Clyde wheels
 

As a new registered member of this forum I would like to introduce my self...

I am Stephen and I have returned to my favorite sport...Cycling. I weigh 305lbs and have recently started biking again. I like to ride cross country, downhill and some freeride on my mountain bike. I have been > 200 lbs for 15+ years and need to get back into better shape. Back in the late 80's and early 90's I rode a mountain bike and was constantly breaking rear axles and bending both rims. I upgraded to Phil Wood hubs and Weinmann Concave rims with Stainless Steel eyelets. The rim bending and axle breaking days were over...

Fast forward 17 years... I am riding again and need some cost effective heavy duty rims/hubs. I am running disc brakes. I would really like to find a pair of those Weinmann rims again (26" x 1.95" actual rim width, double wall, black with machined sidewalls), Anyone know where I could find these? I don't even remember them model # to begin searching. I have asked the LBS where I purchased the rims back in 1989 and they don't remember anything about them other than "yeah, I remember those rims"... I am sure there are current rims that are as strong, but these rims fit my personality... I am open to other suggestions, but, hope someone knows where a pair of these are in decent shape.

btw, I like to ride with my two teenage boys and do not want to seem like a wimp when it comes to the jumps, etc... I just need gear that will hold up...

Here are some pictures of similar Weinmann Rims (not the ones I am looking for, just for reference). These pics are of Weinmann Concave 522 rims that were standard on the 1988 Schwinn High Sierra and are 1.125" wide. I am looking rims that look similar ,but are 1.95" wide, have stainless steel eyelets and machined sidewalls. Thanks for any help.

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/6283808-lg.jpg
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/6283804-lg.jpg

Hey, I remember those rims, too... But I dunno where you're going to find them today.
The good news is that there are plenty of strong rims out there, and you shouldn't have any trouble getting fixed up.
I haven't been to 300 pounds, but I was at 270 for awhile and hardly ever had wheel problems on my road or mountain bikes as long as I didn't go Stupid Lite. Any fairly stout rim would work, but absolutely avoid anything with fewer than 32 spokes (I have 36s on everything now), and use good-sized tires at a modest pressure--you don't want 26x1.0 at 100 psi. I ride mostly 700x35 or larger on the street; the mountain bike equivalent would be 26x1.5 or bigger (I don't use road tires on my MB because I have three road bikes, but if you do, don't go too skinny). If you buy new wheels and your bike shop can't recommend something strong enough, I'd look for a different shop.
The jumps, incidentally, are a bad idea. You're going to break something eventually, probably a collarbone.

Thanks for the reply.

I have read through the Clydesdale/Athena wheel threads and did not find much for the serious mountain biker. I ride my mountain bike both on and off road. I want something that will handle small jumps, rough terrain and my weight without bending, cracking or failing completely. The rims I pictured are 32h and I will probably build them into some decent hubs soon. My bike tires are Kenda Nevegal and I think they can take pressures up to 60psi. I usually ride them at 50psi for a little damping off road. The bike shop wants me to buy the more expensive ones (>$500) and I want to find some Weinmann's like I described. As for the jumps, my boys look up to me and that is part of it... I enjoy the hard off road riding, and they as well. I hope that it does not come down to breaking things other than the bike. :D

Someone...Anyone...The Weinmann rims...Help?

http://harriscyclery.net/itemlist.cfm?category=253


Sounds like these guys can help you and of course, Sheldon Brown is a legend!

Those look like road rims. I am looking for Mountain Bike rims. These rims are made in Taiwan (http://www.bicyclesb2b.com/work/serv...76&industry=BI). I am looking for the rims that were made in Belgium circa 1988-1991'ish... They look similar to these I linked to above, but wider, machined sidewalls, stainless steel eyelets and double wall construction.