Originally Posted by Rob_E (Post 17078593)

They are not. However if you think your current wheels are sketchy, then a beefier wheel is pretty much a necessity for an extended tour. You may do well with a pre-made wheel that meets your width and spoke requirements, but even then it's not a bad idea to have a mechanic go over it. You have 100 pounds on me, and when I bought a new bike with, I think, a 36 spoke wheel, I had to take that rear wheel to the shop multiple times to have a spoke replaced and the wheel trued. After a couple of times, I got tired of the expense and time off the bike that every broken spoke caused, so I bought some spokes and a cheap truing stand and started doing my own wheel work. After I had broken and replaced about half the spokes on my wheel, they stopped breaking. If you're not going to punish your wheel, people can get by with a machine-made wheel, but touring tends to be punishment enough. A touring clyde needs to be extra careful about wheel strength and build quality.

My solution has been to build my own wheels. I ride a 36 spoke rear wheel and use 32 in the front. It took some trial and error, but my last few wheel builds have been solid. And by buying the wheels in pieces, I could shop around for the best price for each part. It's still often more money than you'll spend on a pre-made wheel, but if you have need for an extra tough wheel, you may not find that being offered pre-made.

Another thing that makes for a stronger wheel is a symmetrical wheel build. That's standard for the front, but on the back, that usually means a hub gear. A hub gear is not everyone's favourite touring choice, but it's an option.

Originally Posted by Sixty Fiver (Post 17078803)

If you were to go to a 20 inch wheel as you would on a bicycle like a Bike Friday, running a 36 spoke wheel is akin to running a 40 spoke touring wheel in a 700c.

The 36 spoke wheels on my 20 inch touring bike are insanely strong and I am building up a set of 28 spoke wheels for lighter touring.

Smaller diameter rims do not need as many spokes to deliver equivalent strength and at your size you might look at a 26 inch wheeled bicycle with 40 or 48 spoke wheels... this is what we use for our tandems and larger single riders.

Since I am a lightweight rider (145 pounds) I built my touring wheels on custom hubs (36 spoke) laced to CR18 rims and even when I am locked and loaded my total weight with the bike would not touch 225 pounds.

For you I'd build 48 spoke wheels laced to even stiffer rims... we have been very happy with Salsa Gordo 48 spoke rims and have one 400 pound customer who has been trying to break the 48 spoke disc wheelset we built for him for almost three years ago... they have never needed to be touched with a spoke wrench because they were built right.

Originally Posted by lurch0038 (Post 17078937)

Yeah I agree that I need a top quality wheel and will be working with a local wheel builder to purchase the correct wheels to support my heavy duty needs. From what I have read online the 48 spoke Velocity Chukker (properly built and with top quality hub and spokes) should be able to handle almost anything I can throw at it.

Originally Posted by lurch0038 (Post 17081451)

Odd question....what about a recumbent trike? I am guessing that the load would be distributed across all three wheels and I could upgrade the wheels as well.

Originally Posted by lurch0038 (Post 17078641)

Unfortunately because of my size everything I purchase needs to be higher quality. I always say...if I cannot destroy it it cannot be broken.

Originally Posted by Booger1 (Post 17082163)

I've drilled 24 spoke Shimano hubs to make them 48 for a couple friends.Easy for me,I'm a machinist.

Just saying,that there are other ways to get 48 spokes besides high dollar hubs.

You could drill them in a simple drill press and use a 24 tooth spocket as the index.

Originally Posted by lurch0038 (Post 17072661)

I would love to trim down but honestly with my body type I will never get down to 225 so you are partially correct.

Originally Posted by Null66 (Post 17082660)

Does removing the material weaken the flange?
or rather are the flanges as thick and same grade material on 24's as 48s?

Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN (Post 17086104)

Am I the only one that thinks a more robust frame is needed? I commented in post 11 with a couple suggestions for a more robust frame.

Originally Posted by wheelinthai (Post 17085858)

If you ride >75 miles a day, after 2 weeks you should begin to loose weight. I usually loose about 10 pounds every 3 weeks while on tour, and I'm not fat. That is after 2 weeks of colon cleansing:p. Actually, I've heard that's the accumulated fat around your intestines.

Originally Posted by bradtx (Post 17086205)

Regardless of what one may think of the LHT/DT, the frames have proven to haul a lot of weight reliably. If I were the OP, I'd consider a more robust frame only if the Surly exhibits problems.

I do remember Santana made a short run of singles. Unfortunately I was unable to snag one.

Brad

Originally Posted by wheelinthai (Post 17085858)

If you ride >75 miles a day, after 2 weeks you should begin to loose weight. I usually loose about 10 pounds every 3 weeks while on tour, and I'm not fat. That is after 2 weeks of colon cleansing:p. Actually, I've heard that's the accumulated fat around your intestines.

Originally Posted by Sixty Fiver (Post 17079275)

Local is always best... the Chukker is popular among bike polo players and if they use them you know they are tough.

It really comes down to the attention and skill the wheel-builder brings to the table if the components are good quality.

Originally Posted by lurch0038 (Post 17086239)

I agree that the weak link is the wheels and not the frame.