serealport

i got a road bike about a month ago and in that month i have covered about 400 miles (commute to work) but also figured out that i may be very hard on rims.

the front rim has a slight curve/bump in it that i can see while riding. and today the back one started to fall apart. a spoke came out of the rim. the back rim had a slight wave in it and had been like that for about week

so what kind of tires /rims can i get that will stand up to abuse

also the bike is (I believe an early 80) raleigh record

M_FactorX19

what kind of abuse are you putting them threw?

miyata man

Look on craigslist for some lower end wheels that were taken off of a new bike for the economy route. The only trouble could be that the bike had slightly larger 27" wheels so your brake pads may not reach the 700c rims. Look at the slot where the nut which holds the pad in place is. If you have a good cm or two below it you should be good. Otherwise you will need to buy long reach brakes.

The other option is to have your local bike shop rebuild the wheels you have already.

serealport

i think one of the problems is that i do not really understand what kind of abuse im putting them trough. i travel across asphalt roads mostly (though many of them are quite old/ messed up)

and i have only been riding a road type bike for a month or so. i used to ride my mountain bike through the woods and trails around town so the only thing i can guess is that i ride like im on a mtn bike

also would going off curbs do this to a bike? i dont really know how durable road rims are
(and is there a special way to post pictures here)


i guess my main question is when i replace these rims what should i be looking for and are there any brands or types that will take more of the bad roads/habits

AChristie

Road bikes in general aren't ideal for commuting or rough roads.
For the price of wheels and tires, you could find a decent, used MTB or hybrid.

A friend of mine has been commuting for 20 years buying a new MTB from WalMart (shudder) nearly every year.
Less than $100 a pop. He's happy, go figure.

MikeyBoyAz

you can bump up your tire diameter... run high pressure.... other than that...

vespoli

Yes. Don't go diving up/down curbs like you're on a mountain bike. As far as upgraded wheels, you may be a little limited because I bet your bike has 27" wheels, not 700c, so there's a size differences. I'll say the standard: If you are looking for reasonably light, strong wheels, get something handbuilt with a bunch of spokes. Mavic Open Pros laced to Ultegra hubs are fairly popular, and you can get 32/36 spokes if you need to.

That said, you may find you commute better on a mountain bike, or that you decided you want to enter the new millenium and pick up a modern, 700c bicycle a little later on.

EDIT: How much do you weigh? What tire size and pressure do you run?

dave1442397

I commuted on a 1981 Raleigh Record for five years (before it got stolen) and never had an issue with the wheels. I was on a lot of rough country roads and city streets, and just kept the tires pumped up and tried to avoid what i could. I wouldn't go off curbs unless it was very slowly.

As others said, it could be a weight issue. I was probably in the 160lb range at the time.

My wheels were definitely 27", not 700C. If you have the Record with the numbered 'click' shifters on the handlebars it's probably the same.

serealport

1, im not sure about the year because all i have to go by is google images
2, my tires are kenda (32 - 6-30) 27 X 1.25 max press. 90psi
3, i think i was running at about 60 psi
4, i weigh about 180 pounds but im not going to lose much weight (30lbs max)
5, have gone down curb fast but have never gone up a curb (besides walking the bike over it)

also i had someone give me a schwinn mesa runner so that will be the bike i ride until i can get my bike back up and running. so do you guys have any suggestions for making sure that i keep this bike okay so i dont mess up the rims on it? it is a heavier bike and has bigger wheels so i feel it will hold up better untill i can train myself


and thanks for the commnts