300 lb rider new wheel and tire recommendations
 

Bike has been parked for a year due to a worn out rear sprocket and wobbly wheels, plus I've been busy. I'm going to start riding again for exercise and have a 700 size hybrid bike which i find comfortable to ride. I'll stay on paved surfaces, and it will probably be a while before I start pushing my equipment hard enough to break things.
So what's the best way to spend my money? The bike is a Nikishi Mountour, basically an entry level hybrid that I bought used. New wheels and tires are one option, or replacing the bike with something better is another.

New cassette and chain; then find a good wheel builder who can true, tension, and stress-relieve your wheels. Replace the tires if they're getting bald. Finally go out and wear everything out again riding your bike!

Any idea how much that usually costs?

AS a bigger person, you might be best served with an upgraded rear wheel. The Montour is an inexpensive bike, and likely has 'single wall' rims and a 'freewheel' rear hub.

A new wheel with a double wall rim and 'freehub' rear hub will be much more robust.

Something of good quality can be purchased for ~$200 or so... you will have to buy a new 'cassette' (rear cogs) as the stock freewheel version will not work on a modern freehub wheel. A new chain ($25) is also a good idea when you replace the cassette on a well-used bike.

A shop can likely assemble all this together for $50 or less - it's actually not a huge job, and the wheels are purchased ready-built from their distributor. Find a competent wheel builder who can take those machine built wheels and get the spoke tension high and even around the wheel for maximum life. This might be another $40 or $50.

NB. the rear wheel sees much higher load than the front wheel. I am around 250# and my trekking bike has a monster of a hand built rear wheel, and a single wall wheel off a cheap hybrid on the front. I ride on mixed and rough surfaces for several thousand kms per year. I plan on replacing that cheap front wheel, but so far it really hasn't needed to happen.

Also buy a good floor pump (~$50) with a gauge and keep your tires properly inflated - underinflated tires can cause damage to your rims and cause punctures/flats.

So I just found a bike rated for a 300 lb rider (Jamis Renegade S3) and they come with WTB ST rims w/ 32 spokes. IDK if they actually work yet but they seem pretty stiff.

That being said my old Kona with askium/mavics 28 spokes lasted a decade but I did get pretty good at truing my own wheels.

I appreciate the feedback. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense to invest significantly into this bike. I paid $100 for it used. So I'll fix the cassette and chain and see what the shop says about truing the wheels. If I'm going to need to spend $300 to get any significant improvement, I'd rather put that towards a better overall bike.

If you want to save some money and still need a new wheel if and after the LBS tells you the original wheel is no good, take a look at some Wheelmaster/Weinman rims with 36 spokes.

I used a set for many years when I was well over 300lbs and never broke a spoke or needed to true them. But these below are a bit different than what I had, but might work for you:

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-...5928069&sr=8-3

If you want to save some money and still need a new wheel if and after the LBS tells you the original wheel is no good, take a look at some Wheelmaster/Weinman rims with 36 spokes.

I used a set for many years when I was well over 300lbs and never broke a spoke or needed to true them. But these below are a bit different than what I had, but might work for you:

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-...5928069&sr=8-3

This!! New wheels should be looked at as an investment rather than a cost. Get a good set built or find a good wheel builder option. Wheels are super easy to transfer from one bike to another, you just have to be aware of the hub spec you have now, and the spec of where you might go after this bike.

You could just put the money into a new bike, but you’re extremely likely to end up in the exact same wheel situation. Get new wheels, cassette and chain and ride the crap out of your bike. Then upgrade down the track to something nicer

For a new bike to be able to withstand a heavy and/or strong rider, you should budget at least $1000. The primary difference between less expensive and more expensive bikes (to a point) is quality of moving parts like bearings, which are one of the first things to fail on a less expensive bike under a heavy and/or strong rider.

A new $500 bike will wind up with mangled wheels and crunchy bearings just like your old bike.

That makes a lot of sense. What about switching to a narrower road bike type wheel? I guess that's what a commuter bike amounts to? I have no intention of going off road with this. So could I lessen the rolling resistance without causing other problems?

I'd go for a 25mm rim in the build. That will make it pretty versatile. It will take fast rolling 25-28mm tyres and also be decent width for 30-40mm cyclocross style treads if you choose to go that path in the future

I am heavy, and ride on rough tracks. I have broken wheels on previous bikes.

I have had an incredible run on a fat bike, that is 26 x 4 inches. I am convinced that the large tires spread the forces out more, which prevents breaking in situations where other wheels would break (I have broken the back axle in the fat bike, but not spokes, and not bent the rim).

I personally would not have tires thinner than mountain bike tires. With a mountain bike, full suspension is ideal for heavy riders. Suspension absorbing the bumps, prevents a lot of wheel damage. You need a bike where you can adjust the suspension up to take your weight.

A mountain bike is ok when you are always on hard surfaces, even if they are rough. A fat bike leaves the others behind in mud, sand and snow.

So pardon the handholding I'm asking for, but I don't want to have to return anything.
Questions:

1. The wheel recommended above by travbikeman says it's for 8 or 9 speed cassettes, but my bike has 7 speed Shimano Tourney shifters. I'm well aware these are entry level parts, but as long as they work I'll keep them. So can I use a 7 speed cassette on this wheel, or do I need to get something different?
2. It's not obvious to me how to tell the width of these wheels so I can match it to my front and get the right tires. How do you tell?
3. Tire and tube recommendations? Do tubes even matter? I've heard good things about Continental Gator Skins and don't mind paying for less rolling resistance and better durability.
4. anything else I need to know?

Looking further at the link I sent, there are some questions and answers on the site. One was about 7 speeds and the answer is a yes, it will need a spacer, but it will work.

Also, this does not come with a Shimano hub, not sure why it's listed. But reviewers are saying it comes with the Wheelmaster hubs. The picture of the wheel also shows Wheelmaster hubs. Not sure why the seller listed it as Shimano.

I had the Wheelmaster hubs. They are not bad. But did find mine after nearly 2 years of usage, needed the bearings to be repacked or re-greased. When I learned via youtube how to do this myself and repacked them, I had found that the manufacturer really didn't put much grease into the hubs. Once I repacked them, they rode really well.

Figuring out which wheels, you will need to look at what you currently have and just make sure you have the same size. This is your homework to do by looking at the bikes spec's. Others might post here helping you more than I will on this.

I have found tubes do matter. The super cheap tubes, are well...cheap. I find spending a bit more for quality tubes means less flats. I personally like Continental tubes the most and have not had issues with those tubes.

For a hybrid and the way you are telling us how you will ride, I would suggest getting a tire not much less than 700x38, would not at all go less than 700x35's. But this is my personal opinion. Going larger tires as long as the bike will fit them, may be more comfortable for riding. The smaller the tire, the higher pressure you need to use and the harsher the ride. It's one of the several reasons I had switched to a 700x42 tires since I can put these at lower pressure on the rails to trails I ride and it offers more traction and comfort. But, my hybrid bike can fit this size of tire.

Does that mean I'll need a Wheelmaster cassette? Or are cassettes universal?

Sorry for all the newbie questions. I have other hobbies I know a lot about, but bikes are honestly just something I've bought and used, never putting much thought into components or how they work.

Curious about pressure on my wheels itself. Just starting to ride a Surly Disc Trucker with the 700cx41 tires. It days the max PSI is 65. As a 340lb rider, what is the best pressure to ride at? I don't understand tubeless tires and want to make sure I don't mess anything up.

I have not noticed a difference between tubes at all, either for performance or flat resistance. I use name brand ones such as Kenda, Bonrager, Giant and Specialized, and have noticed no difference at all. If you have a puncture, the tube not stop your tire from deflating if the only thing inflating the tube is air. If you are going with some generic tube, maybe a different story.

As for tire size, I don't know about going with 38 mm. IMO, a good 32 should be fine if paved surfaces, while still being reasonably comfortable. The larger the tire size, the greater the rotational weight, which won't matter much once you get up to speed, but might when starting from a stop. For a time I rode an old mountain bike with 26" x 2" Kenda tires. Felt very plush, but man that bike felt sluggish getting up to speed. If I were to keep that bike, which I didn't, I would have gone down to 1.5" tires, and gotten something lighter.

Looking back at my comment, I should have been more specific and stated the inexpensive generic tubes. I have had issues with those. Specifically the cheap ones that Fuji bikes had in a few bikes I've worked on for my ex and my daughter. Edit: Oh and also the original generic tube that was in my Sub Cross....I have not idea why that thing will not keep air in and think it was leaking air around the valve. Replaced with a Kenda and no issues since.

I too have had Kenda, Specialized and just bought a Giant tubes and so far haven't had issues with those other than a few flats that are not to blame on the tubes but worn out tires. For some odd reason, I liked the Conti's in the past though. Just a personal favorite.

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