheel resonates this sound much louder than a conventional wheel. Let me tell you, as a Clydesdale and as a design engineer, these things are a thing of beauty and function. They have 4 heavy duty pawls, they are NOT heavy (what's a couple of extra ounces when you weigh well over 200lbs!!!????), and the cost is the same if not less than a good tandem (40, 48spk) wheel. AND NO SPOKES TO BREAK!!! You only need one on the back, so you're looking at about $350 total, but they should last a lifetime of never having to worry about spokes again. As for Mr. Beanz observation, the key to his response is "a wheel builder friend of mine...."- of course a wheel builder will steer you away from them, they'll put him out of business!!! As a cyclist, it is very difficult to get over the paradigm that wheels must have thin metal spokes, but once you do, your time can be spent riding instead of trips to the LBS, etc.

As for Mr. Beanz observation, the key to his response is "a wheel builder friend of mine...."- of course a wheel builder will steer you away from them, they'll put him out of business!!! As a cyclist, it is very difficult to get over the paradigm that wheels must have thin metal spokes, but once you do, your time can be spent riding instead of trips to the LBS, etc.


Dude, the wheel builder friend helped me learn to build my own wheels! More of the 'I got to know the guy and he is honest with me' thing. The guy told me to buy bike brands that he doesn't sell at better prices elsewhere! Hmm, whatever!

The guy tells me to buy my rims online, checks the tension free for me and sells me $20 worth of spokes while you buy $600 wheels for an FX? C'mon dude think about it!

I wonder how many miles you have on the wheels. And why do the shops not carry cf rims anymore. Go to any bike shop, do you see CF Spinergy's,no, Corima's, no Aerospokes,no! Dude they were breaking and people were smashing their faces! They went out 10 years ago for that reason!

Don't throw out the bike. Do get rid of the wheel -- it's also a mental thing -- if you can't enjoy them, there's really no point.

I went through something similar. I'm big , though not as big as you, and hammer on the uphills. Wanted a set of wheels for raodie tires on my cross bike (Kona JTS). Got some Open Pros as a gift -- nice, light enough, everyone said they'd do fine at 32h. They didn't. Every 100 miles, they'd go out of true, usually with one spoke popping loose, usually after an uphill push (I have mega-torque...I used to break bottom brackets and once snapped a crank arm). They're still true but they're tireless and hanging in the garage (in fact, if anyone wants them PM me and we'll figure something out).

I got them trued by a local pro, and he did a great job. But the enjoyment was gone, and I found myself obsessing over them -- looking back to see if they were still true after every hill, every bump. Wasn't fun anymore.

Now I've got...deep Vs with ultegra hubs -- 36 in the back and 28 in the front. Nice brass nipples. 300 miles later, they are still more true than anything I've seen, and I'm hammering up hills again. I think a lot of folks figure clydes are going to tootle about the neighborhood and never exceed 8mph. I do 60-80 mile rides and am quite happy to hammer a climb at 20 mph. With my height (6'3) and weight (230), that's a lot of force.

Hang in there. There are good solutuions out there.

Bdinger- I just poped another spoke on the dawes.. R500 36h rim, its a factory rim so i kind expected it..in fact i'm surprised they last like they did. I can see this as being a regular thing thats gonna piss me off! and like you i ride pretty hard.. i standing climb quite a bit, so i know i'm stressing the bike hehe.

So i'm folowing Mr, Beans advice and getting the deep v's on the back and having the shop build them.

i'll get the R500 fixed just so i'll have something to ride until the others are here.

http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/WECRDIM/WE7036

doesn't cost much, tough enough.

Now I've got...deep Vs with ultegra hubs -- 36 in the back and 28 in the front. Nice brass nipples. 300 miles later, they are still more true than anything I've seen, and I'm hammering up hills again. I think a lot of folks figure clydes are going to tootle about the neighborhood and never exceed 8mph. I do 60-80 mile rides and am quite happy to hammer a climb at 20 mph. With my height (6'3) and weight (230), that's a lot of force.

Hang in there. There are good solutuions out there.

There ya go! They work! You won't be sorry ChunkyD!:D

Well, seems Beanz is right on! A good LBS employee told me a relative runs them on his roadie, 295 pounds of older guy that can't kill 'em.

Since my rear spacing is 135, I'll have to lace 'em to XT hubs, but I figure they'll still hold up just fine. And now I can run 700x28's :)

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to find some online, and get 'em here as fast as possible :)

Okay, you guys helped - the better half read the thread and recommends I get new wheels.

Here's the deal. I'm replacing the rear (the front is fine, no need to replace it). Price no object, for the most part, what should I do? I have 135mm spacing, and want to run either 700x28 or 700x32's. From reading, I'm leaning towards either a Velocity Deep-V with a Deore XT hub laced with Wheelsmith 2.0 straight guage spokes and brass nipples - 36h - or the same thing with a Salsa Delgado rim.

Opinons?

Well I googled Salsa Delgado rims and see that it looks like a regular box type rim. Dude, C'mon man, Velocity Deep V. I tried the Mavic tandem touring rim on the tandem, similar to the Delgado, lasted about 9 months. That touring stuff aint as strong as the Deep V. The Delgado rim looks like the on you just had. Just the DeepV and run 28's. I do on my tandem like I said with a 25's from time to time.

Use a 30 MM rim, Velocity Deep V, Mavic CXP 30, Seen others but can't remember the brands. I don't work for Velocity, just know they work for us! Darn, I can't rmemeber the name of the other 30m rim, but looked nice. SOmone posted a pic of some on antoerh forum the other day but don't remember where.

Use a Deore hub if you need to. Heck LX, XT, they are all great hubs. I've used 105's Ultegras, Dura Ace, they all work just great.

Oh, the other rim was a DT rim. I think the same that makes DT swiss spokes. I'm looking now for the link. I think they are inexpensive also.

http://www.dtswiss.com/index.asp?fuseaction=rims.bikedetail&id=16

Ahh here they are. Take a look. Looks like highest count is 32, which is fine, but if you want 36, Velocity makes up to 48, have them on my tandem!:D...different colors too!

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=325806

Take a look at this guys new fixie, has purple Deep V on the rear. Guy is only like 120 lbs too!:D