Hello all. My rear wheel grenaded so I am in the market for some new rims. I wanted to switch from v-brakes to discs so I was looking at a set. I pretty much decided on the Rhyno Lite w/ Shimano XT hubs.

I am wondering what the difference is between the welded vs non-welded Rhyno Lites are (besides the obvious). I am likely going to order:
https://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com...d&productId=86
or
https://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com...d&productId=31

I weigh 190 so the extra strength might help. And for only $10 I am not terribly concerned, but I like to be an informed consumer and google/forum searches have been for naught.

Thanks.

Welded rims are stronger.

XT / Rhyno Lites are a good combo. They're heavy but durable. Not Freeride durable, but they'll be a good trail wheelset.

I don't think that's the greatest deal though. It doesn't say what kind of spoke they're using. I know jensonusa.com was blowing those out for $140 with the XL rims and DT Swiss spokes at some point earlier this year.

One thing to remember is that those cheap ones you listed are prob. machine built and may not even use good spoke prep. It is 100% worth it to wait and save an extra $40-$60 and have your LBS build a set by hand with Lindseed or spoke prep.

I bought a set of cheap XT/Rhyno lites and they kept loosening up on me. Every once in a while, the spokes were loose enough that I could hear them flex as I rode. I had to pay my LBS to loosen the spokes...prep them with Lindseed...and retension the spokes properly. Then they were a bomber wheelset and only needed that first 100mile retension. After that, I didn't touch them.

A good HANDBUILT wheelset is important. The build quality is what determines the strength. Even spoke tension by a competent builder is crucial to having a wheelset last for years.

I would love to wait for a better deal, but I like to ride my bike to work. I haven't ridden in a week, and I already feel like a fat slob. :-)

I will email those guys to ask what kind of spokes they use. I was already planning on taking to the LBS to have them re-tension them after reading so many posts on this forum.

Well...it's not the "retention" that you really need to worry about. It's the "prep". If they're not prepped properly and initially tentioned / trued properly, then they will loosen up on you frequently. You will be taking trips to your LBS on a regular basis.

My LBS loosened the nipples and dripped lindseed down on the threads. They rebuilt them and they became a strong wheel that "STAYED" strong.

It's a longevity issue.

Linseed oil and various commercially available spoke preparations are not required to build a good wheel, it is the tension that is important.
This tension needs to be achieved without creating spoke wind-up, where the spoke is twisted in the process of tightening it, wound up spokes will unwind in use and become loose. Using a lubricant like gear oil on the spokes and spoke holes will help reduce wind up as will linseed oil but linseed oil also acts like a thread locker which reduces the opportunity for the nipples to back off when the spoke becomes loose. If the wheel is well built in the first place you do not need this thread locking quality as the spokes will not come loose. Having a nipple that does not unwind on a loose spoke is not a sign of a well built wheel.
I have built wheels with and without a lubricant and the only difference I have found is that the nipples are less likely to become siezed later on the lubricated ones so truing the wheel after it has been in use a long time is easier. It has made no difference to their longevity.

Okay...all I know is that the Lindseed oiled wheels never needed a retension after the initial 100mi or so retension.

Thx for the info...I still have much to learn.

Your wheel builder does what works for him/her, it doesn't mean that it is right, wrong or necessary, it is just what they find works. If there were one method that absolutely was the right way to do it then by now everyone would be doing it as the bicycle in its current form has been around for more than 100 years and traditionally spoked wheels have been around equally as long or longer.

Ed-

I pretty much agree with andymac's spin on this. I've built most of my wheels (and my son's) for the last 14 years or so and have never had an issue or a failure other than actually trashing a wheel. I grease the nipples and spoke heads and use Triflow when touching up over the life of the wheel. I learned to back off nipples to take out spoke windup, stress-relieve during buildup, and came to learn what proper tension felt like (no tensiometer).

Just my experience. Hope this helps perspective-wise.

Very much...thx.