dkyser

I am still loosing weight but really want to get back out riding even in this horrible weather.
I am just now getting down to 350# from #386 at Christmas. I am either going to get a Mountain Bike or beefier wheels for my Trek Ion Pro which has 18H front and 24H back race wheels.

Would these wheels be a good choice? Velocity Deep V Double Wall

If those are not what I want, would you give me some ideas of what I should be looking at.
Thanks

thrllskr

I would look into whether these rims are welded or pinned. If I remember correctly Velocity pins the rim opposed to welding.
Keep in mind pinned rims will not affect the life of the rim. However, personally I have found they pulse when braking. Also keep in mind black and anodized metals are not as strong (minor point).

JerrySTL

First thing is to check whether the manufacturer has a weight limit for their wheels. Some do.

Next look for a well built wheel. The best parts with a sloppy build is going to be problems.

Then I'd look for the number of spokes. 32 minimum and maybe 36 spokes.

I'd recommend Mavic Open Pro or CXP33 rims with at least 32 spokes. I use 32 spoke OPs myself.

Pamestique 

I have those same rims (with 32 spokes) on all my road bikes... bomb proof but responsive. Highly recommend and the custom build (depending on the hubs) won't be much more than production wheels...

IAMAMRA

I have Vic-19 and toughs as nails

Black wallnut 

The Velocity deep v is a great wheel and not too expensive. I built a set,same hubs and hoops, not sure about spokes, and it cost me more than that. Interesting negative feedback on that seller. If you order you might give it some thought to having a reputable local wheel builder stress relive and true/ re tension the set.

corwin1968

I'm heavier than you and most of my bicycle related reading pertains to heavy riders, touring and off-road riding and I've never heard anything but high praise for Velocity rims. Velocity & Mavic seem to be the go-to manufacturers when bombproof wheels are needed. I'm 400+ lbs and I'm riding wheels built with Velocity Dyad rims, which I think are just a bit shallower than the deep-v's you linked.

Get good rims, good heavy duty hubs, good (DTSwiss) spokes with brass nipples and most importantly, a wheel builder who knows what they are doing. I couldn't find any local references for wheelbuilding so I went online and found someone who builds wheels full-time.....over 6000 of them as of about 1.5 years ago. I told him my weight and riding style and he built an appropriate wheelset for me.

arex

+1.

I had wheels built for my mountain bike last year, based on 32H Mavic rims (shop around for best price), old XT hubs, and DT Swiss spokes, and they've been holding up really well. In retrospect, I should've gone with more spokes (36 or 40), but the 32's have been doing fine so far.

It's amazing how nice a decent set of wheels can be. They don't need to be absolute top-of-the-line or anything, just decent.

IAMAMRA

Had the name wrong lol here is what I have https://www.amazon.com/Weinmann-ZAC19...ds=Weinmann+12

dkyser

Thanks everyone for the information, glad I asked.

adrien

Hello...

At your weight, I would not recommend box-shaped rims (like Open Pros). I personally am 210, 6'3, and had two sets of Open pros. They were a pain.

A deeper rim -- like a DT RR585, a Velocity deep V, Kinlins, Ambrosio FCS28s, or maybe a deep and wide rim like H Plus Son Archetypes will build up stronger, for two reasons. First, a shorter spoke length will help. Second, the depth of the rim and its shape added significant strength -- think of it as an arch that goes all the way around.

I'd not only suggest the above, but I'd go 36, 3x, brass nipples. With that and something well built (spoke prep and tension cycles are important) and solid spokes, you should be fine. In addition, the wheels will feel very different, as will the bike. Depending on your budget, you could even go with bladed spokes if you felt like it.

chriskmurray

Deep V is a pretty well respected rim in the tandem world so you would be fine if you want to run narrower tires, if you want to go with wider tires the Dyad is another great choice. I am a huge Velocity fan and have built up countless Velocity rims, all with great results.

Other than that, quality spokes and a good builder will make the difference between constantly breaking spokes and thousands of trouble free miles.

Bill Kapaun

The problem I potentially see with those wheels is the builder.
I bought a cheap Wheelmaster wheel for a CL flipper, since the wheel was cheaper than buying the parts.

The spokes were 2mm shorter than they should have been.
Every other spoke per side only had about 1/2 the proper tension.
No name spokes

Wheel quality is extremely dependent on BUILD quality!

I'm not sure what width rims the bike has, but it appears to use a 34mm tire?
With rim brakes, you don't want to deviate too much from factory width.
I put much narrower rims on my hybrid. I had to move/add spacers to get the brake pads closer to the point that I'm kind of on the ragged edge of having enough threads on the pad stud.

Peter White uses Sun Rims CR-18 for tandems. (amongst his offerings)
That could be a lower priced rim that is still suitable for your use.

Having the spokes PROPERLY tensioned can make the difference between a crap wheel and a GOOD wheel.

stevel610 

I have a set of 105 hubs with Open Sport (not pro) rims from Performance Bike. They work well. I'm 235#. You will have to have them tensioned or do it yourself like I did. I was getting a little wheel flex type brake rubbing when pressing hard up hills. I turned each spoke about 1/16th of a turn and no issues since.

When I first saw your post title I thought "a 36 or 40 spoke wheel". Rim not so dependent as how well it is supported. Though as someone else said the Sun CR-18 is a good rim. I've had no problems with the wheel I had built with it.

Barrettscv 

I would go with a 40 or 36 hole Velocity Dyad rim or Sun CR18. I have both. The quality is a little higher on the Dyad. This rim is easier to build into a true wheel. The Sun CR18 is a best-value alternative. The CR-18 can be just as strong a rim as the Dyad, but the builder needs to expertly tension and true the rim to the highest standard.

Shimano 105 hubs are strong enough and are available in a 36 hole model.

brad0383

I started out at the same weight as you started. In a year I am down to 320. I am buying a new road bike as soon as the snow melts. After much research on the internet and talking to fellow riders I settled on the Velocity Deep V's. I purchased these wheels today actually from Velo Mine after reading on here that they are a good shop. I contacted them and they are going to true and tension these before they ship. Take a look:

https://www.velomine.com/index.php?ma...oducts_id=2512

dkyser

Thanks, I may give them a call. How do you like these wheels?

brad0383

I don't have many miles on them yet but so far so good. Velomine was a good shop to work with.

donalson

I just had a wheel built up with a 36h velicity chukker for my touring bike... 300lb rider, 35lb bike + load... it's the wider version of the Deep V

I went to a few places to get opinions
Peter White Cycles Home Page and CUSTOM WHEEL BUILDING PROGRAM you pick it we build it PROWHEELBUILDER being the two big ones... based on my load and tire width it's what both recommended... so you might ask them and see what they have to say

deep V's seem to be popular for big boys that use smaller road tires... check out for a nice price on them, 105 hubs and DT spokes Velocity Deep V Black 36 Hole Wheelset Shimano 105 Hubs [0072774668847] - $219.00 Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike

the most budget big guy wheels I've seen are these from nashbar @ $150 Nashbar - Welcome!

whatever you go with... the wheel strength comes from two major portions, the rim and the amount of spokes, a box section rim shape is going to be more flexy then one with a deeper V shape if made of the same material... but if it's poorly built/unevenly tensioned it's not going to be long before you are dealing with broken spokes

Null66

Well, I've spent a lot more for a lot less.

abstruse

I has a backwheel built when i was like 420. It's a Rigida Grizzly Rimm, Hope 3 hub and DT Alpine 3 spokes.
This has hold up to alot of abuse and still is perfectly true!
Cost about € 325

DMC707

Those appear to be a solid choice --- they have Ultegra hub wheels too for a little more -- I was wondering if Shimano even made component hubs anymore with the popularity of the pre-built wheels

dkyser

Thanks for all the great info, now that I am starting to ride more I am getting some wheels for sure. Not that my stock wheels are not holding up, but they are really nice race wheels and I am not going to junk them when I can invest a little and get some better wheels for my size and save the race wheels for when I am down 50-60# or even sell them.