stronger rear wheel needed
Discussion
As above I have a specialized allez and am looking to replace the back wheel with something that will fare better on the potholed roads of my daily commute. I weigh about 17st and my budget is as little as possible, although if I'm going to need to spend a few hundred then I can always enter into negotiations with the S/O I have contacted a manufacturer in china who can supply a set of carbon fibre wheels for £198 but are carbon fibre wheels what I need and if so will a chinese set be up to scratch? also I'd prefer to keep a light wheel in mind if possible as I'm told this makes a big difference (is this true?) and I would like to reach a 20mph average speed in the near future to keep my commute below 45minutes each way
ps if really expensive I'm not that fussy about having a matching set and can live with just an odd back wheel
ps if really expensive I'm not that fussy about having a matching set and can live with just an odd back wheel
Without wanting to sound like a t
t, the lightest wheels in the world won't make any difference when there's 17st of rider atop them, so for now, forget about weight. And forget about carbon. And everything else you've said re. average speed: it's not going to happen, no matter what you do.
Strength is more in the build than it is the parts, so approach a proper wheel builder like Harry Rowland, Paul Hewitt, Wheelsmith etc, etc. with your requirements and see what they say.
t, the lightest wheels in the world won't make any difference when there's 17st of rider atop them, so for now, forget about weight. And forget about carbon. And everything else you've said re. average speed: it's not going to happen, no matter what you do.Strength is more in the build than it is the parts, so approach a proper wheel builder like Harry Rowland, Paul Hewitt, Wheelsmith etc, etc. with your requirements and see what they say.
Edited by Jimbo. on Thursday 1st September 06:47
You're starting with a 32 spoke wheel, I'm not sure how much more you could make the rear wheel stronger. What is actually going wrong with the OE wheels on that bike? If they've just gone a bit out of true, take it to your LBS and get it straightened and re-tensioned, it should be fine.
They are just going out of true I ran over quite a bad pothole last week which buckled it to the point it would no longer pass through the brakes which was straightened out by my local bike shop but it has cracked the weld on the wheel and then yesterday I rode over a few small potholes but none I'd consider to be severe and it is out of true again it's still ridable and you don't notice it unless looking closely but I'd prefer not to be spending £12 a time getting it straightened if I could find a preventative measure instead.
Would something like this below be likely to be any stronger then my standard wheel as to me I think the crack in the weld is probably a big part in it buckling again so easily
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/W...
I understand I should be avoiding these potholes but my commute is on busy roads and the rough road surface extends to within a foot or so of the centre line so sometimes the only practical option and just go light on the peddles where necessary or is it reasonable to ride along the centre line if it's the only smooth bit of road? I. Might have to just try this and shrug off the hatred
Would something like this below be likely to be any stronger then my standard wheel as to me I think the crack in the weld is probably a big part in it buckling again so easily
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/W...
I understand I should be avoiding these potholes but my commute is on busy roads and the rough road surface extends to within a foot or so of the centre line so sometimes the only practical option and just go light on the peddles where necessary or is it reasonable to ride along the centre line if it's the only smooth bit of road? I. Might have to just try this and shrug off the hatred
for £100 you could get a 36 hole mavic open pro rim on a tiagra hub with some nice db spokes built by your local shop - find the one your local roadie club recommend. thuis is as strong as you can get.
a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast and the pursuit of speed is pointless if you are having to hit potholes to avoid cars or hitting cars to avoid potholes...
a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast and the pursuit of speed is pointless if you are having to hit potholes to avoid cars or hitting cars to avoid potholes...
pablo said:
for £100 you could get a 36 hole mavic open pro rim on a tiagra hub with some nice db spokes built by your local shop - find the one your local roadie club recommend. thuis is as strong as you can get.
This.With a cracked weld, definitely replace the wheel if you can.
I have a few potholes that are unavoidable on my route.
So far, fingers crossed, I have caused punctures rather than an untruable wheel.
But I can see how it could happen...
Just see it like the chain or brake pads - a consumable.
pablo said:
for £100 you could get a 36 hole mavic open pro rim on a tiagra hub with some nice db spokes built by your local shop - find the one your local roadie club recommend. thuis is as strong as you can get.
a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast and the pursuit of speed is pointless if you are having to hit potholes to avoid cars or hitting cars to avoid potholes...
^ Exactly this + wider 25c or if they fit, 28c tyres at 120-130PSI - get a track pump.a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast and the pursuit of speed is pointless if you are having to hit potholes to avoid cars or hitting cars to avoid potholes...
pablo said:
for £100 you could get a 36 hole mavic open pro rim on a tiagra hub with some nice db spokes built by your local shop - find the one your local roadie club recommend. this is as strong as you can get.
^^This^^. You're giving any wheel a really hard time. Handbuilt with as many spokes as possible is the answer. When the weight falls off you, then you can start worrying about saving a few hundred grams on the weight of a wheel.pablo said:
a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast
Pah 
Another vote for properly hand built Mavic open pro rims on any hub you care to choose.
At 17 stone I'd be looking at 36 spoke too, really. Negligable weight increase, appreciable strength increase.
Avoid 'trick' wheels for daily riding - carbon rims, aluminium spokes, radial lacing and low spoke counts are for race/occasional use. For communting you need a quality conventional wheel built by a real live human.
At 17 stone I'd be looking at 36 spoke too, really. Negligable weight increase, appreciable strength increase.
Avoid 'trick' wheels for daily riding - carbon rims, aluminium spokes, radial lacing and low spoke counts are for race/occasional use. For communting you need a quality conventional wheel built by a real live human.
Aksiums are fairly strong from my dealings with them, I was over 15 stone when I started riding and they are still going a year and 5k later, bit out of true but I don't care.
And as said 20 average is hard enough to do on the quiet back lanes (in fact I've only ever averaged over 20 mph on dual carriageway TT's) let alone a commute!
And as said 20 average is hard enough to do on the quiet back lanes (in fact I've only ever averaged over 20 mph on dual carriageway TT's) let alone a commute!
pablo said:
for £100 you could get a 36 hole mavic open pro rim on a tiagra hub with some nice db spokes built by your local shop - find the one your local roadie club recommend. thuis is as strong as you can get.
a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast and the pursuit of speed is pointless if you are having to hit potholes to avoid cars or hitting cars to avoid potholes...
I had one of these built up when I commuted in London. I am 17st and carried a laptop on a rack too. It got hammered daily but stayed true. a 20 mph average commute on a road with pot holes etc is extremely fast and the pursuit of speed is pointless if you are having to hit potholes to avoid cars or hitting cars to avoid potholes...
Thanks for all the advise guys I'll pop into my local bike shop later today. Quite a few people have said 20mph average is a bit ambitious what do most people average on a commute? My current commute is 10miles each way with just a few hills and will soon be extended to 15miles each way when I move house, I've been doing it for about 2weeks and can now average 17.7mph (16.5 on a Monday) but figured there will be more to come as I'm still 2 lampposts short of the top of the biggest hill without having to sit down and change down a gear and I still have a lot of weight to loose.
Depends where you are in the country.
If its rural and you don't have to slow down all the time then 20 mph average over 10 miles is easily possible, however if your ten miles is like most of us London riders then anything over 17 as an average is good going (mins is about 17.3 these days, and I have 20 sets of lights each way).
If its rural and you don't have to slow down all the time then 20 mph average over 10 miles is easily possible, however if your ten miles is like most of us London riders then anything over 17 as an average is good going (mins is about 17.3 these days, and I have 20 sets of lights each way).
It's not really rural but I don't really have to stop at all it is all roundabouts and I tend to sprint/roll to traffic lights to prevent having to get my feet back in the cages. Plus I work nights so roads are quiet and potholes seem to mostly be when I'm late leaving (5:30 as opposed to 4:00) Thanks again for the replys guys I suspected being a fat bd probably had a lot to do with it but hopefully will be able to reduce the problem while I loose the weight will let ya know how I get on with new wheel :-)
d probably had a lot to do with it but hopefully will be able to reduce the problem while I loose the weight will let ya know how I get on with new wheel :-)okgo said:
Depends where you are in the country.
If its rural and you don't have to slow down all the time then 20 mph average over 10 miles is easily possible, however if your ten miles is like most of us London riders then anything over 17 as an average is good going (mins is about 17.3 these days, and I have 20 sets of lights each way).
If its rural and you don't have to slow down all the time then 20 mph average over 10 miles is easily possible, however if your ten miles is like most of us London riders then anything over 17 as an average is good going (mins is about 17.3 these days, and I have 20 sets of lights each way).
20 sets of lights? Pah! You don't know you've been born, my boy! I've got 81 sets on my 15 mile each way commute! Yes, eighty-one!
I know I can maintain a reasonably sustained average on the flat of somewhere between 17 and 21mph without having to slow down, but I usually average around 12 on that commute due to all the stop/start.
Getting back to the OP's question, I used to have a similar problem (except there's 18 stone of me). I wasn't buckling the wheel when hitting potholes though. I was snapping spokes.
My LBS rebuilt the wheel for me with the original (and cheap) Mavic CXP21 rim, some heavier gauge spokes and 700x28c Conti Gatorskin tyres.
I've done 1,200 miles in the last 3 months without a single puncture, buckle or snapped spoke.
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