TheNeed4Speed

I just bought a new road bike and the frame is a great fit for my 6'9" stature. The shop I bought it at recommended that I get a wheel with a higher weight capacity such as a 40 spoker. I'm looking into hubs and rims that would let me fiddle with building something like this. Does any one have any advice on good places to find these parts? I'm not trying to brag but I'm kind of a power house, what other types of specifications might I look into to keep this ***** rolling? Also, if anyone has any other advice in general related to maintaining a bike for a 290 lb. rider it would be appreciated. Thanks.

BluesDaddy

Get a wheel hand-built by someone who knows what they're doing. Don't know what wheel your frame will accept, but I'd go with an Shimano XT hub if you want a budget option and a Phil Wood tandem hub if cost is no object. Then you'll want a good quality double-wall rim like a Mavic or Velocity and straight gauge spokes laced 4X. A good wheel builder can steer you in the right direction.

lectraplayer

I may be interested too as I am working on a couple pack bikes. I too am a clydesdale and intend to stay one.

TheNeed4Speed

This question probably sounds dumb but what does it mean to lace a wheel 4X? does that mean 40 spokes and hubs with 40 holes?

rpenmanparker 

Don't make up your mind regarding any aspect of the wheel design before talking to your chosen custom wheel builder.

prathmann

The "4X" refers to each spoke crossing 4 other spokes between the hub and the rim. Radial spoking is 0X - no other spokes are crossed. The most common rear wheel spoke pattern with 36 spokes is 3X with one crossing right by the hub flange and two others between the flange and the rim, but 4X is also possible with 36 spokes. With 40 spokes it's reasonable to have 4 crossings to have the spokes leave the hub flange fairly close to tangentially and this creates less stress on the hub flange when you apply torque through pedaling.

FBinNY 

Hire a good builder, with a solid reputation, and let him sweat the preferences.

Possibly the most important thing that separates good wheel builders from people who can build a wheel is their expertise, and ability to match components to the needs of their clients.

If you were to come to me, I'd probably stick with 36 spokes because going to 40 limits choices too much. Then I'd talk to you about tire width choices, and check clearance on you frame. Once we know the tires you plan to use, I'd select an appropriate rim, and the hub of your choice and budget, and build using double butted spokes, with the specific spoke gauges used dependent on the rim.

There are other out of the box things a builder can help you with. For example, if you have a road frame with 130mm spacing, I'd consider whether spreading to 135 and using a mtn hub might be practical.

So you see some of the thought process, that a decent builder will walk you through long before anything was bought.

BTW- as evidence that it's adequate, I built a pair of 36h wheels for a client tandeming NY to Ca, which made it without a hitch, and lasted years after. The loads on a rear tandem wheel with those riders (combined weight, over 300#s plus gear) exceed those you'll be dealing with.

Others will steer you to a 48 spoke wheel which is also a viable approach, but choices in hubs and rims will be limited.

Lastly you asked what 4 cross means. It means that each spoke crosses past 4 going the other way between the hub and rim. 3x & 4x are the most common builds, but if you go to a 48h wheel, 5x is also an option.

chriskmurray

I would say 40 spokes is overkill. I would stick with 36 spokes because like FB mentions, you are far more limited in hub/rim choices above 36 spokes and you really don't need more anyways.

If you are looking for specific part recommendations there are too many variables right now. You mention it is a road bike but you did not specify what size tires you plan to run or they type of riding you plan to do (racing, touring, commuting, etc) It used to be safe to assume a road bike was rim brake and 130mm spacing on the rear but that is no longer the case so knowing your brake type and spacing on the frame is also important.

In short, find a builder you trust and give them a call/email and go over the details with them as all of us wheel builders have our own preferences and any good builder would know all of the right questions to ask.

Kimmo

I can say for a fact that a 14/15/14g spoke will last longer than a 14g spoke. The butting allows the centre of the spoke to stretch a little, reducing fatigue at the ends of the spoke. I'm pretty sure the strongest spoke you'll find is the DT Alpine, a 14g spoke with a 13g elbow (the threaded end rarely fails, usually only due to poor nipple alignment). The 13g elbow better fills the hole in the hub flange, also reducing the chance of flange failure.

As for x4, at 36h you'd need a high-flange hub, and I'm pretty sure there's little to no extra strength in it anyway.

I'd agree. It should be possible to source components strong enough to build you a sturdy 36h wheel. I'd recommend a Shimano hub; perhaps 105/Deore level and above are stronger than their less-fancy brethren, but I doubt it. Shimano hubs are next to indestructible when properly adjusted, and if anything does go wrong with it, parts are ubiquitous.

I also agree with FB about spreading your frame to 135mm, if it's steel. This will reduce the dish on your wheel, adding tension to the NDS spokes which are apt to fail when heavy loads cause them to de-tension between the hub and the road (probably the most likely failure mode; broken NDS elbows).

Another way to reduce the dish I'd recommend either instead or as well, is an off-centre rim. Forget the Velocity Aerohead, it's only 400g. You want something closer to 500g, preferably with eyelets. However, such a thing may not exist, which would represent an unfilled niche... deciding between say, a 460g non-eyeletted OC rim and a 500g eyeletted symmetric rim would be a tough call. Probably the latter if you can go 135mm OLD.

Oh - if your frame isn't steel but the dropouts open up a few mm when you unclamp the wheel, you might as well take up the space - you could even make it a little too wide by 1 or 2mm.

Use nice soft brake pads (not a fan of any Clarks pads I've come across; they're way too hard on rims), and check them often for embedded grit. A bastard file does a great job of cleaning pads, but you either need to use extreme caution or remove the pads, lest you slip and gouge your frame or fork. Cartridge pads are win. And BTW, anyone buying non-adjustable pads for a road bike these days is supporting a dumb and lazy manufacturer - non-adjustable pads should've gone the way of the dodo a decade ago.

TheNeed4Speed

Thanks FB. I think my forks are 130mm. I agree with you about 36 spokes giving me more options. I know there's probably a shyt ton of websites that sell wheel parts, but do you know of any good ones off hand that I could browse? I'm actually thinking about trying to dabble with this a little myself too for shyts and giggles. Thanks.

TheNeed4Speed

Thanks blues! Great advice.

reddog3

Lot's of good advice here) except the ones suggesting switching to a mountain hub. It may not work with your rear (depending on bike) and could cause other troubles. The question I have- you got a new "road bike" so the shop didn't address equipment needs for a big guy like yourself? Did they sell you the right bike?

Kimmo

What, that advice I critiqued in depth? Or maybe you're addressing me, since BluesDaddy posted before FB, and I quoted him and you're new here (although I guess you'd need to be new to forums in general too)?

Kimmo

What other troubles?

bigfred 

You might wonder over to the "Cyldesdales and Athenas" section of this forum. There's ton's of info and many, many threads there about wheel building for the likes of you and I.

I'm currently about 255lbs at 6'5" and ride 32 and 36 spokes wheels I've built myself. I've ridden reasonably light road racing wheels while as heavy as 290lbs+.

Depending on your usage, tandem wheels are almost certainly overkill.

With regards to finding a compitent wheelsmith: good luck. There are some of them still out there. But, more times than not they seem to work from a standpoint of "good enough" and often that isn't for us clydes. I've yet to meet a mechanic or wheelbuilder who willingly admitted that he wouldn't be able to satisfy my requirements or send me to another, but, plenty have failed. And, infallibilly blamed the components or me, while others have succeeded with the same:-)

The best results I've experienced are from the wheels I've built myself. Commercial mechanics just can't afford to lavish the time that I do on getting tension equalization between the spokes as close as I do. Regardless of components having a wheel built to uniform and realatively high tension is the most important thing to durability and longevity under a clyde.

Come over to the Clyde forum, tell us a bit more about your bike (rear spacing, number of rear cogs, etc.), how you intend to use it and you'll get numerous responses from guys very close to your weight who have successfully built or purchased wheels and what they're riding.

Kimmo

Come to think of it, if you're thinking about giving wheelbuilding a shot, you're probably better off DIY.

Anyone reasonably competent and methodical will find that patience is an almost perfect substitute for expertise, when suitably appraised of all the tips and tricks, at least when working with new stuff or parts in good nick.

Here's a PDF of Jobst Brandt's The Bicycle Wheel, 3rd edition (3.7MB): https://poehali.net/attach/Bicycle_Wh...bst_Brandt.pdf

It's not just possible but likely that you'd do a better job than you could pay for; you can spend as long as you like on it.

TheNeed4Speed

They did reccomend I buy a heavier wheel but after thinking about it for a few days and hearing of different accounts by heavier riders, I decided not to spend the extra 500 dollars and take my chances.

TheNeed4Speed

Thank you!

bigfred 

What sort of wheel has the bike come with?

If it's a new bike, the wheel will have almost certainly been machine built. Unless it's a fairly high end wheel, the best thing that you can do to increase the durability and service life of the average machine built wheel is to ensure it's repeatedly stress relieved, tensioned and equalized. Ask the shop you've purchased it from if they are capable and willing to do this. Or, seek out a reputable wheelsmith in your area to do so. The little this will cost is money well spent on ensuring your wheel has the best possible chance at fulfilling your needs.

fietsbob

In 40 hole the Shimano cassete hubs are sold for tandems . the axle is compatible to change parts to be shorter than as shipped,
so more like the 130 dropouts your road frame may have ..


I can't help with internet bargain hunting ..


I built a set of touring bike wheels for myself decades ago. ... rear 48 spoke , while I was at it I built the front one with 40 spokes ..

solo toured Europe a couple times on that bike..

davidad

I built a 36 double butted rear for a friend who went from 285 to 175 and back. I used a Mavic Open sport rim for the extra Al and a Shimano 105 hub. If you have the typical race bike you are limited to narrower rims and tires. Hopefully you can use 28mm tires on the back.

Bill Kapaun

+1
PROPER tension will result in the wheel lasting longer.
it still may not be enough for your needs, but maybe........

TheNeed4Speed

MaddoxDRX4000. Does that sound familiar. The bike is a 63 cm Bianchi Nirone. I'm sure they are factory wheels.

TheNeed4Speed

Bill-
How do you recommend I inspect the spokes? Brush along them lightly and feel for unequal tension and then tighten those?

Bill Kapaun

With no wheel building experience, you pretty much have to buy a tension meter or pay to have it done.

There are charts on the net where, if you are musically inclines, a specific tension produces a specific note.
This changes with spoke length & gauge. Not sure if it works with bladed of double butted spokes???