Touring - 26" touring wheel- where?

Hey all. I tour every morning to work and back :D

Seriously, I am a Big Dude(tm) at a tad over 300lbs. So, you can consider me fully loaded for touring every day. I am banging up back wheels, and am afraid to put on the best one I have, if its not good enough. I figure touring folks would know where to look. I need a STRONG 26" wheel for the rear. 7 or 8 speed hub is fine. Width not important. I'm interested in something with a particularly strong rim, and/or a very strong spoke pattern and count (40 or 48 spoke). I'm not worried about fronts, I have a very strong front. Can someone lead me in the right direction?

Take a look, here, (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp) for hand built wheels by Peter White. He would know what would be best and be able to build the wheel for you.

I would think a good LBS would also be able to hand build a super strong wheel.

I would also think you could ask the same question in the Bicycle Mechanics forum and you would get different recommendations on hubs, spokes and rims to build a bomber set of wheels. Then you could take the specs you want to an LBS.

If you were looking to order something less expensive you could check with Harris Cyclery, find info on their wheelsets here. (http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels.html#mtbwheels)

Thanks. I emailed Peter White to ask him what he would recommend for my needs. I checked out Harris too. Thanks folks!

I'm a big fella too and Peter White built me a beautiful set of 26" wheels... Velocity Deep V rims w/40 spokes laced to Phil Wood hubs... rock solid!

You want slicks for that commute... Avocet City Slicks in the 26 x 1.9 variety!

Expensive? Yes... worth it? Most certainly!

If you don't mind my asking... How much did that set you back?

If you don't mind my asking... How much did that set you back?

No problem...

Taken directly from my invoice-

1 Phil Wood Front Hub (40 holes) $100.00

1 Phil Wood Rear Hub 135mm spacing (40 holes) $310.00

1 Velocity rim Deep V 26" 40 holes Black $54.00 each x 2= $108.00

80 Wheelsmith Spoke DB14 310mm 0.75 each... Total $60.00

Avocet City Slick 26 x 1.9 (635g) $22.00 each... Total $44.00

A.J. Boston Presta Tube 26 x 1.9-2.1 $5.00 each... Total $10.00

Velox Rim Tape 17mm $3.00 each... Total $6.00

Wheel Build (40 or 48 spokes) $30.00 each... Total $60.00

Final Total $698.00

Peter guarantee's his wheels for their lifetime against spoke breakage and truing.

I gotta tell you I stalled big time on throwing down 700 clams on a wheelset but now that I made the plunge as well as having had plenty of time riding them... superb, flawless, amazing, brilliant, etc... are all words that easily come to mind.

Considering the bombproofness of the hubs, rims and spokes... it's an investment in quality parts built up by a Master wheelbuilder so of course it should cost money but given what you get and the simple fact that this wheelset will out last you and your bike... it's pretty inexpensive for all intents and purposes in my opinion.

Also, knowing that you're Clydsdale and into riding everyday for fun, fitness, commuting and lifestyle changes (weight loss) why wouldn't you be riding the best... like a very great framebuilder has been quoted saying,
"If you're REALLY interested in Lifelong quality-pick out the best items you can afford by stretching your bank account and then go 2 levels higher. You won't ever regret that kind of quality when it comes to satisfaction, safety & durability."

It's hard to come to terms with thinking that way but I've found it to be very true.

Good luck and let me know if I can help you out with any additional questions. I have pics too if you want to see them.

I'd LOVE pics. Thanks!

Here you go...

http://www.pbase.com/istanbultea/rivendell

Let me know if the link works... it's a new hosting site for me.

Thanks IT, I appreciate the pix alot! Sorry I forgot to respond earlier. Your posting efforts were not wasted :)

NP... just a Heads Up between Mates!!

:)

I'm sorry, but you got ripped off on the Phil Wood Hubs. 300 clams for a hub. Sure, it's 40 holes and Phil Wood, but please. $300 buck can buy me 5 used and working bikes from my local flea market

And I found some good bikes at my flea market like a Bianchi, Centurion Ironman, and Haro Impulse Comp.

Cro_Moly_Body - The OP was about a bomb proof wheelset for a big guy. You Can't get much more bomber than with a phil40. You get what you pay for...

...My (used) Peter White built wheelset took me across Europe and still haven't needed re-truing...

I'm sorry, but you got ripped off on the Phil Wood Hubs. 300 clams for a hub. Sure, it's 40 holes and Phil Wood, but please. $300 buck can buy me 5 used and working bikes from my local flea market

Damn, I wish I'd have checked with you before I bought that Phil Wood hub.

Try a Velocity Deep V. They are reknown for their strength.

Try a Velocity Deep V. They are reknown for their strength.

Yeah, I might try one someday myself and then if I like it I'll recommend it to others! ;) :rolleyes:

what about sun rhyno rims
with tandem spokes and 42 holes

thats what i use on my nountain bike

hub xt
what tyres do u use ????

$300 buckaroos is the going rate for a rear phil hub. but they be worth the price,
lifetime guarantee. you can save a few bucks by going the ebay route, find some
lightly used or nos hubs. also note that the $300 hub is the cassette version.
the freewheel rear runs about $140

i'm pleased with my phil/rhynolite sets (both road and mtb). the road set is 48spoke,
for heavy loaded touring. me (185 pounds), front and rear bags, bob, 5 gals h2o.
total weight of full load (bike, bags, 40 pounds h20 in the trailer) was 175 pounds.
40k miles on that set, still running strong.

the 26" version in 40-spoke should easily handle your 300#.

ryko-
if you don't want to spend the big bucks, i am sure a 36-hole cross-three set of XT/Mavics will hold up fine. they can be bought for $200 a set. i weigh 230 stark nekked, so with clothes and gear i am well over your weight. alllllllthough... nothin' beats a sweet handbuilt set from a reputable builder... i wish my bullseye/wheelsmith/mavic set hadn't been stolen last september.

As it goes, I have now in my posession (and on my bike) a set of Mavic M231's (double walled rim) on XTR hubs, all vintage 1990. They are KILLER. Not unbendable, but very good wheels. So, problem solved. For now.

new supergo sale catalog arrived.

deore disc/rhyno lite $99/set

xt disc/rhyno lite xl $169/set

xt disc black/mavic 223 $169/set

i've also seen some xt disc/rhyno lite sets on ebay for $139

Well I ended up buying a wheelset locally. Deore LX hubs with Mavic wheels, double wall of course. I can't remember the model. 221 comes to mind. Anyway I got a good deal on them ($140, trued and tensioned) and so hopefully these will last a very very long time :) I also got thorn resistant tubes with Slime injected into them. No more flats, I hope!

I just ordered a XT/Mavic 717, 14/15/14 DT spoke wheelset for $209 and free shipping. Not bad.....

fixer- damn good deal! i just paid the same for xt/223 14ga straight spokes. d'oh! where did you find that deal?

fixer- damn good deal! i just paid the same for xt/223 14ga straight spokes. d'oh! where did you find that deal?
Supergo.

Hey all. I tour every morning to work and back :D

Seriously, I am a Big Dude(tm) at a tad over 300lbs. So, you can consider me fully loaded for touring every day. I am banging up back wheels, and am afraid to put on the best one I have, if its not good enough. I figure touring folks would know where to look. I need a STRONG 26" wheel for the rear. 7 or 8 speed hub is fine. Width not important. I'm interested in something with a particularly strong rim, and/or a very strong spoke pattern and count (40 or 48 spoke). I'm not worried about fronts, I have a very strong front. Can someone lead me in the right direction?

Deja Vu all over again. I had a similar conversation with Peter White. He recommended several alternatives, the most desireable being a 40-spoke wheel built on a Phil Wood hub, with straight 14-guage spokes laced up to a Mavic 519 rim. Less expensive alternatives would have used Shimano XTR or XT hubs, and perhaps Sun CR-18 rims. The Phil hub option was upwards of $500 for a wheelset.

What did I decide, you ask? Hmm. In my case, I decided that if a suitable wheelset for me was to be so expensive, maybe it should have a similarly durable bike attached to it. I'm now riding a Co-Motion Americano. Hugi tandem hubs on Velocity Dyad tandem rims, rear spaced to 145mm so there is no dish. Perfect. Good luck with your search.

The combined weight of my wife and I plus 35# of panniers and a 40# tandem comes to about 370 lbs
all of this on Deore XT 36H hubs with Sun Rhyno lite XL's( the welded seam) 14g DT spokes and IRC metro 1.5 tires. We have about 5000 miles on them and some of that offroad. The wheels cost me about $160 in parts and two evenings to build up the wheels. I recently saw the same wheels online someplace for $140 for the pair.
Peter builds great wheels btw and you won't go wrong with what he builds up for you. But for $400 bucks less you can buy a set of wheels that will do the job for at least a few years