Touring - Wheelset for on-road 29er touring

I bought a used Karate Monkey off CL the other day that came with a decent single speed tubeless wheelset with giant knobby tires. This is all fine and good for the trails, but I'd also like a sturdy disc wheelset for on-road use, as I plan to use this for commuting and bikepacking as well and would prefer to use tubes and a 9-speed cassette. I have a few questions:

-I'd like to run 35 mm slicks for everyday commuting...what's the max rim width I can safely go with?

-Can I lace a mountain disc hub (Deore, etc.) to a road rim to achieve the narrower rim width I need?

-Anyone have a setup (or know of one) they'd like to share? Trying to decide what my options are.

Thanks a lot guys!

You can go as wide as you want, up to 30mm wide (outside width) IMO. I have 700x23mm wide tires on 23mm wide rims.

If I was building a wheelset, I'd go with Velocity A23 with a Deore Disc hub. The 23mm wide road rim is a good match for a 700x32 or 700x35 slick. http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=746

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll210/wildcat-bucket/001.jpg

If you need a fast 700x32 slick, consider: 700x32 Vittoria Randonneur Hyper: fast, light, supple, moderately flat resistant, moderate price.

700x35 Forté Metro-K: Best value, very good all-around performer.

I run 32h Velocity Chukkers laced to dmr hubs on my fisticuff. The rims are a bit heavier than the A23 but I tend to abuse things so I went with a deeper rim.

You can get a disc/dynamo front hub , then have lights as soon as you start moving.
Schmidt has the least magnetic resistance, light on or off, but Shimano's cost less.

there's no reason to go to a narrow road rim if 35mm is the narrowest tire you'll use and you're likely to use wider tires.

You really don't need to run hugely wide rims for what it sounds like you are going to be doing. This is a quote from SheldonBrown.com

"A general guideline is that the tire width should be between 1.45/2.0 x the inner rim width.
If you flatten out a tire and measure the total width from bead to bead, it should be approximately 2.5 x the ISO width.
If your tire is too narrow for the rim there's an increased risk of tire/rim damage from road hazards.
If its too wide for the rim, there's an increase risk of sidewall wear, and a greater risk of loss of control in the event of a sudden flat.
The following is a partial listing of traditional tire sizes that are sometimes seen in the U.S., with their ISO bead seat equivalents."


That being said, you should probably not run a rim any wider than 25mm, and if you want to run tires bigger than 35mm someday, you will not want a rim narrower than probably around 20mm.



To answer your other question, you can lace any hub to any rim as long as they have a corresponding number of spoke holes, and there are many rims that are not really road or mountain specific.


It sounds like you need a good all-rounder setup. If you will be running discs and want an affordable setup, I would check into either Shimano Deore or Deore XT hubs. I have two different wheelsets built around the XT hub, one with Mavic A719 rims which are very burly, and the other with Salsa Delgado Cross rims which are lighter and wider, but still very strong. Both of these are great rims in my opinion that would suit your needs well. I would probably lean more toward the Salsa Rim. Also, many of the Velocity Rims would fit the bill for you like the Blunt, Dyad, etc. The WTB SpeedDisc is a Disc only rim if that matters to you. Really there are many rims that would work well, it just depends on what you want to spend.

Also, check out the Handspun Wheels page (http://handspunwheels.com/products/) for more ideas, and an idea on prices.


hope that helps

Thanks guys. Since the Karate Monkey is my first bike with rear-facing horizontal dropouts, should I go with a solid-axle (is this the same as "through-axle"?). I know Sheldon Brown says QRs are OK if tightened enough, but I figure better safe than sorry.

Thanks guys. Since the Karate Monkey is my first bike with rear-facing horizontal dropouts, should I go with a solid-axle (is this the same as "through-axle"?). I know Sheldon Brown says QRs are OK if tightened enough, but I figure better safe than sorry.

Not needed. Rear entry dropouts are very secure. A normal quick release is OK. Shimano internal quick release skewers are excellent. I have also used a Surly Tuggnut & skewers with good results.