treesloth

So, I'm starting the process of scouting out a new rear wheel, possibly a wheelset. I don't know how some wheels compare. Most manufacturers are pretty clear about their wheels' intended user-- various road disciplines, MTB XC, AM, DH, etc. Velocity appears to have some appealing offerings, but not a lot of differentiation that I can see. I like that a lot of their builds are available in 40 spoke. But what's their strongest for MTB? The Cliffhanger? The Chukker? I guess I'm going for just plain strongest they've got so I can compare to other offerings, like the Spank Spike 350, for example. For that matter if there are any truly bombproof suggestions, I'd appreciate it. I'm a bit behind the times... I don't know if Rhyno Lites are still a good way to go or not.

Rock71

Bontrager is offering all wheel sets with no weight limits and from what I've been told they have been really good about backing it up. I recently purchased the Aeolous comp 5, and got a great deal because they have launched their XXX series.

cyccommute 

You are starting in the wrong place for assessing the "bombproofness" of a wheel. Rims have very little to do with how strong a wheel is. The rim is along for the ride and is just a convenient place to put a tire and, more importantly, attach spokes to the hub. The real strength of the wheel starts and ends the spokes. The spoke resist bending. The spokes carry the load. The rim is just (loosely) attached to the spokes and actually float on the spoke nipples. Most importantly, if you break a rim, the wheel is still viable if you can find a rim with a similar ERD (effective rim diameter). But if you break a lot of spokes, the wheel is toast.

If you increase the strength of the spokes, you vastly increase the strength of the wheel. That means going to triple butted spokes. This article explains what I found long before the article was published. The only quibble that I have with the article is the claim that triple butted spokes are the equivalent of increasing the spoke count by 10 spokes. I would put it more in the range of 4 spokes, i.e. using triple butted and 36 hole rims is the equivalent of using double butted spokes and a 40 hole rim.

I've been using these spokes for all my builds since about 2000. I use super light rims like the Velocity Aeroheat and A23 for mountain biking and touring/road usage, respectively. I'm not light and I carry heavy loads on tour and am an aggressive off-road rider but don't have problems with either spoke breakage nor rim breakage. Triple butted spokes are more expensive initially but, in the long run, they are cheaper than replacing wheels.

As an example, these are Velocity Aerohead 26" rims (450g), DT Swiss Alpine III spokes and Wheel Fanatyk splined nipples. They are tough as nails. The Aerohead 26" rim is 120g less than the Chukker and 150g less than the Cliffhanger.


DSCN0372 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

base2 

I have the 700c A23's. I don't remember if they are in 32 in rear, 28 front or 28 rear, 24 front. 2000 miles of road use with panniers and some long rides on gravel says they've held up fine. Bike weight 30 lbs. 60 loaded. I weigh 190 pounds...So 250 when I commute on broken & potholed city streets.

I have the 700c 40 spoke Chuckers on my tandem. Team + bike weight=400+ pounds & that's unloaded before any gear or equipment. 500 miles and no issues.

I have 26 inch 32 spoke Atlas on my mountain bike. They hold up fine for the trail/single track/ logging roads I've taken it on. A friend of mine just completed a 1000 mile self supported tour in Oregon/Wyoming/Colorado/Yellowstone with crazyguyonabike and had no issues.

The wheel builder weighs heavily into the equation, but Velocity turns out a good product in my opinion.

Hopefully the chart below will help you decide. What tire size/width do you intend to use?

treesloth

Thanks for the reply. First, that's a great bike shot. I know people like the porno shots of the latest and greatest carbon fiber wunderbikes, but I love the bikes that are very obviously set up to be just what the rider wants, and that picture screams that. I also agree on the triple-butted spokes... Sheldon Brown (or what of his collaborators, don't recall) already convinced me there. But, even if the rim isn't the biggest factor, I figure I might as well tweak it if I can. On the other hand, those are some impressive mileage figures. On the third hand (yes, I have a hard time buying gloves ;-)) my riding is pretty different-- rooty at times, some smaller jumps. I help coach a high school MTB team. It's definitely not Red Bull Rampage, but it can be rooty, rocky, and (very lightly) jumpy. Although I stay on the ground whenever possible... I have 2 or 3 legit jumps a season.

Anyway, I guess I'm thinking in the direction of a 40-spoke triple-butted build.

treesloth

Hey, nice chart! I've never seen that. It helps a lot. Thank you very much.