depeche323

Hi there. New rider here, bought this bike : https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...dtail/820/820/ , the Trek 820. Replaced the seat with something more comfortable. However, in the 18 miles I have rode it, I have bent the wheels twice (not going off of curbs or anything too crazy).

I am 370 lbs, and trying to use this bike to lose weight. My bike shop thinks that the wheels shouldn't be bending, but I am fed up hearing that I must be doing something wrong, and I don't want to keep going back every 10 miles to get the things trued up.

I'm at the point where I am willing to spend a little bit of money to get the wheels upgraded, but I don't want to put myself into the big bucks for something that I am just trying to start doing. It felt great getting back on a bike after being off for so many years, but I'm getting flustered with the thought that I am "too fat to lose weight".

Anyhow, I have read good things about RhynoLite rims, and the Halo wheels (Combat 2?). I really don't want to spend more than $200 or so for the wheelset.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Chris

turtlewoman

When you say that you are "bending the wheels", do you mean literally bending them so that you have to get new wheels or do you mean that they go out of true? If it's a question of them going out of true I would say take them to somebody else or learn to do it yourself because you shouldn't have to true your wheels that often if they are done right the first time. If it's a case of actually destroying the wheel--someone else is going to have to answer that. But I do know that you are not "too fat to lose weight". There are so many people on this forum that have been your size and heavier who have lost weight that I believe you can, too. Good luck with your wheels.

By the way, truing isn't that hard after you do it a few times and get the principle down.

John Bailey

I bought that same bike 3 yrs. ago. I bought it because the internet told me it was built like a tank and me being 270 lbs., I didn't want to get a bike that couldn't handle the weight. At the time, I wasn't using to lose weight and I used it on mountain bike trails - at times harshly. I had the original wheels and they held up fine. It may be that someone has replaced the wheels to try to get less weight and they're not holding up.

I would agree with turtlewoman and I would find someone else to true them, or, do it yourself.

And as far as being "too fat to lose," the only way you're gonna' lose is if you quit. Do a few searches on this forum and you're gonna' find some amazing stories with inspiration for all of us.

You can, and will get that weight off.

John

depeche323

Correct, they are going out of true. I'm not making tacos out of them at this point. I'm just doing normal riding.

depeche323

So, if I get a spoke wrench, is there a common size for the wheels that are on this bike? is there a good way to measure?

late

I agree with the guy that said you need a different shop. There are some incredibly strong Mtn bike rims out there. I don't ride Mtn bikes so I am not familiar with them.
But I am a Clyde. If there isn't a shop, you can get them made by an online retailer.
Get a Shimano LX or DX hub, 36 heavy duty spokes, and a solid rim like the one you mentioned. It will likely need truing up at some point after you get it. I hope there is another shop that isn't too far from you.

On the front wheel, try having the new shop true the wheel. It doesn't get as much abuse, and might be fine with some work.

As to the spoke wrench, I'd let a pro fix the serious problems. After you get a wheel that is good, you can try fixing a small wobble. Wheels can be tricky, which may be why your shop didn't get it right.

Mr. Beanz

I had aTrek 800 or 820,nto zactly sure. Bu the wheels on th site were listed as "alloy hubs". Anything that is "alloy hubs" isn't worth having IMO. I replaced the wheels with a $99 special from Supergo (not around anyhmore). Deore Hubs and Mavic rims. I would spin the wheels and they would spin freely and smoothly compared to the "alloy hubs".

I'd go with a better set. Not hat you shouldn't have problems with the rims going out of true (crooked) but a better set will roll much better and be more enjoyable. I wouldn't waste my time with the stock wheels.

I tried to use mine as an expeimental set, learning how to true, repair etc but found them difficult to work on. That;s when I realized the stock "alloy hub" types are just to hared to work with, turning nipples etc. Ya need something with quality spokes, makes it easier to work with.

Willbrewer

Nashbar has Sun Rhino Lite wheelsets with Deore hubs for $119, regular at $149. Spokes on my current wheels have been breaking too often, so I think I'm going to get a set of these. Right now I'm pushing 280 pounds, and after looking around, these were the best cheap HD wheels I could find.

https://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/st...0052_200262_-1

turtlewoman

Depeche323,
You can get a spoke wrench for under $10 that is a multi-wrench, that is it has a bunch of spoke sizes on one wrench. (Wow, I used wrench three times in one sentence!!) There are a ton of good resources on the internet about truing. Just be careful not to over tension the spokes--that's a whole other problem in itself!

sstorkel

Bicycle Wheel Warehouse often has hand-built wheels available at good prices. They're currently selling Sun Rhyno Lite wheels with XT hubs for $130-140. The $130 set of MTB wheels I bought from them was much better built than the machine-made Mavic wheels I'd previously had on the bike... and the Mavics cost twice as much!

Little Darwin

It sounds to me like a problematic wheel, since I am about your size, and have 3,000+ miles on a Giant Sedona (which has wheels of similar quality). I have had them trued twice, once because of a broken spoke.

I would ask your LBS if they use a tension meter when they true the wheel, as I understand that could help it to hold a true better.

Willbrewer

Hey sstorkel,
Thanks for the tip about bicyclewheelwarehouse. I just ordered the Rhynolites/XT set, which amounted to an upgrade from Deore to XT for just $10 more than I planned to pay. And they are all black, which I really wanted. Only negative is that in the description it says the wheels are drilled for Shraeder valves instead of Presat, but I can live with that. Can't wait to get 'em!

Pinyon

I'm glad that you got the new wheels. They will make a big difference. I used to be about your size, and was simply a lot rougher on my rims than most people. I used to have to true my tires 2-5 times a year, but that was about it. Once I started popping multiple spokes on the same wheel, it was time to replace all of the spokes. You should only have to take those rims in to have the spokes re-tensioned, and trued 3-4 times a year (assuming 5-10 hours riding per week).

As for the valves: you can put presta valves in there with no problem at all. You simply can't squeeze a shrader valve through the smaller holes drilled for presta valves, but both work great on a rim that was drilled for shrader valves. The rubber around the valve is tough-enough to take the pressure just fine.

Have fun with those new rims!

turtlewoman

I just bought a new rear wheel ( a 5) from the LBS. It is a generic, steel 27" because I have an old bike and that's the way it is!! Anywho, the mechanic trued it, dished it, greased the hubs and in general went above and beyond the call of duty for a 30 buck wheel. (Yes, I am very cheap but I take really good care of my cheap stuff and it lasts me forever!) I just wanted to sing the praises of my LBS---Rob and Charlie's, Santa Fe, NM.

Oh, by the way, I have had a couple of beers-----can you tell?!

sstorkel

BTW, make sure you ordered the correct version: for some of their wheels they have separate product listings for disc-brake and rim-brake wheels.

FYI, if you want to use Presta tubes in rims drilled for Shraeder valves, you can buy an adapter that fills the extra space around the valve hole.

mike_mg1212

Hey Willbrewer,
Can you report back your experience with bicyclewheelwarehouse.com ? I am in need of a new wheel set myself so I will be very interested in your experience with them as I am not familiar with them at all. Regarding the original post, I would maybe see if another shop can do a better job on the wheel as I have seen a huge difference in the quality of truing from various shops.

Greg_R

Could this just be a poorly tensioned wheel on a new bike? I would recommend taking it to a shop and have them re-tension both wheels or buy a tension meter and do the work yourself.

John Wilke

Often, new wheels will need to be trued a few times until they settle in. Regardless how much you weigh. Just my experience after 30 yrs of riding.

Willbrewer

Not at all. Drink more next time.

Good point RE the braking options. Mine were compatible for either rim or disk braking. Wish I could upgrade to disk, but my bike isn't compatible. Thanks for adapter link. I knew I needed them but didn't know what they were called.

This is the first time I've used them, and I'll sure let you know how the transaction goes. So far, they've taken my money...

I plan to rebuild my old wheels when I get time. Hubs and rims are good, it's just that the spokes are fatigued and breaking. It'll be nice having two wheelsets, one for road and one for dirt.

Willbrewer

Hey Mike,
I still haven't received my new wheels yet, so I called them today. Seems that bicyclewheelwarehouse kind of "lost" my order. They got my money, and had the order on record, but it didn't get in the system correctly or something.
Anyway, the guy I talked to was real nice, and said he'd build my wheels today and send them out immediately. And he also said that he'd refund the shipping charges, which was above and beyond good service as far as I'm concerned.
So, so far, so good, in spite of the order glitch.

zjrog

Years ago, I had an Iron Horse MTB that I kept breaking spokes on, and wouldn't stay true (or round either). I went with a stiffer rim (wish I could remember it was 18 years ago...), I used a high flange hub and straight gauge 15 gauge spokes in a 4 cross pattern. And THAT was when I was only 210 pounds...

I can't even imagine riding thin spokes or radial laced wheels.

depeche323

Hey all, thanks for your advice! I ended up going and getting a spoke wrench and figured out how to true up the wheels. They're straight now. I went on a 17 mile ride with no issues whatsoever. Turns out the culprit may have been the fact that I was only running 30-40lbs of pressure in the tires. Upped that to 65.... smooth sailing so far!