How much weight can they take?
 

I have an 09 Fuji Cross Comp with the standard Rims: Alex DC19, 32H, W/CNC Sidewalls. I weigh about 255lbs. Are the strong enough? A friend of mine is thinking of getting the same rims and he is about 290lbs. The type of biking we do is mostly street with some graded dirt trails and single track thrown in. Any opinion appreciated.

I bought a 2009 FUJI Newest 1.0 back in '09.
It came w/ Alex rims(not sure of the model)
32holes in the rear and 700 X 25 tires. I mostly
commute on this bike in the pothole riddled streets
of New York City. I'm 200lbs with the standard
commuter gear, pump, spare tube, lights, etc.
Less than a month later, spokes started popping.
I ride about 100 miles per week. Decided to go with
a handbuilt Velocity Deep V, problem solved:)
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/...66397830_z.jpg
My wheels are bigger by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

Just a guess, but the rims will probably do fine. I'd worry about the wheel build and the spokes. Specifically, are the spokes tensioned adequately and stress-relieved? Your LBS may be able to help with this, and it might not cost you a fortune.

In short, it's not the equipment; it's the workmanship.

I had an experienced wheel builder build me up some Mavic CXP 33 36h rims with double butted Wheelsmith spokes. Soon after that I crashed hard into a ditch and my old 89 Panasonic DX-2000 and the new wheelset held up in perfect condition. I weighed 235 lbs at the time and didn't do so well myself with two broken ribs.

But I think it's not the rim/spoke combination as much as it is the quality of the build as was mentioned previously. If they are built well, you shouldn't have a problem. I'm just glad I had my wheel builder build me up a known rugged rim/spoke combo. If not, my bike may not have weathered the crash better than I did. :)

+1. I inherited a set of DC19s, they're budget wheels. If they are maintained correctly they'll probably be fine, but they'll always be heavy. My son hard rode them through a few winters, no issues.

Shouldn't be a problem, I'm 250 and ride 28H wheelset without any problems

Thanks for the reply's. I will keep them as they have been great so far (150miles). Hit 1 big pothole that almost made me wreck but wheels are still true!