Can you recommend a good set of touring wheels please?
#1
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
Can you recommend a good set of touring wheels please?
Here are my requirements:
1. 700C x 55mm tires
2. 135mm quick release disc rear hub, 100mm QR disc front hub.
3. Lots of spokes (ideally 36 or more in the rear).
4. possibly a dynamo hub
5. 11 speed-compliant Shimano free hub (am willing to use 11-speed mountain cassette)
6. Good, reliable, serviceable hubs
Currently I have a wheel-set I borrowed from another bike (HED Belgium + rims and white industries hubs).
1. 700C x 55mm tires
2. 135mm quick release disc rear hub, 100mm QR disc front hub.
3. Lots of spokes (ideally 36 or more in the rear).
4. possibly a dynamo hub
5. 11 speed-compliant Shimano free hub (am willing to use 11-speed mountain cassette)
6. Good, reliable, serviceable hubs
Currently I have a wheel-set I borrowed from another bike (HED Belgium + rims and white industries hubs).
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,118
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3427 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
2. Rear hub, I am quite happy with Shimano M756A rear hub with 36 spokes. You would have to check if it is 11 speed or not, that I do not know. I like the quarter inch steel ball bearing rear hubs that have a steel axle.
4. My experience with the SP PV8 dynohub is quite good, I have only used the rim brake version, available for disc with a different model number. You said a requirement is servicable, the SP is not easily serviceable so you would have to decide how important that criteria is.
Generally I suggest to people that if they might want a dynohub later, get it when they get their next wheelset instead of waiting. The cost now would be the dynohub cost minus the non-dyno version hub that you would not be buying. But to upgrade later, you are looking at dynohub cost, spokes and nipples, possibly new rim and possibly a wheel build fee. Bottom line, an upgrade later costs a lot more than getting in the first wheelset.
I can't suggest any rims, the only rims that I have used and like in the width that you would want are no longer produced.
4. My experience with the SP PV8 dynohub is quite good, I have only used the rim brake version, available for disc with a different model number. You said a requirement is servicable, the SP is not easily serviceable so you would have to decide how important that criteria is.
Generally I suggest to people that if they might want a dynohub later, get it when they get their next wheelset instead of waiting. The cost now would be the dynohub cost minus the non-dyno version hub that you would not be buying. But to upgrade later, you are looking at dynohub cost, spokes and nipples, possibly new rim and possibly a wheel build fee. Bottom line, an upgrade later costs a lot more than getting in the first wheelset.
I can't suggest any rims, the only rims that I have used and like in the width that you would want are no longer produced.
Likes For Tourist in MSN:
#3
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
#4
Senior Member
As a "casual" bike tourist at best, it's probably not my place to make this suggestion, but I think you might get more useful replies if you provide more information about the type of touring you want to do.
What I call "tours" are overnight bike rides of 50 miles or so that use well-paved public roads and end in a Holiday Inn with a free breakfast buffet. What someone else calls touring might be slogging along a rutty dirt path in a third-world country for three weeks at a time, always 500 miles from the nearest bike shop.
As you know from being around these forums for a long time, there are so many different tires and so many different opinions out there. Do you know exactly (or roughly) where you'll be touring and what the road conditions will be? How much gear you plan to carry? What type of ride (fast/comfortable) you are hoping to have?
What I call "tours" are overnight bike rides of 50 miles or so that use well-paved public roads and end in a Holiday Inn with a free breakfast buffet. What someone else calls touring might be slogging along a rutty dirt path in a third-world country for three weeks at a time, always 500 miles from the nearest bike shop.
As you know from being around these forums for a long time, there are so many different tires and so many different opinions out there. Do you know exactly (or roughly) where you'll be touring and what the road conditions will be? How much gear you plan to carry? What type of ride (fast/comfortable) you are hoping to have?
Likes For Papa Tom:
#5
Senior Member
I don't keep up on rims, but I would add from experience that riding on wider tires, like you plan to do, seems to make life easier on your wheel set, when using appropriate pressures.
I mention this just to say that a good touring rim with sufficient spokes for your weight and load weight will have an easier life overall due to the 55mm tires.
On my 50mm tires, I run them anywhere from 30 to about 50-55psi max, depending on bike weight and road conditions, but I weigh 140 tops.
I mention this just to say that a good touring rim with sufficient spokes for your weight and load weight will have an easier life overall due to the 55mm tires.
On my 50mm tires, I run them anywhere from 30 to about 50-55psi max, depending on bike weight and road conditions, but I weigh 140 tops.
Likes For djb:
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,118
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3427 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
The narrowest tire that I tour on is 37mm, I think I had those up to 85 psi when heavily loaded in the rear. But the widest tire I can fit on my 700c touring bike is 37mm, only use the wider tires on my 26 inch bikes.
Front, in general use about two thirds to three fourths as much pressure in front as I use in back. On really rough surfaces, might use even lower pressure in the front to reduce vibration on my handlebars.
Likes For Tourist in MSN:
#7
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
As a "casual" bike tourist at best, it's probably not my place to make this suggestion, but I think you might get more useful replies if you provide more information about the type of touring you want to do.
What I call "tours" are overnight bike rides of 50 miles or so that use well-paved public roads and end in a Holiday Inn with a free breakfast buffet. What someone else calls touring might be slogging along a rutty dirt path in a third-world country for three weeks at a time, always 500 miles from the nearest bike shop.
As you know from being around these forums for a long time, there are so many different tires and so many different opinions out there. Do you know exactly (or roughly) where you'll be touring and what the road conditions will be? How much gear you plan to carry? What type of ride (fast/comfortable) you are hoping to have?
What I call "tours" are overnight bike rides of 50 miles or so that use well-paved public roads and end in a Holiday Inn with a free breakfast buffet. What someone else calls touring might be slogging along a rutty dirt path in a third-world country for three weeks at a time, always 500 miles from the nearest bike shop.
As you know from being around these forums for a long time, there are so many different tires and so many different opinions out there. Do you know exactly (or roughly) where you'll be touring and what the road conditions will be? How much gear you plan to carry? What type of ride (fast/comfortable) you are hoping to have?
So starting with the tire choice, I would like wheels with rims that can comfortably support 2.2" (55mm) wide tires. The HEDs do this ok, but I would prefer to return to using these wheels on a different bike.
I still want to do a cross-country tour before I croak, but more immediately, I have the tires, and they are mounted on HED Belgium+ rims at the moment, which are great rims. The spoke count is "only" 28/32, so might prefer to up that, and as mentioned, I would like a dynamo hub on the front. Ideally, I would like to get rims as good as the HED Belgium+ (which are arguably one of the best).
#8
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
BTW, I use those suggested tire pressures on my 38mm Barlow Pass tires. The Antelope Hill tires are like riding on basketballs with that high inflation.
I'm almost 200#, and the touring bike, even unloaded, is pushing 30#.
I'm almost 200#, and the touring bike, even unloaded, is pushing 30#.
Last edited by Cyclist0108; 09-19-20 at 10:47 AM.
#9
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
My experience with the SP PV8 dynohub is quite good, I have only used the rim brake version, available for disc with a different model number. You said a requirement is servicable, the SP is not easily serviceable so you would have to decide how important that criteria is.
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,118
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3427 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
On those Velocity wheels, they look like good wheels. I have some Velocity Dyad rims, the Dyad rim is narrower than you want, I am quite happy with the Dyad but I have narrower tires on it.
But those Velocity wheels have cartridge bearings. When you say you want serviceable, do you mean you doing the work or a bike shop that has the tools to change cartridge bearings? I prefer loose ball bearings that I can add grease to myself, thus the hub I suggested in my previous post. I have never used a Cliffhanger rim but I have not heard anything bad about it either.
I think it is safe to run fewer spokes on the front than rear, my light touring bike has 32 front and 36 rear, I built it up that way. But I agree that 28 F and 32 R sounds skimpy.
Likes For tyrion:
#12
Senior Member
PS: Also, I am stealing that term, "Peanut Butter Mud."
Likes For Papa Tom:
#13
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
In general, are these good wheels? The price seems almost too good to be true.
#14
Occam's Rotor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
DOH! And I just re-read your post and saw that you were asking about WHEELS, not TIRES! My bad. I thought this was another thread that was going to turn into a laundry list of every tire anybody has ever ridden on. I should have known something was wrong with my observation, as I know you are a veteran of the forums and would never ask such an open-ended question. Sorry.
PS: Also, I am stealing that term, "Peanut Butter Mud."
PS: Also, I am stealing that term, "Peanut Butter Mud."
I have in mind that really gooey hippy peanut butter.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 4,077
Bikes: Velo Orange Piolet
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2228 Post(s)
Liked 2,011 Times
in
972 Posts
They have a disc version (which I would need, and linked to above). My one worry is they say 8-10 speed for their hub. My 11-speed Shimano 11-34 cassette has a spacer you can take out, so maybe it would work.
In general, are these good wheels? The price seems almost too good to be true.
In general, are these good wheels? The price seems almost too good to be true.
Another rim option for a more classic look is Velo Orange Voyager rims.
Likes For tyrion:
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The banks of the River Charles
Posts: 2,020
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease, 2020 Seven Evergreen, 2019 Honey Allroads Ti, 2018 Seven Redsky XX, 2017 Trek Boon 7, 2014 Trek 520
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Liked 903 Times
in
486 Posts
I have Mavic A319 36 spoke rims on Deore hubs. QR, rim brakes on my 520.
#18
Senior Member
I can never recall the outer or inner widths of the rims I have on my troll, but while I've had 2.5 inch mtb tires on them and 2 inch Supremes, 50mm, the Supremes measure to only 45mm on my rims"--- so it's worth going with the properly width rim to not change the shape and width of your 55mm tires, or at least be aware of this happening.
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,118
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3427 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
Several years ago I finally got around to creating a short text file on my hard drive where I can jot down my inner rim widths. Then, if I am curious I can look it up.
Or, if buying Velocity rims, use the chart on the bottom of this page.
https://www.velocityusa.com/tech/rims/
I think the Velocity chart looks pretty good. But you have to be careful, some rim manufacturers have outlandish claims for how their rim can use almost any tire ever made.
Or, if buying Velocity rims, use the chart on the bottom of this page.
https://www.velocityusa.com/tech/rims/
I think the Velocity chart looks pretty good. But you have to be careful, some rim manufacturers have outlandish claims for how their rim can use almost any tire ever made.
#20
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Memphis, TN
Posts: 196
Bikes: A few older US made Cannondales, a modern Soma Saga (no longer made, alas!), and one gifted crabon Specialized. Never enough.
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 45 Post(s)
Liked 60 Times
in
39 Posts
They have a disc version (which I would need, and linked to above). My one worry is they say 8-10 speed for their hub. My 11-speed Shimano 11-34 cassette has a spacer you can take out, so maybe it would work.
In general, are these good wheels? The price seems almost too good to be true.
In general, are these good wheels? The price seems almost too good to be true.
Likes For But its me:
#21
Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,280
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4254 Post(s)
Liked 3,867 Times
in
2,580 Posts
I would probably do a similar set as to what you currently have but maybe upgrade to a wider rim and a SON hub at the front. My choice in your situation would be Velocity Cliffhanger laced with Sapim Strong spokes and brass Secure-Lock nipples to White Industries XMR rear hubs.
Likes For veganbikes:
#22
Full Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 402
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 170 Post(s)
Liked 264 Times
in
146 Posts
Worth considering: https://www.renehersecycles.com/myth...eed-wide-rims/
I used to have A319s (~19mm internal) with 50mm touring tires... worked well.
I used to have A319s (~19mm internal) with 50mm touring tires... worked well.
Likes For ctak:
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 4,077
Bikes: Velo Orange Piolet
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2228 Post(s)
Liked 2,011 Times
in
972 Posts
Worth considering: https://www.renehersecycles.com/myth...eed-wide-rims/
I used to have A319s (~19mm internal) with 50mm touring tires... worked well.
I used to have A319s (~19mm internal) with 50mm touring tires... worked well.
Likes For tyrion:
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,118
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3427 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
I once ordered some rims based on a bike manufacturers recommendation, and I will never do that again, it was a big mistake. Did not check the specifications, ordered the rims, they arrived and had an internal width of 19mm. I complained to the bike manufacturer that recommended that rim for my 57mm tires. I cited Sheldon Brown data that said 19mm internal width would be good for about 28 to 44mm wide. They they said I was wrong and Sheldon was obviously wrong too because the rim manufacturer said that rim would work great with any tire from 28 up to 62mm wide. I rolled the dice and used the rims, I did not want to pay a huge shipping fee to return them to Europe. Sometimes when I am in rough terrain and want to run soft tires, I have to keep the air pressure up higher than I should so that the tires retain their shape on such a narrow rim.
Live and learn.
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The banks of the River Charles
Posts: 2,020
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease, 2020 Seven Evergreen, 2019 Honey Allroads Ti, 2018 Seven Redsky XX, 2017 Trek Boon 7, 2014 Trek 520
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Liked 903 Times
in
486 Posts