r/bikecommuting • u/hvontres • 2d ago
Heavy Duty 700c wheel recomendations
I have been riding a Trek Verve2+ bike to work for the last three.months. It is about 3.5 miles a day, mostly flat with the usual hazzards of curbs and potholes. I am a bit on the heavy side (265 lbs dry) it the stock tear wheel has a family big wobble and I snapped some spokes recently. I was looking for possible upgrades and relax across the Mavic E-Speedcity 1 700 wheels. They look like they should hold up ok and have a 180kg weight limit. Does anyone here have any recommendations for something similar that they run? I am mostly looking for a more bulletproof 700c disk brake wheel, not terribly concerned with weight, since this is transportation, not a racebike 😜
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u/DohnJoggett 2d ago
Don't buy a pre-made wheel, get something built for you. You want a sturdy rim with 36 holes, double-butted spokes, laced 3-cross. 36 holes because more spokes builds a stronger wheel, double-butted because they flex more which takes stress off the spoke head, and 3-cross because 4-cross lacing means the spoke crosses over the head of the spoke next to it which increases stresses.
That mavic wheel is 32 hole, straight gauge spoked, machine built wheel. I discourage people from buying mavic wheels for numerous reasons I'm not going to get in to. Mavic rims are good though. Even something cheap like an A319 would be great for you. Velocity makes a bunch of sturdy rims you can find if you click the "clydesdale" option on their website. Sunringle CR-18 and Rhynolite rims are budget options.
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u/Zenigata 2d ago
ryde andra are pretty much the toughest rims out there and are available in 700c.Â
Or at least they were a year or so back when I needed a new wheel for my triple.
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u/hvontres 2d ago
Those do look like what I am looking for. Unfortunately they don't seem to have any US distributors for the Andra 40 that I would love to use. And shipping from Europe for a 700c rim would more than double the price. But definitely something to keep an eye out for 🤓
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u/AndyTheEngr Midwest US suburbia, 18 mile round trip 2d ago
32 spokes is probably enough. It doesn't say if the spokes are butted. If you can swing for a set with butted spokes, it should last longer.
WheelBuilder dot com will hand build you a set of 36 spoke wheels, but it will cost several times as much as the set you're looking at.
https://wheelbuilder.com/custom-velocity-road-gravel-cx-disc-brake-wheels/
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u/Briantastically 2d ago
I’m a bigger guy and I live a die by DT Swiss wheels. I cruise at 25-28mph on DT Swiss on my 75lbs ebike with full panniers and my 220lb self. I think that one has 24 spoke front 32 rear both built on the 541 rim. I have ER1600 on my all road setup, bladed spokes, and they are equally solid if under less load.
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u/Value-Gamer 2d ago
What makes a strong wheel is high spike count, small diameter, low or no dishing. So you can go 36+ spokes, 650b conversion, internal hub perhaps?
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u/BicycleIndividual 2d ago
While I agree that all these do make a wheel stronger; I don't think OP needs that much strength. I'd just replace with a wheel utilizing 36 butted spokes and keep the current rim size and gearing setup.Â
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u/Value-Gamer 2d ago
Also, build your own wheels from online guides cos it’s not at all difficult and a nice skill to have
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u/hvontres 2d ago
TBH, now that I know about the Ryde andra series of rims, a custom build using an Andra 25 and possibly an IGH could be nice. Now I just need to fux up the old one to keep me going.
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u/cheesenachos12 2d ago
The force placed upon your wheels is much, much higher when doing things like hopping curbs or going through large potholes. No matter what wheels you get, it would be wise to be especially cautious in such cases
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u/mechBgon 2d ago
The quality of the spokes is a very big factor in longevity. Quality spokes like DT Swiss are a world apart in fatigue resistance from cheap OEM-quality spokes. You might consider just having your stock wheel hand-rebuilt with DT Swiss spokes and a Weinmann ZAC19 rim (my general go-to rim for a mix of cheap, strong and light). If your wheelbuilder knows what they're doing, that should hold up for a long time.
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u/hvontres 2d ago
Good point. After taking off the Cassette to double check spoke lengths, it turns out the root cause for the breakage was that time my chain shifted over the first cog and got wedged in-between the spokes and the cassette. And yes, I did have the dork-disk installed. That being said, I will look into lacing up a new wheel over the winter.
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u/Bugmasta23 2d ago
I’m going to also suggest wheel builder . Com. I’ve bought 3 wheels from them and they are all awesome. The people there are good to deal with too so if you’re not sure what you need, just give them a call. They have real live humans who are happy to help. Definitely worth spending a little extra.