fietsbob

one with an electric motor in it .. 2 batteries , you need one on each end .. with a 40 mile range typical ..






...

acidfast7

That's great. But, it's probability function and "being hit" isn't correlated with speed.

Nice hometown. Need to go back to Pittsburgh.

cyccommute 

Your hypothesis is incorrect. Theft and damage that isn't related to wear aren't something you can control for. You can control for wear and storage but not the other situations.

Rims do wear out. Spokes do fatigue. Bearings do get worn. Chains, chainrings and cogs are susceptible to wear. Even disc rotors wear out. It may take a while for it to happen but anything that is subjected to friction will wear out. All these occur at a rate that can be quantified and, more importantly, planned for. You can make a better wheel that will last longer. You can use a chain that might last a bit longer. You can use different drivetrain materials that will stand up to friction better. You can use bearings that are better sealed and last longer.

Theft and damage, on the other hand, are random events and you can't really "plan" for them. You can't build a better wheel and expect it to survive a crash better than any other wheel. You might be able to use a better lock but people will come up with better ways to defeat them. You might be able to build an entire bike that would survive a crash but it would be called a tank and you probably wouldn't want to ride it. On a positive note, it probably wouldn't get stollen either since no one else would want to pedal it.

clengman

I get it. My point was that it is easier for me operate in a defensive mode and to be aware of threats when I'm in gridlocked, downtown, rush hour traffic than it is on a more open road with fast traffic approaching me from behind. In heavy traffic I am either filtering up to the light and navigating intersections from a very visible position where I can make eye contact with everyone else, or I am holding my position in the center of my lane and there's little reason to pass or be passed by other vehicles. So, while I may encounter many more cars, I feel like the probability of colliding with each one is much reduced, and I have much more control over my exposure to dangerous situations.

When I am riding on a higher-speed, suburban through way, I have no chance of keeping up with the flow of traffic, so most of the cars I encounter are approaching me from behind. There is really nothing I can do to protect myself except make myself as visible as possible. The probability of each car colliding with me is entirely determined by the vigilance and judgment of the drivers as they approach me.

In dense traffic, I can make choices that mitigate my risks. In lighter faster moving traffic all I can do is "hope and pray." And I'm not a prayerful man.

Thanks. I love it here. I came here for grad school 20 years ago and have made it my home.

cyccommute 

It's slightly more than just a "probability function". There are several factors to take into account that aren't just due to probability. First, speed of the traffic can be a contributing factor. The reaction times of the driver and the cyclist are lessened so the possibility of a random drift of either resulting in a crash is higher. At slower speeds, there is less possibility that a random drift will cause an accident.

A nonprobabilistic factor to consider when traffic is moving faster is the "right of ownership" idea. Motorists are trained to think that the higher the speed, the less "right" a non-motorist has to to the road. Certain roads that have higher speed limits are either legally "off limits" or colloquially "off limits". A three lane arterial that has a 40 to 45 mph speed limit may have enough width for a bicyclist to use one of those lanes but woe be it to the bicyclist that tries to ride there. That same three lane road in a city center moves at 1/2 to 1/4th the speed and bicyclists can more easily navigate the roadway and might even be expected...or at least tolerated...on that kind of road.

An additional nonprobabilistic factor is motorist situational "blindness". It's related to the "right of ownership" idea but slightly less intentional. As speeds increase, motorist become more overwhelmed by the sensory input. Cyclists (and pedestrians) become too small a target to notice and turning in front of an oncoming cyclist becomes more common place. They don't expect to see you there and, thus, you aren't there. The most common car/bicycle crash in the US is left turns across the bicyclist line of travel. I've been tagged that way myself. The motorist simply didn't see me until I was sliding across his hood.

Of course, again, this has nothing to do with wear and tear on bicycles or bicycle wheels which was what Hatsuwr original question was about.

acidfast7

I'm saying that the average wheel is already overbuilt and that an increase in the quality yields no net gain. The asymptotic probabilistic level of a component-destroying accident should dictate the level to which a component is built. Where I live, I would expect a crash/theft every five years, thus it's not worth paying for something that lasts longer than five years. This asymptotic probability is chosen based on traffic density and bicycle population.

noglider 

I've been riding a bike for a long time, and I've had only one incident where a collision damaged a wheel or frame, and in my case, it damaged both. That was in 1982. I don't have statistics, but I think a collision-caused failure occurs less often than once every five years.

I don't lock my bike in public that often, so I can't speak much of damage done at a bike rack. I've had plenty of bikes stolen, though, so that is a very serious risk. And lots of people leave their bikes locked up in my neighborhood 24 hours a day. They get cannibalized a lot.

acidfast7

If you look at the photo I posted in the photo tag thread and I see one bike stolen or cannibalised / month from that area. Currently, there are two being cannibalised and slowly getting whittled down to frame only. Yet, people stick lock them up there overnight or over the weekend, which boggles my mind.

CliffordK

Little things can cause annoying damage too.

I hit a bad road crack 10 or 15 years ago. Took me down. I trued the wheel several times, but my Wolber became my Wobbler.

Another road crack a couple of years ago, I thought I was OK. Did an intense hill climb ride, and my rear wheel was sure making funny noises at me. I later noticed a couple of spokes pulling through the rim.

Oh, and the last time I tried riding no-hands as a kid, I had to do the walk of shame home.

Hatsuwr

Alright, today's the day! Any last thoughts on the wheels? Looking at 2018 Ksyrium Elite's since they seem the same as the 2019 model except for price.

Hatsuwr

Got them and they are awesome. Shout out to Brands Cycle for great prices ($475 for the set!) and free shipping that took less than 48 hours.

PatrickGSR94

I'm curious as to why OP thinks a new wheelset is needed immediately, while being new to commuting.

I changed my road bike's stock wheelset to a Vuelta Corsa Pro Lite wheelset (under $250 from Nashbar for the set), dropping nearly 2 pounds in the process. Commute times on my 30 mile RT commute did not change ONE BIT.

I also have a under $150 26" disc only wheelset, yes, less than $150 for BOTH wheels, 32 spoke, 6-bolt disc only, with over 6,000 commuting miles on my e-bike, and have only had 1 broken spoke this whole time. I could stand to replace the bearings in them, but other than that the wheelset has been flawless on my 30 mile RT commute.

Expensive wheels simply are not necessary for a commute.

fietsbob

Still going to take 2+ hours

Hatsuwr

This is why haha:



Suppose I don't need a new set, but it seems they are generally cheaper to buy as a pair. I know I don't need something expensive - or more accurately, something higher quality. However, it's a bit difficult right now to make the time to commute at all. A more efficient ride will mean more frequent riding, and I'm fairly confident the new tires/wheels will lead to a slightly faster commute.


Barely took that long with my old setup! I'll be doing my first ride with the new stuff this week hopefully, so I'll let you know if that changes. To be fair though, I changed a few other things too...

PatrickGSR94

I thought the same thing when I dropped nearly 2 pounds off my road bike's stock wheelset to my new aftermarket wheelset. But it didn't make a darn bit of difference. On a long commute, wind conditions make a far greater difference in your commute time.

But I do agree that a damaged wheel is a problem. I would also replace, and might as well make it lighter!

Nessism

Thoes wheels seem like a excellent deal and all but not exactly commuter wheels. 18/20 spoke count "commuter" wheels strike me as an oxymoron.

Hatsuwr

I almost wish I had only changed the tires/wheels before tackling this commute again so I could measure it. Unfortunately I changed quite a bit that could contribute, plus I've had a longer break from riding that I would like haha. Oh well. Now that they're installed, I just need them to roll. Excited to try my first tubeless ride though.

Ya, it's a bit low. I felt comfortable dropping quite a bit from my the old count, considering how much abuse those took with no issues. Took a SUV to damage them and even then the spokes are fine!
I'll be taking better general care of these, if only because they are less suitable for the occasional off road adventure. Plus, I'll probably be maxing out at 180 lbs / 80 kg excluding the bike for 99% of my rides.
Still, it's my first set with such a low spoke count so here's hoping I'm not about to learn a lesson the hard way!

fietsbob

I'd Avoid dropping a wheel in the trolley tracks or getting hit in traffic , to avoid damaging your wheel

picture in 64 just needs s new rim ...

HardyWeinberg

32 spokes fore/aft, capacity for 28+mm tires sounds totally awesome to me.

PatrickGSR94

FWIW my road bike's current wheelset is 20/24 spoke, has over 10,000 commuting miles, all of which with me in the 200-220 pound range. I broke a spoke nipple a few months ago, but have never broken a spoke. For the ~$250 price tag (or less) the Vuelta Corsa Lite wheelset has been absolutely phenomenal, and weighs just 1,575 grams on my scale.

My only complaint about them is that they're fairly narrow in width, at about 15 mm inside rim width. I run 700x25 tires on them, at around 90/100 psi f/r pressure.

airgreek

I wish my commute was 35 miles

Hatsuwr

Currently too short or too long? I don't mind the length so much as I do the amount of time on roads with crazy drivers.

Just did my first commute and it's unfortunately bumped up to 40 miles due to gate closures at night. I've heard rumors of a bike gate nearby that might be able to shave a couple miles back off though, we'll see.

Right now there are two bike trails that cover 80% of my route. Unfortunately, a river divides them and I'm only able to do about 20% on the trails. They are building a bridge, but I'll be long gone from this job before it is done.

There's also a wildlife refuge that I currently go around to get to work. It has bike trails, but that same river divides it in half and I've yet to find a way to get across. If I do, I could potentially save up to 5 miles each direction and have the majority of the ride be on a pretty great route.