My rear wheel has died on the doctor's table and I need your extensive knowledge to help me to avoid making the same rubbish purchase again.
I need recommendations/advice on a wheelset (quick release and rim brake) that will survive 15-40 miles per trip involving, as a nature-landscape-loving amateur photographer, cycling over filthy and rough country lanes as part of many of these gallivants. I know such wheels may not have been invented yet, so I'm looking for the least worst option.

Ideally, I'd like the best fit for my Schwalbe Marathon Greenguard 700-32c tyes and Shimano Tiagra HG500 10 Speed Cassette Silver 11-34. Price limit is probably £150 (Ireland/UK) - it may be low but there's likely to be a high casualty rate because of the places I go to and I'd rather not spend my trips worrying about my expensive wheels.

Up your budget and look at "touring" wheelsets

The "high casualty rate " you refer to will be higher with low quality wheels. Rear wheels live a much more difficult life than front wheels. Also, if you have room, consider a wider rear tire

You want to buy cheap wheels because they'll fall apart. Okay. Got it.

Has it occurred to you that they fall apart because they're cheap?

Many "cheap" wheel sets can live a long life if the spokes are properly tensioned BEFORE (or SHORTLY after) putting in service.

Which means that you have to buy them either from someone who can do this or have it done after you buy them

A brilliant observation

I mean that any wheel could easily come to grief, given the wide variety of hazards in the places I encounter.

I'm just pointing out that you're setting yourself up for a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you buy cheap wheels because they may get damaged, then expect your wheels to fail sooner rather than later.

So you are having issues and don't want to have issues and don't want "the same rubbish purchase again" but your budget is low and want to keep it low because you have problems often which is likely causing the issues?

In the end go down to your local shop and see what they have for what you need. Not knowing what sort of axle you need it will be tough to give you a solid recommendation but a wheelset for $150 (or pounds or whatever) is going to get you more of the same. If you want a good reliable wheelset get something that is hand built with good parts and realize yes it will cost more initially but will hold up better. Ideally find something that is 32-36h and a combination that works well together (a lightweight rim with heavier triple butted spokes will not hold up as well as a stout rim with those spokes) Your local shop can likely make some recommendations on either a wheel builder or if they do it in house what parts they would recommend for your riding. If you are looking for a pre-built wheelset look to spend probably 300-500 but know it won't necessarily be as stout. Get a good wheelset and you don't have to worry, try to save a little money initially and you will have more to worry about.

If theft is a concern they make all manner of wheel locks and axles and what not that will prevent people from taking your wheels easily.

The wheel "died on the doctor's table," you say. That could mean that the rim was dented or bent beyond repair (or that the brake pads had worn the rim sides dangerously thin) and you chose not to have the shop replace the rim, or that the hub or freehub internals failed and you chose not to spend the money for repair, and maybe one or two other possibilities.

Machine-built wheels are generally of much better quality than they were even 20 years ago, so buying an inexpensive wheel is not quite the gamble it once was. Your local bike shop can order such a wheel for you, or maybe they have it in stock.

Buying from the shop has a couple of major advantages: for example, they will sell you the right wheel (there are several variables beyond compatibility with rim brakes and quick-release hubs that you would need to know to order a wheel yourself), and they can check the wheel and do any minor truing it might need before selling it to you, and they have all the correct tools to transfer the set of sprockets from the old wheel onto the new one.

Also, if you buy the wheel from them and have them do the installation, they probably won't charge you for adjusting the derailleur for proper indexing. (Although a new wheel theoretically should swap in without the need for adjusting the rear derailleur, the derailleur usually needs a bit of minor adjustment to ensure correct indexing.)

Final thought: if the death of the wheel was a consequence of rim damage from, e.g., riding with insufficient tire pressure or riding blithely into a pothole: don't do that. If you don't have a floor pump with a built-in pressure gauge at home, buy one and use it regularly.

Put all your budget into a rear wheel and you should be fine. Or, are you meaning to replace both wheels (wheelset) for that?

It does seem that knowing why the wheel died on the doctors table would help decide what to look for. As well, it might be that a doctor isn't the person to be taking the injured wheel to. <grin>

Though everyone likes to jump on the cheap stuff doesn't last long band wagon. I've not had any of my cheap wheels crap out on me. Perhaps they did need some adjusting of the spokes early on when put to use.

Depending on where you live, you might do best by using a skilled local builder to build a quality pair of wheels, correctly spec'd to accommodate your preferred tire width, and provide a 50,000mile projected life.

Were you to come to me, I'd build 36h on a rim with an inner width near 20mm, using 14/16g DB spokes with, possibly, slightly thinner spokes for the front and non-drive side. (depending on dish).

There's no reason wheels can't last. I've built hundreds with similar specs, for touring, including my own, and for tandems going cross country.

If hand built isn't a option now, buy wheels with similar spec. focusing of getting high quality hubs. Then, hand building on those hubs next time.

search:

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Shimano Tiagra WH-RS100 Wheelset

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Quality Wheels Value Double-Wall Clincher Wheel

0.00 Reviews No reviews yet; be the first!
$79.00 – to $95.00

Etcetera....

A basic search on Bing brought them up... "700c wheelset"

Thanks - I ordered the rear wheel only as it's very close visually to my Giant SR-2 front wheel. RS vs SR.

Try SPA cycles, in Yorkshire UK. https://spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s240p17...Choice-of-Rims 36 hole Tiagra hub/rim rear wheel for rim brakes, choice of rims,(contact them for recommendations for your use) 130mm quick release axle, handbuilt. 105-140 quid depending on rim choice. Shipping is a little high but minus the VAT to Ireland it works out to only 15BP more than listed price.

Thanks very much for your time, knowledge and patience.