abhirama

Hello everybody,

I have a KHS Flite 220 which I intend to use for touring this year.

I plan to get reliable wheels for the bike and my requirements from the wheels will be:
1. Reliability - shouldn't need to true them ever (well, almost)
2. Comfort on bad roads (places I'm going to use these include the Himalayas where the roads are PATHETIC)
3. Durability

after some initial research I'm leaning towards Velocity Dyad rims with Shimano 105 hubs (32f/36r or 36f/36r) and DT comp spokes. I weigh about 95kg and will perhaps have about 30-35 kgs of load (front and rear racks together. 10 kg front and 20 kg rear approximately). I am not quite sure about what lacing pattern to go with to satisfy my requirements. I would like to hear your thoughts on everything - rims, spokes, hubs, lacing patterns, etc. )(everything basically).

I will most likely get it built by an experienced wheelbuilder but I want to be involved in and understand the nuances of the build process as I intend to build a wheelset in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

imi

How about Phil Wood 135 mm touring hubs for field serviceability and DT Alpine III spokes for extra strength?

26" wheels and mtb parts are much easier to get hold of in India I believe.

abhirama

Yes, 26" wheels are easier to get spares for but that isn't a big concern for me. I will stick with 700c. Plus my bike won't take 26" wheels anyway I think.

I've been wanting to try Shimano hubs for a while now and so my final choice may be influenced by that. Thanks for the spoke recommendation. Will look it up. Any thoughts on the number of spokes/lacing part?

ClemY

I am an old guy and a heavy guy, so what I think of as proper wheels and gearing may not be what you would want. For 700c wheels, the Dyad rims should be very good. The specs on the bike list 700x26c tires. I think you may want to be sure the frame will allow larger cross section tires. I am heavy and like 700x37c Vittoria Randonneur Hyper tires. Since you are lighter, 700x32c may be fine, but road conditions suggest the largest cross section you can fit on the frame. If you want bullet proof wheels, more spokes are better. I go with White Industries hubs and 40 spokes. For you 36 would probably be fine. Shimano hubs in whatever price range you want are probably fine. You may want to consider 135mm rear hub. The wheel is more nearly symmetric and stronger than with 130mm. The gearing shown on the spec sheet is also inappropriate. For myself, I favor a triple crank with perhaps 22-32-42 rings. That provides me with adequate highs and lows. A 50-11 combination much higher than I would ever use.

imi

^^ good advice here.
36 spokes is good, unless maybe you're a Clyde.

To be honest, I would suggest you consider buying a 26" expedition bike with mtb gearing.

abhirama

The tires I currently use are Schwalbe Marathon 32c tires and I think there's enough clearance for 35s. I will most likely be using the same tires (and carry a foldable spare tire).

Regarding the hubs, I will read up on the 130mm vs 135mm part. I'm from the roadie world and I've never seen this being discussed.

About the gearing, I have a triple - 52/42/32 and 12-25 at the rear. I will consider switching out the 12-25 for 12-28 or even 12-32.

About spoke lacing, what are all the possible options for a 36 spoked rear wheel and a 32 spoked (or 36 front too?) front wheel? This is something I will read up on but I want to know what is the usual choice for touring wheels.

Finally, I want to know if people usually go clipless or use platforms? I'm tending towards using platforms but I'm curious about what is more common.

@imi
Getting a new bike is ruled out for me. Will try and get this current one to be the best tourer it can be.

imi

My wheels are 3-cross laced, which I believe is pretty standard.

If your drop-outs are 130mm then go with 130mm hubs.105 or Ultegra.
135mm is the mtb standard though touring bikes will often have 135mm, or 132.5mm so both road and mtb hubs can be used.

Schwalbe Marathons are about as bombproof as it gets.

Good to see you have a triple. Is your rear derailleur long cage, i.e can it cope with a wide cassette?

Is your heel clearance to your panniers good?

I ride with platforms and toe-clips MKS GR-9, so as to only need one pair of shoes... YMMV

abhirama

Will check what my dropouts are (edit: they are 130mm). Will check what is the biggest cog the RD can handle.

No problems with heel clearance luckily.

Your wheels are 3-cross front/rear, DS and NDS?

imi

Yes

ClemY

The Schwalbe should be appropriate for your riding. Bigger is better here.

If you have a triple, see what the smallest cog is that it will take. In the middle of a hot afternoon, after putting in a bunch of mileage, on the last nasty climb of the day, lower gearing can be a godsend. Higher gearing, for me, is pretty useless. Over 95” is a waste for me.

As a former racer, I raced in the old days with cleated Sidi shoes, toe clips and straps. Very difficult to walk in. Required a spare pair of shoes. These days I ride in Sidi MTB shoes with SPD cleats on inexpensive SPD pedals. I like the stiff sole of a racing shoe for my big feet so they don’t bend over the pedal and hurt my arch. Some people prefer platform pedals and walking shoes. You have to decide what you prefer.

abhirama

Digging up my slightly oldish thread.

I'm looking at alternate rims since getting the Dyads here is hard or too expensive. What do you guys think of the DT Swiss TK 540 rim for touring? It's a rim I can get reasonably easily and at a good price. I plan to build it up 32f/36r with Ultegra hubs (already purchased) and DT Alpine III spokes.

I'm about to order the rims and thought I'd get your opinion before that.

Thanks!

furballi

105 hubs with 36H 3x are cheap and very durable. Can't go wrong with them. Use 2.0 mm SS DT spokes with hex brass nipples to facilitate repair many years down the road. I like the wider 24 mm Velocity Chukker rim for long-distance comfort touring. Select non-machined sidewall Chukker to maximized durability. Use 280-300 lbs spoke tension.

Maximum braking power in dry weather is achieved with the front wheel, only. Avoid braking with the rear wheel unless you're riding in the rain and the front brake does not have enough power to lock the wheel. The rear wheel will have the most dirt accumulation. Therefore, you can greatly extend the life of the rear wheel if you don't use the rear brake.

voj112

The DT Swiss TK 540 rim is advertised as a trekking rim. BUT it's max pressure is 6 bar or 87 psi, which eliminates skinny tires. My 32 mm tires take a max of 100 psi, so those wouldn't work on that rim, just for a frame of reference. You said that your frame might have room for a 35 mm tire, but this rim appears to be designed for tires just out of your frame's allowable range. My 38 mm schwalbe tires have a max pressure of 87 psi fyi.

edit: i missed the tire dimension spec on the DT site. Its 25 to 60 mm (1" to 2.35") so I guess you can put skinny tire on that rim but with a max of 87 psi. Personally, I would run a 35 mm or fatter tire at 87 psi.

fietsbob

I built up a 40/48 spoke f/r pair. 700c-40.. worked out well.. it was a long time ago..they are still sound..

seeker333

They'll work fine, go ahead. If you need to save a little money, regular butted 2.0/1.8mm or similar spokes work fine too. Alpine 3s are overkill for most users and usually very expensive and hard to find in stock in desired length(s).

abhirama

Really appreciate the inputs!

I will be using 32c tires most likely and the 6 bar limit was one thing that worried me a bit. Coming from the roadie world, I thought it was unusual that a stronger/heavier rim had a much lower pressure limit than most skinny road rims. I'm interested to know why but that's another discussion.

The other alternative for me is to get the DT RR585 rim in 32h (36h and higher not available according to DT). Its a very strong road rim that can take tires upto 35c. I'm thinking it will serve my purpose too. The other advantage with this is that I can use these as backup wheels for my road bike when my primary wheelset needs repair. What do you think?

Cool, reliability is absolutely my top priority and I will consider anything that would help. So I thought I might as well get the Alpine 3s. But it's good to know that other spokes will do fine too. DT Comps will be my choice if I can't get the Alpine 3s.

voj112

I think it would be safer to pick the wider TK 540 rim with 36 spokes and run 35c tires inflated to 6 bar considering your total weight is 125kg or 275 lbs and your potential destination. The second rim, RR585, would probably work for good quality roads with your load. Speak to the wheel builder, if you can, about your rim choices too.