Originally Posted by
2 wheeler
I have found that bike manufacturers tend to cut the cost of bikes by using marginal wheelsets, on all but the top tier bikes. My last two bikes had crummy wheels, one of them a Cannondale, on which I broke spokes and had to rebuild the wheels. This was long ago, when I weighed about 185.
My Specialized Allez Elite had Alex wheels; they required constant truing and were "soft" to ride on. I replaced them with some better wheels and got much better performance and lower maintenance.
My advice would be to rebuild the wheels and/or buy a good aftermarket set. If you rebuild your current wheels and buy a good set, you'll have a spare set, just in case you need it.
My Specialized Tricross Sport had Alex wheels and I put over 5000 miles on them before cracking the back rim on a pothole during a fast descent with a loaded pannier. I weigh around 250, and until I hit the pothole the only trouble I had in those 5000+ miles was a single broken spoke. Having hit the pothole I didn't realise I'd cracked the rim, but did find cycling up the next big hill unusually hard. I thought I had an issue with my brakes, but when I mounted the new tyres I'd ordered and gave the wheel a quick spin to make sure the tyre was fully seated I realised it was badly out of true so checked for a broken spoke, then realised the rim was cracked. The front wheel is still in service, although since it doesn't match my new back wheel (which I built myself, figuring the need for a wheel was as good an excuse as I'd ever get to teach myself how to build wheels) it may get replaced in the not too distant future.