tech365commuter

Hello everybody!

So I am looking to build up a pair of wheels for the girlfriend. She is about 150lbsish and rides a very small road bike (normal 700c).

The reason I am here is because of her specific bike needs. She commutes year round in all weather. In addition to being a commuter she will semi-regularly haul 40lbs on her rear rack. Groceries and such. She never wants to have to buy wheels again, thus she is looking for something quite durable. Finally, we tour fully loaded (just not that often, she would not carry more than 30ish lbs).

Thus I am interested in what the forum has to think on some of the specific equipment choices.

Here are some initial statements which I would like feedback on.

1) It seems that since these will be custom wheels the front should be different from the back. If for no other reason the back will be carrying most of the weight.
2) MTN hubs seem to be better sealed than road hubs, correct?
3) As long as the parts are all high quality it seems like its more important who builds the wheel.
4) Seems like all the posts are suggesting brass nipples for longevity/durability? correct?

Here are the parts that I have come up with so far:

Rims:
Mavic: a719 565g, cxp 33 470g, Open pro 435g
DT: Swiss RR 585 585g
Velocity: Dyad 480g, Deep V 520g

Rear Hub choices:
XT
105
Ultegra
Phil woods (maybe)

Front Hub choices:
XT
105
Ultegra

I havn't really thought about nipples or spokes. (we run DT swiss at the shop)

I am guessing something like an open pro/Deep V & ultegra would hopefully be fine on the front, where there is little weight bearing. Something like the Dyad/585/a719 and XT on the back.

I am curious to think what people have to say about road/mtn hubs in both the front and the back.

Any and all feedback is welcome.

Thanks for reading!


TLDR: Need suggestions for custom wheels for someone who: is hard on her bike, commutes year round, and hauls a lot of stuff.

Go!

Burton

Hmmmmm ...... I'd generally agree with all of your points except one: when braking, the load on the front wheel can equal or exceed any load on the rear wheel so don't skimp there.

Aside from that Mavic Open Pros are NOT designed for loaded touring. Road racing components tend to use stronger, more exotic materials just so they can use less of them. The objective is something that is strong enough for road racing (a lightweight bike and rider on a closed circuit) with a priority on being as light as possible.


The Mavic A719s are nice but maybe overkill. For all practical purposes a pinned joint is as strong as a welded joint. And I say that owning those rims myself. But if you like them by all means go with that. I'm just saying you don't have to spend that kind of money for a strong rim.


Yup - MTB rims are generally better sealed than road rims but generally the rear axle sizes are also different so you may have to replace an axle if you want to use those XT hubs.

And definitely, regardless of the quality of the parts - its the guy that puts it all together that determines how well it'll stand up to extended use.

sstorkel

I went with Velocity's Synergy OC rims for my touring/commute bike. I feel much better about using a 700x32 or 700x35 tire on these wider rims than I would on something narrow like a Deep V or Open Pro. They're not quite as wide (or heavy) as the Dyad, so you can still squeeze a 700x28 or even (I think) a 700x25 on if you want a "faster" tire. The off-center drilling leads to more even spoke tension, which should improve durability.

I wanted to use disc brakes, so I went with mountain bike hubs. Found XTR hubs on sale for less than the cost of XT, so that's what I went with. I ended up with 32 spokes in front and rear, because that's the only version of the hub that was available. Given my choice, I probably would have gone 28/32 or maybe 32/36 if I were planning to carry a very heavy load.

I always use brass nipples. Aluminum nipples are just too easy to round over, even if you're being careful.

I went with DT Competition double-butted spokes.

fietsbob

Year round? front A Schmidt Dyno hub, low magnetic resistance, on or off.
power for consistently ready to go LED lights. 32 hole,
rear, a Deore LX [assuming an IGH is not in the running,],
steel axles big easy to rebuild 1/4" bearings, ... 36 hole.

CR 18 rims are decent..

bradtx

I love my Open Pros on my roadie, I wouldn't use them on a commuter or tourer. I chose some time tested parts for my tourer's wheelset based on mucho searching of this forum; Alivio hubs, 36H Sun CR18 rims and straight 14 gauge spokes and I'm very happy with them. Another choice and move up the food chain would've been LX hubs and either a Mavic A319 or A719 rim. Choice of a rear hub will depend on the dropout spacing, without swapping axles.

Brad

pdlamb

I've had good luck with a Velocity Dyad and with a Mavic A319?. I guess the A719 would be 400 better...

XT or 105 hubs should do well. Pick which depending on the width of the rear dropout (105 for 130 mm, XT for 135). I doesn't matter much EXCEPT that you might need to correct the dropout alignment (bend the dropouts) or risk them breaking. She can reasonably ask you to repack the bearing annually, or maybe semi-annually if you live in the PNW.

If she's toting 40 pounds around, the weight savings on aluminum nipples is completely insignificant. Go with brass. DT spokes sound fine, you might want to go double-butted on the rear, drive side.

LeeG

40lbs??? Mavic 719 ,319, Alex Adventurer w. 36 spokes and the front wheel can be anything, hub doesn't matter. I'm not a fan of Velocity Synergy or Dyad because the seams are inconsistent and can be grabby.
Honestly a $100 Handspun wheel with Mavic 319 and straight 14g. spokes is a good wheel. It's what I have under my fat 220lb ass on before adding panniers.

sstorkel

If the seams are inconsistent enough to make the brakes grabby, the rim is defective and should be replaced under warranty...

pdlamb

+1.

No grabbing on my Synergy.