Folding Bikes - pocket lama wheel options?

Hi all,
Was wondering what people thought of the wheels that ship with the pocket lama:
Rims Alex DM18 (406) 32o 20 x 1.5" Silver
Spokes DT 14 ga. Stainless w/ brass nip
Front Hub Formula 32o cartridge bearing QR Silver Alloy
Rear Hub Shimano Capreo 32o rear FH 9sp

Are there alternatives/options that might be better value for money? (You can buy a full bike or a frameset from bike friday so am interested in any options...)

Thanks!
Ron

Depends. What are you using it for and how much are they charging you?

For touring on not so wide tires, the Aeroheat rim is a good $50 option. Sealed hubs are another matter. What are the axle lengths you need?

You may be stuck with the Capreo rear hub. It certainly isn't a good value, but it is the only thing out there with a 9 tooth cog. O/w, you'll need a giant chainring on the front, and there goes your shifting.

Plus, the Capreo is cone and bearing, which is good for touring in remote places.

Thanks for the reply pm124
I might possibly use the bike day-to-day commuting, but also for longer rides including shortish tours in the UK - primarily though I am planning on going back to India, but with bike this time, so the pocket llama would be ideal I think (i.e. I can put it on trains/in hotel rooms etc). Not sure what they are charging for their wheelsets...
I am good with mechanical stuff but don't know tons about specific bike stuff, so am not sure what axel lengths I need - will look now though and see if I can find out.
Performance/durability + compatibility is important for me.

A 32 spoke 20" wheel is quite strong. Bike Friday has a reputation for building good wheels too. I believe the Alex rims are fine as well.

For a few bucks more, I would upgrade the front hub to a Shimano standard (LX or XT).

Ok thanks invisiblehand

I am also thinking about disc brakes - are some hubs disc compatible and others not?

Thanks!

I am also thinking about disc brakes - are some hubs disc compatible and others not?

I am not a mountain biker, but I believe the answer is yes. Note that some rims a rim-brake compatible while others are not.

But if you are interested in reliability and the ability to find parts anywhere, I would stick with v-brakes.

-G

Thanks for the reply pm124
I might possibly use the bike day-to-day commuting, but also for longer rides including shortish tours in the UK - primarily though I am planning on going back to India, but with bike this time, so the pocket llama would be ideal I think (i.e. I can put it on trains/in hotel rooms etc). Not sure what they are charging for their wheelsets...
I am good with mechanical stuff but don't know tons about specific bike stuff, so am not sure what axel lengths I need - will look now though and see if I can find out.
Performance/durability + compatibility is important for me.

Then I agree with Invisible Hand. I would downgrade to a Shimano hub. If you are in the middle of India, someone will be able to get bearings for your hub if there is a problem. These hubs are heavier and perhaps not as strong as sealed hubs, but they can be fixed.

I was in the mountains in Thailand and a friend broke his rear Shimano axle. A motorbike mechanic managed to fashion a new axle, cones, and bearings out of random parts from a Honda Dream. Not sure where the bearings came from, but there was a lot of hammering and grinding going on.

I'm going with XTR on the rear and Chris King on the front under the assumption that the Chris King is unbreakable on the front.

A very cost-ineffective solution would be to go Philwood. Heavy as condensed matter, expensive as hell, and you would be completely unable to repair it. But you would almost certainly never need to think about repairing it, and they are smoooth. The older ones were not even designed to be repaired by the user under the assumption that they would last a lifetime.

There are two common axle widths on the rear: 130mm and 135mm. If you have Capreo, you are probably using 135mm axles. If they are building the wheels for under $300, you are probably not getting ripped off.

Thanks for advice - much appreciated.