It's pretty easy to narrow down which rims are favored in the more niche bike communities (like, say, for a dirt jumping bike), but I'm trying to figure out what rim to use for my cargo bike, on a rear wheel running a Shimano Nexus hub, and the array of choices is completely bewildering. Even just looking at Alex rims, since they're known for affordability, there are still a bazillion choices with no clear indication of what's best for what. ("Here's our 15 downhill rims. Here's our 15 mtb rims. Here's our 15 road rims. Have fun figuring it out!")

Are there any reliable, cheap 36 hole rims preferred by the utility crowd? Weight isn't really important. Super-mega strength isn't important, either -- I carry my loads on the front with a cetma rack, and I'm skinny -- but I'll take something needlessly burly over something somewhat flimsy.

edit: no disc-only rims, please

Not sure what you consider cheap, but I like the Sun Rhyno Lite for strength. I built a Nexus on one for my Xtracycle, and am very happy with it towing 90lbs of kids + sports equipment.

Mavic A719 rims are very good, in my experience.

Just like anything else when it comes to down & dirty hard work.....steel is real!:thumb:

Mavic A719 rims are very good, in my experience.

What a coincidence, I was spec'ing some wheels for my bike and had decided on the Mavic XM719 wheels. What I was stuck on was rim tape width. The recommended size according to the Mavic page (http://www.mavic.com/mtb/products/XM-719-Disc.995003.aspx) is 559 x 20 x 0.6.

I'm going to assume that the recommended width is 20mm. Is this correct? Given that my three rim tape choices are 17, 19 and 22mm I suppose that means I should go with the 19mm width.

Are my assumptions correct? Thanks.

Just like anything else when it comes to down & dirty hard work.....steel is real!:thumb:

... unless that work involves stopping a heavy load with rim brakes on a wet wheel, then steel is certainly an exciting choice, but not necessarily the best.

Salsa Delgado, Mavic Open Sport and Sun CR18, at the less expensive end of the spectrum. Velocity Dyad or Mavic A719 at the more expensive end. I would probably pick between the Salsa and Velocity.

Rhyno Lites are tough and sort of cheap.

I really do not recommend steel wheels. And I am not a snoob about old tech on a bike. Steel is heavy. Steel is no stronger than a stout alluminum wheel. Steel does not brake well at all. Steel does not brake at all when wet.

jim

Rhyno Lites are tough and sort of cheap.

I really do not recommend steel wheels. And I am not a snoob about old tech on a bike. Steel is heavy. Steel is no stronger than a stout alluminum wheel. Steel does not brake well at all. Steel does not brake at all when wet.

jim

Your kidding right? :roflmao2::roflmao2:

Steel is cheap, strong, and will stop well when used correctly wet or not.

You can overdrive any wheel so it behooves the rider with a load to use common sense braking........steel or not.

Oh yes, note my sig line..........

No one mentioned the Mavic A319, just as strong as the A719 but heavier and half the price!

I've seen Mavic EN321 recommended also.

Originally Posted by krazygluon
Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?

Disc brakes. :p

There are a lot of reviews on http://www.mtbr.com/, so far I have not been steered wrong by picking products that have a lot of reviews as well as a high rating.

I'm thinking either Velocity Aero Heat or Sun Rhyno Lites for rims, which I am also in the market for currently. The Aero Heats sorta seem like the little brother of the Deep Vee, which is definitely a well regarded rim.

Steve

I guess the Rhyno Lite would've been my default, but it seems like I can get away just fine with a cheaper rim, which is why I asked. Via some google searching, I read that the Alex DM24 is basically a copy of the Rhyno Lite, and if you look at the cross section of each, that seems roughly true. And the Alex is half the price ($40 vs $20). So it seems like a pretty good option. I saw discussions about it being decent for freeride/urban assault/etc, so if that's the case then it's plenty strong enough for my needs.

Rhyno Lite: http://www.webcyclery.com/image.php?productid=16560
DM24: http://www.universalcycles.com/images//products/medium/7279.jpg

What a coincidence, I was spec'ing some wheels for my bike and had decided on the Mavic XM719 wheels. What I was stuck on was rim tape width. The recommended size according to the Mavic page (http://www.mavic.com/mtb/products/XM-719-Disc.995003.aspx) is 559 x 20 x 0.6.

I'm going to assume that the recommended width is 20mm. Is this correct? Given that my three rim tape choices are 17, 19 and 22mm I suppose that means I should go with the 19mm width.

Are my assumptions correct? Thanks.

I've always used a couple of layers of electrical tape as rim tape. Haven't ever had a problem, even under high pressure (130psi) skinny road tires. If you already have the tape I'd go with the 19.

I guess the Rhyno Lite would've been my default, but it seems like I can get away just fine with a cheaper rim, which is why I asked. Via some google searching, I read that the Alex DM24 is basically a copy of the Rhyno Lite, and if you look at the cross section of each, that seems roughly true. And the Alex is half the price ($40 vs $20). So it seems like a pretty good option. I saw discussions about it being decent for freeride/urban assault/etc, so if that's the case then it's plenty strong enough for my needs.

Rhyno Lite: http://www.webcyclery.com/image.php?productid=16560
DM24: http://www.universalcycles.com/images//products/medium/7279.jpg

Got my Rhyno Lite from Bikeman.com for $27 (rim only). They also have very reasonable hand-build options for custom setups and do a very nice job.

I just order a Mavic EN321. Gonna build up the wheel with my Nuvinci hub.

It's pretty easy to narrow down which rims are favored in the more niche bike communities (like, say, for a dirt jumping bike), but I'm trying to figure out what rim to use for my cargo bike, on a rear wheel running a Shimano Nexus hub, and the array of choices is completely bewildering.
....
edit: no disc-only rims, please
If you know you'll always run wider tires (at least 1.5") and you have a 26" wheel bike, then you can look at the cheaper downhill rims. These won't cost much, and will be around a quarter-inch wider than typical 1" wide rims.

You can run lower tire pressures with wide rims (to absorb more bumps) and still get good cornering and handling.
~

Rhino Lite is a great combo of durability and value. Available in 40 spoke if you need it. Alex rims may look the same on paper, but the manufacturing quality isn't the same.

Tightwad, do you have examples of good steel rims? I've never seen them on anything but big box "bikes".

Tightwad, do you have examples of good steel rims? I've never seen them on anything but big box "bikes".

Yes, All of my bikes came with steel wheels including my custom built trike. That said, you need
to shop at other stores than the big box for great bikes. There are/were millions of bikes built
worldwide that use nothing but steel wheels. Aluminum/alloy wheels are for weight weenies,
or racer boys, not for hard honest work.

Rhino Lite is a great combo of durability and value. Available in 40 spoke if you need it. Alex rims may look the same on paper, but the manufacturing quality isn't the same.

Curious ... how do you tell?

Your kidding right? :roflmao2::roflmao2:

Steel is cheap, strong, and will stop well when used correctly wet or not.

You can overdrive any wheel so it behooves the rider with a load to use common sense braking........steel or not.

Oh yes, note my sig line..........


No, not kidding.

Other than the problem of weight (which is admittedly over-thought by many in the bike world), I stand by my claim that they do not brake as well. Seems like you admit to that too, above. Using your word "overdrive" in my experience it is far, far, far easier to "overdrive" a steel wheel. I take it that means, to be going too fast to stop in time. Where I come from, we simply call that bad braking.

Not sure what your correct method of using them in the wet is, but they don't stop for beans in the wet. Sure, you can drag the pads a bit to dry them and the rim out; this will help. But again, I see this as a problem.

jim

I just order a Mavic EN321. Gonna build up the wheel with my Nuvinci hub.

That's what I'm running on the Goat, but without longer testing, I can't preach jack squat about reliability. I just trusted Speedgoat.

Another vote for Rhyno Lites. I have them on my tandem with Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub and my wife's Schwinn cruiser with a Shimano 3 speed hub. Got mine through the LBS under $40.

Salsa Gordo's... The rear is available up to a 48 spoke! I have a 48 spoke gordo, laced with DT Swiss's into a Shimano Tandem Hub... STRONG LIKE BULL!

I can't believe anyone is recommending steel. Those of us in the vintage fraternity have every opportunity to compare rims, since steel comes on a lot of old bikes, and whilst I ride a couple of bikes with steel wheels, I'm all about changing them ASAP. In the dry, a steel wheel with rim brakes can brake adequately, but not as well as aluminium. In the wet, you'll need the best brakes, and Kool Stop Salmon pads, and you still will not stop as quickly as aluminium. Add to that the fact that steel rims will rust if exposed to rain too often, and you have a definite disadvantage over aluminium. I'm absolutely an advocate of steel frames, but for rimes, there is no advantage and a heavy penalty. The only way I would recommend steel rims for a heavily loaded utility bike is with hub or disc brakes, and you still have the risk of rust. Why do it?

I'm with Doug on recommending wider DH type rims for cargo bikes, given you're running nothing less than a 1.5" tire and in 26".

On two different bikes that regularly cover a lot of mileage carrying anywhere between 40-200lbs, I've used the Alex DX32 and the Alex DM24. For most cases running tires between 1.5" and 2" I'd recommend the DM24. Its a very bomber rim, thats not about to taco or wear through the sidewalls assuming its built even halfways well.

I've built a fair number of wheels using Mavic, Velocity, and Alex rims. For all intensive purposes I have not noticed any difference in working with one rim manufacturer over another of these three due to brand. Any of them is perfectly fine, just make sure to get one with the configuration you're looking for.

I ran the DX 32's on my big dummy cause I'm running 2.25" Marathon XR's to provide serious load carrying ability as well as the ability to run my tires and pretty cushy pressures while still having a very stable tire on a wide rim. I've definitely found from my winter snow tire experience where you run a lot of low pressures that too narrow a rim can make for some really weird handling.

Yes, All of my bikes came with steel wheels including my custom built trike. That said, you need
to shop at other stores than the big box for great bikes. There are/were millions of bikes built
worldwide that use nothing but steel wheels. Aluminum/alloy wheels are for weight weenies,
or racer boys, not for hard honest work.

I find you to be one of the voices of reason that I have great respect for in these forums, but what you're saying here couldn't be further from the truth.

I find you to be one of the voices of reason that I have great respect for in these forums, but what you're saying here couldn't be further from the truth.

Sorry to disappoint you but my experience on work bikes comes from riding work bikes that did
industrial strength cycling work. Steel is the only wheel that is suitable for this task. Braking
is another matter entirely.

I agree that rim brakes are the least desirable type of all for any hard working loaded cycle. My
bikes all have drum brakes except one...my old Schwinn World Tourist....that is my city bike.

That said, I stand by my opinion that steel wheels for loaded hard work is still the best wheel
for that job.

I've got steel wheels on my Worksman bike and my Worksman reverse tricycle. They do seem to be very sturdy wheels (not just the rims, but they have heavy spokes as well). However, Worksman doesn't normally use rim brakes, so it's a moot point about braking ability (and I think their normal steel wheel wouldn't be compatible with rim brakes, anyway). They do furnish them with disk brakes as well. But regardless, I don't normally see them used on other bikes, with the possible exception of the occasional cruiser bike. You can buy some other steel rims and steel wheels (from Niagara Cycles, for example), but I have no idea of how the strength of those compares to the other rims you're looking at. I would expect a cheap steel rim to be stronger than a cheap aluminum rim. I would not necessarily expect a cheap steel rim to be stronger than a high-quality aluminum rim.

Are you building this wheel yourself, and mail-ordering the rim? If so, there's a jillion choices. But if your local bike shop is going to put it together for you, just get their input. They probably only stock a few different kinds that would be suitable, and that'll eliminate a lot of the guessing.

For super-strong wheels, the folks in the Clydesdale forum could give you some advice as well, but that doesn't seem to be the issue here.

I've got steel wheels on my Worksman bike and my Worksman reverse tricycle. They do seem to be very sturdy wheels (not just the rims, but they have heavy spokes as well).


Point of interest here.......
ALL Worksman cycle wheels are designed to be used in the light duty motorcycle/moped
applications. They are not true bicycle wheels.

I am so lucky I can find what I need for free. Working on a new "dogbike", using a 24" detatchable bike as a main bike. Found some old ut almost un used broad 24" MT wheels, sealed bearrings, broad rims, drum brakes front and rear. Thinking of putting one ekstra rim brake on the rear just since it is possible, but the main brakes is going to be relyable this way, since lifting it on and off the car and so on is not going to mess up the brakes as is happening on the present dogbike.

These bikes was made to last forewer, but of course now they are out of fashion (early 80`s and looking that way).

You'd have a nearly impossible time finding a quality steel bicycle rim, plus the majority of bicyclists out there are using rim brakes and they simply don't stop well especially when wet. Plus the quality of all the steel wheels I encountered while working as a mechanic for 5 years was so low that they often had problems with proper seating of the tire bead. Get aluminum.

+1 The Sun Rhyno Lite is a great way to go for a solid, relatively inexpensive rim. We used to build them up for anyone complaining of wheel strength issues and sent a lot of happy customers on their way with them.