bicycle wheels which don't break spokes / buckle

alexanderalexander

I do all my cycling in inner London where the roads are horrendously potholed due to all the utilities works which go on in such a densely-packed urban environment. I quite often therefore get broken spokes and buckled wheels which is annoying and expensive.

Does anyone know of any type of bicycle wheel which is more hard-wearing? I've only ever bought low-cost classic spoked wheels before. The wheel size of my bike (a cheapish hybrid) is 700x35 if that makes a difference.

fred246

You need to decide how you are going to get your new wheels
a.Build them yourself
b.Find a local wheelbuilder
c.Buy ready made wheels from the internet.
You then need strong rims and spokes.
I have got Mavic A719 which are very strong but quite heavy. People recommend Rigida Sputnik as a cheaper alternative- again they are heavy. I have only ever used DT Swiss Champion spokes 2.0mm and I have never had any trouble with them.

Billy-no-Money

I'm no expert, but I'm a heavy bloke who's broken plenty of bicycle spokes in my time.

Many people who know far more than I do will say that hand-built wheels are usually much tougher than factory-built ones, and this is down to the way the spokes are tensioned. All the bikes I've owned have broken spokes on the rear wheel on a regular basis, and while I can replace a single spoke myself it's still a pain. However, on several bikes I've had a new wheel built by my local bike shop, and never had another spoke break.

These aren't expensive wheels, they've just been done by hand by someone who knows what they're doing.

I'd go into a bike shop and ask; you might not even need a new wheel, just the existing one to be checked over and trued.

thescouselander

You've already identified your problem - as in you've only ever bought low cost wheels. Decent wheels cost money - spend a bit more on a reputable make of wheel.

If you're really hammering your bike make sure you go for wheels with a high spoke count. I don't think hand build wheels are necessarily stronger than factory built ones but in both cases it's always a good idea to have the spoke tensions checked after the first 50 miles and then occasionally after that.

As for specifics, I'm not sure what to recommend but the likes of mavic, shimano, Dt Swiss are usually a safe bet for mass produced stuff. Personally I use Dt Swiss wheels which seem to work well although they're a little pricey.

sdavies13

Quite often? Wow!

I've been commuting in London just over a year, covering over 3500 miles and had one buckle on the front wheel.

That happened when an I was hit by an Audi doing about 20 mph and yet it wasn't badly buckled enough to prevent me riding the rest of the way into work.

In that time I have hit a fair few pot holes (one of which brought tears to my eyes and a bad headache for the rest of my journey), have come off three times due to the weather, hit by a black cab, etc.

My wheels are 36 spoke Velocity Deep V rims using Shimano spindles and were hand built by Madgetts Cycles in Norfolk.

"Think" final cost was around £70 per wheel but that included all components and labour apart from the rear geared hub which I supplied.

Throbbe

fred246 wrote: »

I have got Mavic A719 which are very strong but quite heavy. People recommend Rigida Sputnik as a cheaper alternative- again they are heavy. I have only ever used DT Swiss Champion spokes 2.0mm and I have never had any trouble with them.

I've got a set of wheels built by a local chap with Rigida Sputnik rims and the same spokes too. Noticeably heavier than the original wheels, but actually run better thanks to better (and not knackered) hubs/bearings.

I'm well over 100 kilos, and have broken 1 spoke in the last 2-3000 miles (replaced free), and they only need very occasional tweaking to make sure they're running true.