Touring - Touring rim comparison - should I compromise?

So, I wanted my LBS to build up some Mavic A319 36 hole rims. They are back ordered and the owner suggested I go with the Alex DH-22 36 hole rims he had in stock. I told him I'd do some research before answering. Thoughts? He also suggested the Alex Ace19 36 hole rims. I believe these all have double eyelets.

I'm having trouble finding reviews online on the DH-22... anyone have any experience or opinions with regard to how these compare?

Andrew

you want a 24mm wide rim, he's suggesting a 22mm wide rim. Alex has a 24.5mm wide rim called the Adventurer that is stock on the LHT, it appears to be a sturdy rim.

Have you considered the Mavic A719?

Have you considered the Velocity Dyad? 24mm width and comes in 36 hole. Great touring rim; bombproof. Not super expensive. Have heard decent things about the Alex Adventurer that LeeG mentioned as well.

OK, I think I'll wait for the 319's.

I am 215 lbs. and carry a lot of weight on my bike. The Adeventurer mentioned above has performed flawlessly. The only time I have had it trued since the initial retensioning was after I shifted my rear D into the spokes (bent hanger and granny gear don;t mix well), and even then it was only tweeked a little.

DH22 is one of the best touring rims out there, in my opinion. They are bombproof. I had them on my most recent 700c bike, and I hit a rock so hard it split my Schwalbe tire, but the rim remained completely true. The wheel has to be built well obviously. I weighed 270 at the time. I thik they are actually more reliable than some of the big name rims out there. They are a downhill rim so they are designed tough and designed for large tires I run 35mm on them which would be on the small side for their intended use. Lots of couriers use them.

I weighed 270 at the time.

ok, that's a testimonial. I wonder if Mavic and the other big names are like any other product where you pay a premium for the high end manufacturers of the last decade but mass production under another name in some other country is just as good for a fraction of the cost.

ok, that's a testimonial. I wonder if Mavic and the other big names are like any other product where you pay a premium for the high end manufacturers of the last decade but mass production under another name in some other country is just as good for a fraction of the cost.


While I'm no wheelbuilder, but I've talked to some enough to get the idea that Mavic rims offer them the most consistent rims. The cheaper the rims, the less consistent the quality.... in general. when time is money, Quality control is vital when building them. As for the user, it's hard to judge rims, because if they're built properly, they should last.... granted there are no defects that lead to rim failure. I think whatever rim one chooses, build it very well, or pay a professional to do so. A properly built wheel, in it's intended usage, should never need adjustment or break spokes for a very long time from the moment it's finished. This is a wheel that "stands".

Don't compromise. Get the A319's, or better yet the A719's. On a touring bike the strongest, straightest wheel you have, the better. Do a search through the forums for some posts about DA-22s

I'd rather have a lesser rim built by a great wheel builder than the best rim built by the clueless. Hope you've found the latter.

I was looking around and found this old thread. The DH22 is actually narrower than the DH19, but they weigh the same. So the 19 might be less beefy. Either way, it gets some bad reviews. One thing though is that if a builder follows The Method as described by Jobst Brandt in his seminal book, he is likely to overtighten rims. Jobst always says he hasn't re-written his book because nothing much has changed. But I came across the problem of how to stress test an aero section rim, when they won't taco without damage to the rim. I asked the manufacturer what specs they recommended, and they gave me one number for the whole rim range. Very anti Jopbst. So I wrote Jobst and he said go with the spec, the strength, such as it may be, is now being built into the rim section. He prefers the previous system, but this is what we have. So as far as people blowing up rims at the spoke junction is concerned, it could come down to not following the specs.

If there's one place to NOT skimp on, it's wheels.

Well built, quality wheels are a joy to have!

I'd rather have a lesser rim built by a great wheel builder than the best rim built by the clueless. Hope you've found the latter.

should that not be the former?

ooops

My adventurer rims are doing well, but I haven't had the bike long enough to give a full report. Find a good wheel builder and you can't really go wrong. The first time you go to a shop just talk and ask what they would build for your needs, then come back to the web and do some research and ask questions. If you don't like what you heard, move on. May also be good to hear how many rims they build in a year.

Seeing lots of bike tourists , If you buy a reasonable off the peg wheel and get it hand trued
and keep is in that shape , If it does get damaged, you wont have to mail a Posh hub home
when the shop supplies another reasonable quality wheel, to quickly get you back on the road..

Problem solved?
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mwheel-shimano-deoremavic-a319-front-road-bike-wheel/


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mwheel-shimano-deoremavic-a319-rear-road-bike-wheel/

works fine for me, xxcycle.com also sell exal belgian wheels built up with shimano LX and also dynamo hubs.
Hope this helps.

It's been 2 and 1/2 years. Presumably the OP has had ample time for the desired rim to come back into stock.

So, I wanted my LBS to build up some Mavic A319 36 hole rims. They are back ordered and the owner suggested I go with the Alex DH-22 36 hole rims he had in stock. I told him I'd do some research before answering. Thoughts? He also suggested the Alex Ace19 36 hole rims. I believe these all have double eyelets.

I'm having trouble finding reviews online on the DH-22... anyone have any experience or opinions with regard to how these compare?

Andrew

I'm a lightweight 64 kg rider & have ridden the original Novara Randonee Mavic 319's for 3-4 years, mostly local riding but also loaded touring. Never had to re-true. Twice with other bikes (racing & racing/sport touring) I've had rim failures, both probably due to bad wheel building. Mavic seems to build pretty good rims (I used to ride their old concave touring rims) & I've never had a problem. Heavier riders might need stronger rims.