I'm slowly getting into self-supported touring; slowly due to time commitments. I have an overnight ride in July, a 5 day ride next year, and a 650 mile ride in 2017. I currently ride a Diamondback hybrid with 700 x 28 tires. It's all I can afford for several more years. I would like to replace my rear tire (32 spokes) with one with 40 spokes before the 650 mile ride. I currently weigh 240 (working on it), so me plus gear would be a heavy load. So my question is; can you recommend a good place to buy such a wheel?

I'm guessing that a 40 spoke 700 would have to be custom built. Think $$$s. Go for 36 spokes. Widely available. Any decent bike shop can fix you up. Ride for a few days and have the spokes re-tensioned.

BTW, nothing wrong at all with a hybrid for touring. Or with 28c tires as long as you keep pretty much to pavement. Most will recommend at least 32c, but other than slighty more comfortable on rough pavement, I've not found any advantage. They do weigh more.

I just bought these for the same purpose:

Sun Rhyno Lite 40H 29er MTB Commuter Wheelset 6 BOLT DISC [740429] - $149.00 Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike

They seem fine to me. I checked them on the truing stand and they seem fine. I haven't put any heavy miles on them so far though.

I have no personal experience with Velomine but some of the picky folks in the SSFG forum give them high marks for making good wheels at a fair price.. I don't think I'd be afraid to give them a try.

If you get a wheel, make sure you get the correct dropout spacing. A 40 spoke wheel is more common on a tandem, so you might inadvertently buy a wheel with tandem dropout spacing.

Bicycle Frame/Hub Spacing

As noted by others, this is likely an expensive wheel, partly because it is unusual. I agree with Cyclebum that 36 spoke should be adequate if it is a well built wheel with a good rim.

I've had good luck with Velo-Mine. I bought a set of Shimano Ultegra 6800 hubs with Velocity A23 rims 32 spokes for my wife's cross/tour bike. They've been perfect. I also bought a set of Shimano 105 5700 hubs with 36 spoke A23 rims for my cross/tour bike but have not ridden them yet. Both sets are quality built with uniform spoke tension on all spokes. The price was fantastic too, $249 for the Ultegra set F&R and only $199 for the 105 set (on sale). I couldn't buy the parts for that!

nothing wrong with touring on a hybrid if it fits and is comfortable.

more spokes is gooder. with your weight+gear, try for 40, 48 if you can find/afford it.
can you build your own? easy enough following the sheldon brown instructions. if
you can find time, and some used junk parts, you can teach yourself.

in the meantime......bigger tires! 700x35. (or 40 if that will fit between chainstays)
(i thinks) bigger tires reduce the shock and stress on the spokes.

and buy a cheap ($15) platform rack for the front........you can move ten pounds
or so off the rear rack.

perhaps you could borrow a baby-buggy-trailer, migrate all your gear off the rack.

The wheel is the thing your tire goes on, you don't need a 40 spoke wheel. You should have a 32mm+ tire.
This looks good.
Bikeman Quality Wheels Value XL Rear Wheel 700c Shimano 135mm Hub / Velocity NoBS Rim, Raw, 36 hole

Wheels are easy to make, and then the cost of a 40 spoke is basically just the extra spokes. A properly built 36 spoke wheel will work, but the reality is that at our weight, we are close to tandem weights, so why the push back one always gets when the subject comes upof building a solid wheel.

Choice hub, wheelsmith straight 14s and 15s, velocity rim, brass nipples, spoke wrench. If you go that route you can come back here for the easy info on how to stress relieve the wheel for max strength.

Amazon.com : Velocity Dyad Rim, 40h, 700c, Silver MSW : Bike Rims : Sports & Outdoors


Amazon.com : HUB RR WM MT1110 QR SF 9sCAS 40x135 SB BK : Bike Hubs : Sports & Outdoors

My experience with Velomine is quite favorable, I'd try the wheel set in Jarrett2's post. I would use a 32 or a 35 mm tire.

Brad

Get a 36 spoke rear wheel.. Bring Funds If It fails you buy a replacement wheel ..

a Cassette hub Mid price will be fine.. If the rim fails , In The LBS, here, on a popular tour route

we cut a fancy hub out for you to mail home , Or you spend a week end or longer
in a Motel and eat and drink with the locals and other tourists for a Rim and Spokes to be ordered, and the wheel rebuilt.

If you do get a 40 spoke rear , get a 40 spoke front Too, that will be the spare Rim source..
when you damage the rear rim, then you buy a More common front wheel..

When touring, our all-up tandem weight is ~380 lbs. We use 36 spoke wheels with double-butted 14-15 spokes and either Deep-V or Kinlin 279 rims. The deep rims are important. We have toured on cobblestones and have never even needed to true a wheel on tour and have never broken a spoke. We could probably use 32 spoke wheels just fine. The old advice to use more spokes was based on the shallow rims which were in vogue until fairly recently. Then deep rims came on the market.

For what it's worth, I am the same weight and ride I think 36 spoke wheels with no problems. I imagine as long as you don't hit any major potholes that you would be fine.

Rear wheels on tough use bikes are one of the few things I will spend stupid money on. Over the past 17 years I have broken one spoke yet worn out 6 rear wheels. Touring roll weight > 250lbs Commuting roll weight 220lbs.

If you live in a larger city head to one of the shops which caters to commuters. Buy either hand built wheel or prebuilt which was given pre-sale love. Ride on it for two weeks and stop by the shop for a check-up.