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trich
08-14-07, 02:37 PM
Hi everyone,
I trashed the wheels on my hybrid bike playing bike polo, so I'm replacing them. Actually, I found out that a bike shop in St. Louis has a wheel building clinic, so I've decided to build my own. So you know, I use this bike as a commuter, and at 285 lbs, the wheels have to be super tough.

I think I'm going to go with the following components:
- Alex Adventurer 36-spoke rims
- 14 ga. straight-gauge spokes
- Shimano XT hubs

What do you all think about that? I'm trying not to break the bank on these wheels, but I don't want to have to replace them again in a few thousand miles. Any advice is very welcome!

Thanks,
Tony
CliftonGK1
08-14-07, 03:59 PM
Sounds like a good setup to me. Similar to what stocks on the Surly LHT complete, IIRC. Should be a good, sturdy pair of wheels for you.

If I might make a suggestion, though:
Different bikes for commuting and polo. Your commuting rig will last a lot longer that way!
Halthane
08-14-07, 04:01 PM
Those will be decent wheels. But I would switch to double butted spokes instead of the straight gauge.

Be cautious of Alex rims, you can probably get better rims for about the same price from sun or velocity.

Paul
trich
08-14-07, 04:29 PM
Sounds like a good setup to me. Similar to what stocks on the Surly LHT complete, IIRC. Should be a good, sturdy pair of wheels for you.

If I might make a suggestion, though:
Different bikes for commuting and polo. Your commuting rig will last a lot longer that way!

Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way :) Honestly, I don't think there is a bike that can hold up to bike polo, so I'll probably just find a "whatever's cheapest" special to use.
trich
08-14-07, 04:31 PM
Those will be decent wheels. But I would switch to double butted spokes instead of the straight gauge.

Be cautious of Alex rims, you can probably get better rims for about the same price from sun or velocity.

Paul

The reason I went with straight gauge is because they are stronger. Since I'm bigger, stronger = better, no?

Have you had bad results with the Alex rims? I've heard lots of good things about them, but honestly, not much on the bad side.
jaxgtr
08-14-07, 05:14 PM
The reason I went with straight gauge is because they are stronger. Since I'm bigger, stronger = better, no?

Have you had bad results with the Alex rims? I've heard lots of good things about them, but honestly, not much on the bad side.

My Alex Rim, albeit low end, pulled through in 2 places. If you are going to buy the rim, why not get a set of Velocity or Mavic Open Pros or a version of the Mavic CXP's.
Halthane
08-14-07, 06:20 PM
The reason I went with straight gauge is because they are stronger. Since I'm bigger, stronger = better, no?


Straight Gauge is not stronger. In a direct sense they are to a degree, but under the kinds of stresses relative to wheel longevity, primarily repetitive fatigue stresses, the butted spokes will last longer.

Reference:

http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html a couple paragraphs down where he talks about the kinds of spokes.

Also search through the mechanics forum about butted spokes.
Mr. Beanz
08-14-07, 06:38 PM
Nm!
trich
08-15-07, 12:31 PM
Straight Gauge is not stronger. In a direct sense they are to a degree, but under the kinds of stresses relative to wheel longevity, primarily repetitive fatigue stresses, the butted spokes will last longer.

Reference:

http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html a couple paragraphs down where he talks about the kinds of spokes.

Also search through the mechanics forum about butted spokes.

That Sheldon Brown link was very useful - thanks for passing it along... Now, if I can call and adjust my order in time... :)
Halthane
08-15-07, 06:53 PM
That Sheldon Brown link was very useful - thanks for passing it along... Now, if I can call and adjust my order in time... :)

No problem. Not sure how experienced you are as a cyclist, but sheldon's ENTIRE website is well worth the time to read.