Sal Bandini

I'm going to build wheels for my Sirrus. It is disc model and I am heavier rider, and ride aggressively on road and trails. My stock back wheel broke a few spokes and LBS replaced entire wheel under warranty. Specialized didn't have that rim anymore so LBS replaced with some equivalent. The original wheel lasted around 1300 miles. The replacement has been going strong for over 1200 miles. Front wheel is still original and has over 2500 miles. Both are still true and have not needed any adjustments. Due to my weight and riding style I am considering 36 over 32 spoke wheels.

I'm considering Deore XT FH-M756 hub, DT Swiss spokes and DT Swiss TK540 rims. Would these be good options? I would prefer centerlock but not a deal breaker. I've read some mixed review on the Deore hubs and was wondering if these would be good enough. I'd rather spend the money an the rims and the TK540 have good reviews.

Any comments or other suggestions for parts are welcome.

pjthomas

I just did a wheel build:

https://www.bikeforums.net/20554268-post1121.html

I used triple butted spokes. Butted spokes even though thinner in middle are stronger because they are thinner in the middle. The thinner section has a little more give avoiding breaking at hub or nipple.

DorkDisk

The build is a very (the most?)important factor, but those parts are good and combined with a quality build should be an upgrade over a mismatched OEM wheelset.

Shimano (non XTR and Dura Ace) hubs are very durable, have cones that don't pit, are easy to work on, and are a bit heavy. They are much higher quality than Joytech, Quando, or other OEM hubs in terms of metallurgy, tolerances, and finish.

DT make great spokes. Spend some money here and get double butted as they are stronger than straight gauge, and bit lighter too. The only drawback is price.

Nipples- for durability go brass, for weight- Al. Brass does come in black, but if you want colors, Al is the way to go. Brass doesn't round out as easily and corrodes less.

Once you have good parts, a quality build allows each part to live up to its potential.

csport

As said, even Deore FH-M525 hub will be OK. You can also go with Deore FH-M6000 if you want QR and centerlock. I had Velomine wheels with M590 hubs which I rebuilt with M6000 for disk brakes, no problems so far. Go with 36 spokes over 32.
You can also use thinner spokes for NDS compared to DS so that the relative stretch is the same. I did a build with Sapim Strong spokes (butted 2.3/2.0) for DS and D-Light (double butted 2.0/1.65) for NDS, M525 hub and Alex DH19 rim. YMMV.
List of touring rims: https://www.cyclingabout.com/the-bes...cycle-touring/ DT rims that you mention are there + some heavier options. How heavy are you willing to go? Velocity rims are good. I have Chukkers, but I am heavy myself, just under 300lbs.

pjthomas

If building a disc, use the same spokes on both sides. Disc brakes can put a lot of torque on the spokes, more than the drive and though the angle less steep than the drive side it's steeper than with rim brakes.

HerrKaLeun

what part of the old wheel broke?

I'd go for the SLX hubs. they are just $3 more, but have twice the PoE (32). I built a wheel with Deore hub and can feel the fewer PoE when coasting. This doesn't hold me back on a hybrid, but annoys me. Other than that, they are the same (seals etc.)

Buy the widest rim you can use for the widest tire you can fit. Makes ride softer and distributes load better. i use DT Swiss (pretty cheap ordered from Europe) with eyelets. but any name brand will do as long as you don't chose (extra light) versions. Brass nipples, and double- or triple butted spokes. How many? 32 for normal riders, more if you are heavy.

Sal Bandini

Spoke broke at the nipple. It was replaced and another one broke, which was also replaced. When the third one broke both mechanic and I agreed that factory wheel build was defective. It was replaced under warranty with similar but different brand wheel. This one has been fine so far but I still want to build better wheels, based on my weight and aggressive riding style.

What is PoE?

i was thinking FH-M756 hubs since they come in 36H and have higher flange.

hokiefyd 

I imagine it's Points of Engagement. Essentially, how many ratchet edges exist in the freehub for the pawls to grab. Fewer Points of Engagement mean more "dead" distance your pedal has to rotate forward before the pawl "catches" in the next ratchet edge.

Sal Bandini

Ahh, like using my 36 tooth ratchet vs my 72 tooth one.

pjthomas

Many Shimano hubs have interchangable freehubs and the ratcheting mechanism is fully part of the freehub. I've put a Deore freehub on an old Altus hub.

hokiefyd 

Right -- I think this is pretty standard practice. The freehub bolts to the hub and engages with a certain pattern keyway (sort of like locking lug nuts on a car) and all of the freewheeling is done inside the freehub itself.

pjthomas

Standard for at least Shimano. Some other hubs machine the ratcheting teeth into the hub and only the pawls into the freehub.