Originally Posted by
cyclist2000
Traveling light means not bringing an extra 10 lbs of wheel on the bike, it is similar to ultralight backpacking.
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And it is a little less work to change tires than to drag the extra weight and bulk around for hundreds of miles.
my wheelset comes in around 6lb, plus the stupid crabon fork for attaching- and you could do without the fork with a pretty simple weld job if properly designed. a gallon of water weighs about 8lb..
- if you are already bringing [while touring] spare spokes, and a tire, and a rim, why all the complaining about a weight penalty. I dunno how long it takes any of the master wheelbuilders out there, but it takes me numerous hours [with a nice truing stand] to build a wheel up. on a good day.
I have a friend who comes from Nebraska. he was riding home racing a storm, flatted. he would have loved a spare wheel then! turned out to be a tornado. ya never know. plus I would rather fix a flat at the end of the day sitting around waiting for dinner to cook than in the flooded ditch in Timbuktu.