donalson

so I picked up an '06 giant TCR2 road bike a little while back with plans of stealing parts for an eventual road bike build... untill I can buy my desired frame I intend on using it but it has an odd ball low spoke wheelset that I don't trust, so for it to be rideable those will need to be replaced (and will move to the next frameset I build up... there are a few options I could go with.

first i'm just over 300#... and will be running 25 or 28c tires (largest the frame will fit) but these will move to the next frame and will run 28 or 32 (again the largest the frame will fit), this will be a fair weather bike used mostly for quicker group rides.

so the wheelsets I'm looking at are these

Vuelta Corsa HD - 36h, inexpensive, and appear to hold up well for heavy guys but they are heavy and no name hubs... https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...72_-1___202478

the other wheels are all Velomine wheels on ebay with Shimano hubs.

options we've got based on my budget are...
Velocity A23 32h 105hubs https://www.ebay.com/itm/271235735902...84.m1423.l2649

mavic open pro 36h 105 hubs https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-105-...item4d0e2ace40

velocity deep V 32h 105 hubs
https://www.ebay.com/itm/271190576046...84.m1423.l2648

I'm leaning towards the a23 for the wider rim... on my MTB i run wide rims (and now on the surly disc trucker)... 28mm wide rims on 32c tires gives a wide 32c... a true 25c tire is almost 28mm wide on the 23mm rims from what i've researched.

the deep V is an obvious choice for it's strength...
I question the strenght of the mavic open pro rim... but it has 36h going for it.
the a23 seems like a decent compromise of strength, weight and width
the nashbar wheel is the most inexpensive option of the bunch but I question it's quality even more then these other wheels... but I could splurge a little bit on better tires if I got these

so please give me your thoughts...
thanks
mark

donalson

oh the other tidbit on the wider rim is that the tire will be every so slightly shorter (stretchs the tire wider so it will be shorter)... so that might just give me enough room to run the larger 28c tire that I want to run... but I still have no clue how large a 28 really is relative to my current frame :-/

2 wheeler

I like the price and color of the Vueltas; the reviews are very good, as well. It's hard to go wrong with these, IMO.

bigfred 

Of the options you've presented I would be choosing between the DeepVs and the A23s.

bikemig 

Both the velocity a23 and the mavic open pro are fairly lightweight clinchers. I'm skeptical that they are a good choice for the OP. I like Peter White's rant on this: https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp

The vuelta corsa hds are a good choice; otherwise I'd think of having a pair of 36 hole mavic a319 or 719 rims built up on the hubs of the OP's choice.

I'm also skeptical of buying wheels from ebay. A lot depends here on quality of the wheel build; I'd get the wheels from someone I trust.

adrien

what's the budget?

second the point on ebay wheels. But if you really want wider rims, check out H plus Son archetypes. A quick search revealed these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/H-Plus-Son-A...item3a8360aac1

Deeper than a23, and nicely made rims.

donalson

the closer I can stay to $200 (which I know is nothing for a wheelset) the better.

PhotoJoe 

I know it's just their opinion, but I like to check the opinion of Pro Wheel Builder. I entered Fitness riding/245 lbs.

https://www.prowheelbuilder.com

They show what they claim to be strength ratings for each rim. I doubt it's gospel-truth, but they know more than I do!

bigfred 

Why not Velocity Dyads instead of the A23s?

donalson

thanks for that link... deep V 32h is 4 of 5 strenght and "recomended" for my weight as long as it's unloaded touring or jus street riding... basicly same build velomine has even (14g spokes DT spokes/105 hubs)... if I moved to loaded they recomend me moving to 36h...

so good stuff

lenny866

I have the Vuelta HDs and they are heavy, but bomb proof. I use them for training rides and winter wheels, on by second bike. I have over 2500 miles and they are as true as the day I got them.

I also have wheels from Velomine and I am happy with the build. I would buy from him again.

I would go for 36 spoke wheels (for maximum strength) and as a clyde, would stay away from the open pro.

clamasters

Vuelta Corsa HD. I've been running mine for 2 months+ right now and according to Strava I have about 500 miles on them. I'm 265 right now and when I started I was 285. They do not bat an eye under load. I'm not very gentle on them either. I even took them on an a singletrack course a few weeks back. Once I get down to 220 I'll reward myself with a lighter wheelset and use these for training/cross.

jc650

I've had the Vuelta Corsa HD's for a year now and can't complain about them at all. I have bad roads and at my heaviest was 305 riding them. They're not light but neither am I though I am down to around 260 now. If I want a lighter ride I just lose a pound instead of worrying about light wheels!

ill.clyde

I'm intrigued by the Corsas ... kicking around the idea of getting them for my CX bike as a second set (one with tires for commuting, the other for CX tires) ....

And FWIW, I bought a pair of Fulcrum Racing 7s off ebay and I haven't had to true them yet (probably will at the end of this year as a matter of course). If you're careful about who you buy from, you should be ok.

softreset

I picked up a pair as well recently (extremely cheap) and I'm hesitant to throw my 280lbs. frame on top of them. If you don't mind me asking, has your success with these been at a similar weight range?

CACycling

I've got the A23s on Ultegra hubs and love them. I'm "only" around 230 lbs. so YMMV.

ill.clyde

When I bought them I was around 260 ... right now I'm around 275. I've never had a concern.

Make sure you're running a quality tire (I'm currently running Maxxis Detonators) on them, keep the pressures topped off and ride defensively (i.e., not through every pothole or across whatever bumpy road hazzards you find) and you'll be fine.

Black wallnut 

I've got some opinions on what Peter White has to say as well and frankly it struck me as elitist. He seems to think that only skinny folks should race, yeah whatever......

At the OP's price point and details I foresee wheel problems long term. IMHO the build is more important than components used. Machine built wheels may work or they may not. A machine built wheel that has a human properly tension and stress relive the spokes has a much better chance and that is likely to cost more than $200. I also think that if money is tight you may be better served in only upgrading the rear with your whole wheel budget. I bought an off the shelf $40 front wheel from my LBS that has given me 3K plus miles so far on my hybrid.

Drew Eckhardt 

That's the best option. Deep Vs are a very stiff (beam stiffness is proportional to the cube of thickness) rim that will be hard to bend.Velocity also makes the Chukker which is essentially the same profile in a 23mm width. I would be happier with butted spokes which maintain tension with more rim deflection.

I'd pass on anything not using a commodity rim. When you bend one or wear out the brake tracks it's real nice to pickup a new rim for $50-$75, tape it to old one, and move spokes over one at a time.

The slightly lighter Reflex clincher was a fine 400g rim for 150 pound cyclists. I bent one which had survived for over a decade almost immediately after breaking my leg and resuming riding while weighing over 200 pounds.

The Open Pro is still a shallow box section rim that doesn't way much and unlikely to stand up. The A23 addresses the same light and shallow market segment making it a sub-optimal choice.

You _really_ need to stress relieve the spokes and get the wheels up to high uniform tension (the rear non-drive side ends up at whatever it takes to center the wheel).

softreset

That's good to know. They're a temporary wheel set until a more appropriate one arrives with the bike I just purchased but I'm impatient and want to ride before the weekend.