Greetings fellow Arizonan! I also had issues with my rear wheel not staying true. Last year I had a new wheelset built using 700c Velocity Dyad rims and Phil Wood Touring hubs. 40 spokes on the the rear, 36 spokes up front. These replaced the original 27" wheels on my 1982 Nishiki. I run 32c Panaracer Pasela TG tires on this setup.

This wheelset was designed for loaded touring and is absolutely bomber! I have been extremely pleased with this wheelset and would recommend it for touring bikes, tandems and heavy riders on difficult terrain.

I also considered the Mavic A719 but they are heavy compared to the Dyads, and the A719's were only available at the time in black (I wanted silver rims).

1982 Nishiki Cresta