I kind of had a feeling an upgrade may be needed. The shop near me (Robinson's Wheel Works) is reputable, and I am going to see what they say. I am hoping that maybe we can go with some stronger spokes and see how it goes. To answer Steve B, they are 28 spoke from what I found online. I really want a set of Mavic Cosmic carbon fibre pro SL C rims, but they just cost so much and my Christmas bonus is going towards bills and new tires for the wife's SUV. I may have to sell a few items of my model railroad off to fund some wheels lol.