keg61

calm down snowflake I'm joking ... I AM however aggravated to no end by the lack of availability(without paying for custom build) of 36 spoke wheels. I realize that cycling is full of150 pound weightweenies that think they can get faster by shaving an ounce off the weight of their ride rather than working a little harder to improve the engine. I search the web almost every day, looking for 36 spoke wheels to replace the 32s on my current bike and I can't find anything decent. I'm recovering from a stroke and was not thinking clearly or paying attention to detail when I bought the bike 3 years ago and was pretty shocked to find it had 32 spokes front and rear when it arrived. the stock wheels have not failed yet but I want to replace them before they do. I thought I would just buy something new and start over because I prefer 26"over 700c anyway but noooooooooooo... even entry level mtbs come with 32 spoke wheels made of tissue paper, so I'm gonna end up paying twice the price of the bike to get decent wheels... here endeth the rant. In all seriousness, I know the bike industry is controlled by sheep following the latest"hot new technology". when did that technology become 32 spoke wheels? I know it's been bordering on forever since I was familiar with mainstream cycling but really, does Jon Q Public demand the miniscule weight savings of eliminating 4 spokes when he buys a BSO for his kid at Wallyworld ? I contacted a Tandem bike seller in England that has wheels I would be happy with but they don't ship across the pond does anybody know a good source of dependable 26" 36spoke wheels? somebody in a different thread suggested some guy in AZ that was allegedly a wheel whiz, but his website offers not one option above 32 spokes, I called him to double check and he quoted me almost $700 for a 32 spoke wheelset that i MIGHT ride if it was free but I'm sure not paying that price no matter how good his reputation is. realistic suggestions anyone? oh wait, you should know, there is not a bike shop, let alone one with a competent wheel man, near me

Jarrett2

I checked out right there.

blue192

There is 150lb people here?!?!? Wow, I am actually 250lb and still bike everyday.

tyrion

https://www.universalcycles.com/wheelkit.php

They have Alex Adventurer 36h 26" rims and various 36h hubs.

MRT2

I use the Alex DH19. Drilled for 36 spokes.

cyccommute 

Check with your local bike shop. If they have a QBP (Quality Bicycle Products) account, you can have a 26" rear wheel custom built with Shimano Deore 36 hole hub, Velocity Aerohead rim, DT Alpine III spokes (much better for heavier riders) and brass nipples for about $250. Front would be a similar price.

Alternatively, you can get a rear 36 hole Deore that is machine built for about $150. They don't seem to have a matched set for the front but you can get a 36 hole Deore for about $100. If you spring for the LX with Aerohead rim (front and rear), the price isn't going to be much less than the custom wheel.

brianmcg123

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Mavic.../dp/B01N10UWQP

2016 Velocity Dyad Shimano XT M756 36 Hole 6b Disc Touring Commuting Wheelset | eBay

Took 2 seconds of searching google.

keg61

I guess english was the wrong language to type in... THERE IS NOT A BIKE SHOP NEAR ME... I can get wheels straight from Velocity for $250 a pop, I'll do that when I buy a better frame but not for what I have now

keg61

Thanks TyrionI'll check that out

keg61

I've never ridden on Alex rims(that I
can remember) but I like what I read about them, the DH19 seems pretty popular, it was in fact what the tandem wheel I tried to buy from the UK used

keg61

gee what a shocker, ebay of course, I'm shocked nobody suggested Craig's List yet, I knew it was a mistake to come here for help. you don't have all the information to know those wheels won't work for me so I'll just say thanks and move along

cyccommute 

There's no need to get all pissy! "NEAR ME" is highly subjective. I don't know your area but I can read a map. There is Emig's Bike Shop in Meadville (35 miles away). There's Country Pedalers in Franklin (no website) and there's a Ultimate Sports in Grove City, Linesville Bike shop in Linesville and a whole plethora of shops in Pittsburgh.

Alternatively, build your own.

keg61

I apologise, I forgot about Emigs, Country Pedalers is a joke, he's just there to try to fleece tourists on the bike path,Ultimate Sports is actually an equipment rental place that sells a bike or two every year because of the local college. Linesville I did not know about(that's embarrassing) I despise everything about Pittsburgh and will get hosed by some internet scam before I give business to that town. I'm in bicycle hell, 30 years ago I knew the local scene and who to ask when I needed something my only connections now are online, I screwed up and left important information out of my original post so folks are trying to give me general suggestions that are completely useless because I don't know how to edit that post since it already published. I knew it was a mistake to ask for help here but when reading thru the forum I do occasionally see good information so I chanced it.. bad idea

jsigone

time to buy once and cry once

Get a $2000 bike with decent wheel

or get a $500 bike is crappy wheels that you need to upgrade and oh your spring fork sucks and the drivetrain is still 8 speed when most are in the 10 or 11spd range these days. $500 for a decent fork, another $300+ for drivetrain.



As I suggest to others getting into the hobby/sport/lifestyle
$500 to play and see if you like it, resell on craigslist for 30% loss if you don't like it
$1200 gets a nice hardtail with good $4-500 value fork and better drive train, better wheelset but still 32h (rebuild with thicker spokes to save $$$$)
$2000 min gets you above with full suspension. You're paying for name and rear suspension design. $3k is a better real world price point this days

If you get sucked into this hobby/sport/lifestyle....you may have a few of these bike and tend to learn a thing or two like not trying to enter downhill races on a $300 hardtail with 80mm fork yah that was me WAAAY back in the days

Till than ride what you got til you get something better, ride the snot out of it before you get something better, repeat as needed...per bike style

squirtdad

FWIW i am at 260 (been as high as 285) and have had no problem with 32 spoke wheels on road bikes. I also do not jump curbs and get off the saddle and use my legs to ride over bumps etc.

my wheels are not super fancy, but I use double butted, good quality spokes (if i build or if I buy)

I am of the opinion that many clydes are better served with a good quality 32 rim wheel than with cheaper 36 hole wheel. ymmv

LiquorLad

"I realize that cycling is full of150 pound weightweenies that think they can get faster by shaving an ounce off the weight of their ride rather than working a little harder to improve the engine"

All I see is fat to obese cyclists. Explains why the 150lb weighweeniers who need to "improve the engine" have no problems dropping you.

gsa103

Is there any evidence that a 36h wheel is actually superior? Theoretically, its marginally stronger, but I suspect the differences are much smaller than differences due to build quality.
Modern 32h wheels are used for basically everything, including XC and DH mountain biking. Yes, the riders are lighter but they're moving way faster.

Plenty of ~170lbs riders have no issues on 20 or 24 spoke 700c road wheels. The larger volume, lower pressure and smaller diameter of 26in wheel makes them even stronger.

Clyde1820

^ I've got a set made by this same group, same config, on a Trek DS. Bomb-proof build, so far. Lots of potholes, rougher sections of MUP/road, in all weather. Not exactly a lightweight setup, but not a creak or peep out of them. Have had ~300lbs (gear+bike+rider) on them. And, the price is right.

HerrKaLeun

What makes you think it will fail? If 32 spokes would be under-engineered, you would know by now. As others have mentioned, the overall quality is more important than just adding 4 spokes to get to 36.

Unless I'm missing something, buying new wheels sounds like a solution in search of a problem.

Just ride them till they fail (if ever).

keg61

because it's a cheapo bike with machine built wheels, I weigh 350 pounds and I don't "spin" I mash the pedals

keg61

I screwed up my original post and y'all didn't get the info that my frame has 130 rear dropouts not 135 so I'm very limited as to what wheels I can use, I weigh 350 pounds by myself, yes Iknow how bad that sounds but I'm ok with it, I used to be over 400. I found what I need at Niagra Cycle nearBuffalo NY, if I live long enough to outlast their notoriously slow shipping

keg61

I do like the looks of those wheels, if Nashbar has a good enough July 4 sale, I might just buy another ride and demote my current one to training duty

brawlo

I've been riding my Scott HT 29er for a while now doing some fairly decelnt drop offs and jumps on the stock 32sp wheelset. When I purchased the bike I expected they wouldn't be strong enough and started on the bike expecting them to fail at any minute. Well, they're still going strong and true and I was tipping the scales at 290lb but down to 250 these days. 32sp is likely stronger than you think

elcruxio

So you don't actually need 36 spokes, you need a set of handbuilt wheels. Because if the wheels are machine built and also poorly specced, no amount of spokes are going to make them durable.

Also, 32 spokes on 26" wheels is plenty if the wheel is built well enough, even if the rear spacing is 130mm. I rode 4000 miles through Europe last summer with a combined weight of me, gear and bike of 330lbs. Having a lot of weight strapped on the bike is worse for the wheels since you can't unweigh that, only yourself. I have 36 spoke 28" wheels which I built myself and they did not go out of true once on the trip. My wife had 36 spoke Trek machine built wheels which I had looked over, stress relieved, balanced tensions and trued. They needed truing and a spoke broke in the rear wheel. Her bike, gear and herself weighed less than I do naked.
And we were not easy on the wheels either. We rode some seriously bad roads, cobbles, singletrack, gravel, you name it.

Edit: Oh yes! I also had a point!
So a 32 spoke wheel at 26" with 130mm spacing is as strong if not stronger than a 36 spoke wheel at 28" and 135mm rear spacing.
You see the spokes are pretty much the same distance apart on the rim with these two wheels. Also the advantage of a 26" wheel is better spoke bracing angles since the rim is nearer to the hub.
36 spokes in a 26" wheel is getting near the tradeoff limit where you are actually making the wheel weaker. It's counter intuitive, but what ends up happening is that with a 36 spoke wheel you start having so many holes in the rim that you're starting to weaken it. This can lead to the rim splitting in half in the middle, especially if you're heavy and thus need to use higher tire pressures. So if you decide to go 36 spokes, be sure to take a monster strong thick rim that has enough beef in the middle that it won't split.

DMC707

Have a dual suspended Yeti 29'er with 28 hole RaceFace wheels --- I have had them tried a couple of times, but I have also took them down some aggressive blue trails at 2 different ski slope/ downhill parks ---------- at the time I weighed 335- The wheels had some flex, but nothing to complain about at all