Rob63

Hi everyone
I just bought a mid 90's Trek 520 frame with some parts, but no wheels. I'm planning a 2 week trip bike tour this summer, and possibly months long in Europe the following year. Most riding will be on roads, with maybe some flat trails...my age and my family with kids in tow will keep rides tame.
I'd love some suggestions for affordable yet reliable wheels I can buy in North America.

thumpism 

Welcome! I'm sure lots of better suggestions will be forthcoming but I'd buy a used bike of the same vintage and get the wheels, tires and rear cluster all together. You'd need to be aware of compatibility (derailleur, etc). If you know what too look for that'll get you going pretty reasonably and you could plan to upgrade later if that's even necessary.

KC8QVO

You should have the frame specs already. I assume it is a 26" wheel frame, but there is a chance it is 700c if it is a larger frame size. More likely 26".

The two dimensions you need are overall wheel size (the 26" or 700c, there are some other sizes floating around out there so be sure for 100%) and the hub spacing between the drop outs (front and rear will be different - rear is wider).

What you could do is build your own wheel set. If it were me - this is the route I would go. You have a lot more flexibility with components. If you want to go with used components you can certainly do that as well. However, I would be leery of used hubs - especially cone & race hubs (most bicycle hubs are this style) as they can be easily damaged from use and/or improper set up.

Long story short, I ran over the front wheel of my bike (tight garage and I parked my truck in there, where the bike was one time was next to the truck and it moved when I tried to get the truck out of the garage and there was no way to get to it to upright the bike again). I found a rim for about $35 if I recall. Then it was a matter of matching spokes to the hub. That was around 2015-2016. I can't find the info on where I got the spokes. It was a place around the East coast - like NJ, DE, NH, ME, PA maybe? It wasn't wheelbuilder.com.

With the combination of the hub and rim a good shop can tell you what length spoke you need (they vary in mm increments and you don't want much spoke protruding in to the rim - just enough to make the nipples work/be adjustable without excess thread). How you lace the spokes matters also - usually that adds length unless you do a straight lace - not very many applications use that. They usually cross. There are wheel spoke calculators floating around out there, but I don't know that all of them are 100% accurate/complete = you may have trouble finding older components in the calculators. That's where a good shop can point you in the right direction.

I find lacing wheels a neat process, though I haven't done much of it - no reason to yet. I like "how things work" and do all my own work on bikes and wheel building is part of that - it is a much later process in the "learning how to work on bikes" but is an important process for completing your bike mechanic knowledge. When it comes to touring and being self-sufficient on bike mechanics that is a valuable knowledge base. Yeah, you probably won't be building a new wheel on a tour, but it is possible you can break a spoke. If you break a spoke then the load it was taking gets distributed to other spokes = heavier load = likely to break more spokes. So the cure is to replace the spokes. However...

If you break a spoke there is generally a reason you broke a spoke. That likely comes back to improper (too high) of tension.

So going back to wheel building experience - if you are aware of how to properly set a wheel up if you run in to a spoke problem on tour you have an excellent base to rectify the scenario. Just saying.

For what it is worth - I have never broken a spoke. And that includes some heavy (heavier on 2 wheels than the vast majority) loaded touring. I have had some wobbly wheels. Some of that was related to old tires with stretched beads - another issue you should be aware of related to bike wheels and older components.

There are pictures of part of my tour in the fall of '20 in the following thread with the bike load I had for reference to the wheel strength//no broke spokes.
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...-rain-row.html

andrewclaus

If there's a bicycle co-op near you, they would have a selection of wheels of the same vintage. As mentioned in the second post, you should be able to find a rear wheel with the correct number of cogs for your shifter. The idea of buying a donor bike is a pretty good one, too, if you have room and tools.

fishboat

A mid 90's 520 should be a 700c rim with a 135mm rear dropout spacing. Buying a used bike for parts can be a good way to go, but you need to find the right deal and know what you're buying(could take awhile after LOTS of looking). I've looked at and purchased(too many) nice bikes over the years and with rare exception (1 bike) "quality wheels" haven't been any of the bikes selling points. Nice wheels on a used bike tend to be a (trailing) indicator of nice frame & nice components..low-buck bikes tend not to have average above average wheelsets. As often as not, someone selling a bike will keep a good wheelset and sell off lower quality wheels with the bike. In general, find a nice used bike with good wheels and you may well be paying more for it than the 520 you're trying to fix up.

Used (good) wheelsets..they're out there, but few and far between(in my experience)..at least for what they should cost and in good condition. If you go used..be sure you ride them on a bike first. You may well find out why the person is selling them.

That leaves new wheels. You mention "reasonable". That's a nebulous term. What's your budget? How much do you weigh? How much will your touring setup weigh?

You might take a look at Velomine(29er Velocity Cliffhanger..not lightweight, but they shouldn't let you down) or Bicycle Wheel Warehouse.

You should be looking for 135mm rear hub and 700c (or 29er, same thing) wheel size, 32 or 36 spokes should be fine. To be sure, check your bike's specs..the vintage Trek website will narrow your specific year down..use the frame color to ID the year, then look up the spec manual.
Trek Bike Models by Year and Color
Trek, Fisher, Klein, Lemond bike catalogs, bicycle brochures

edit: Probably should have mentioned building your own wheels. It isn't hard, which is not to say you won't spend a fair bit of time figuring out how to do it(Roger Musson's $12 e-book is all you need) and sourcing the right materials. Equipment required can be minimal. Aluminum rims can run you $60-$200 a pair, depending on what you're looking for. Spokes are about a buck a piece and brass nipples are cheap. Used hubs will run you $25-$50 each(be sure that the cones are good as replacements can be hard to find, the cups seldom have issues). New hubs..cost more. Make sure the rear hub is hyperglide and 8-9-10 speed compatible. Rim tape is another $12 a set.

pdlamb

Measure twice, cut once.

Mid-90s, I'm trying to remember when Trek went from 7 to 8 to 9 speeds. (Speeds = clicks on the shifter plus 1) I'm thinking the rear might only be spaced for a 7 speed cassette; wasn't that 130 mm spacing?

tyrion

Velomine has good prices on wheels:

https://www.velomine.com/index.php?m...9t58pp1pgc0ob4

Unfortunately, I think the ones you need are sold out:

https://www.velomine.com/index.php?m...9t58pp1pgc0ob4

But keep your eye on that page.

Tourist in MSN

You said mid 90s, so I put in a search for 1995.
https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=36019

If that is the correct year, looks like 7 speed. If you want to keep the bike, I would suggest you fit it with 8 or 9 speed, which would mean changing the rear derailleur and rear shifter.

There is nothing wrong with 8 speed, I have four bikes that take 8 speed cassettes. If this bike is fitted with an 11/32 rear 8 speed cassette (Sram makes a good one for $25) and the stock front triple, that would have adequate gearing. (A 24T in front is better than 26, but the 26 is adequate.)

If you want to keep the stock shifter and rear derailleur, I think with a spacer you can put a 7 speed cassette on an 8 speed wheel, but I would suggest you confirm that first, as I have not tried to do that myself.

Agree with the suggestions for a bike coop or a bike charity if there is a local one that might have used wheels. You would want wheels that are compatible with the current drivetrain parts on the bike. Bikes with rim brakes do cause wear on rims, you can't just look at a rim and conclude how much life it has, but there are some rims that have built in rim wear indicators of when the rim should be replaced. If you buy a used wheel at a coop or bike charity, ask a mechanic there for their thoughts on the amount of rim wear for a bike that will be used for loaded touring before you hand them the money.

The specs say it was fitted with 28mm tires in 1995. If the frame can take 32mm or 35mm, you might want to consider that instead. I prefer fenders for touring. If you plan to add fenders, that may limit your tire size choice so decide if you want fenders before you invest in tires to make sure you can get tires that will fit with fenders.

fishboat

Good points. I was working off memory..which admittedly is not as photographic as it once was..I looked up the spec manual for a 1995 520.. 135mm spacing(Deore LX hubs), 7 speed, 28mm tire with a stated max of 41mm. The 7 speed cassette will fit a 8-9-10 speed hub with a 4.5mm spacer. I did it one of my bikes. For the OP..definitely determine what year 520 you have to be sure how it was spec'd.

OP..if you're going with fenders..after trying two sets that were spec'd to fit and didn't.. My GF has a touring-converted '91 Trek 750(same frame geometry as the 520) and runs 38mm Little Big Ben tires. The SKS B53 Commuter fenders(53mm wide) fit both the bike and tires, but are none too big for the tires. They don't have mudguards..though they are easy to fabricate. I small piece of sheet vinyl flooring works nicely. Brazilian Cherry and black fenders, black bike..looks nice..

Tourist in MSN

In the mid 90s, my newest bike was still my 1972 Raleigh Gran Prix that I bought new decades earlier. So, your memory is better than mine.

I think you meant mud flaps. The Brits usually refer to fenders as mudguards.

I usually use the lid of a Folgers coffee can which is black plastic for my mudflaps. Although for my front wheel on my rando bike, which is a red bike with black fenders, I think I used a Hills Brothers lid which is red for my mud flap.

fishboat

Flaps..guards....shrug..close enough. Years ago I was at work and a co-worked said.."..hey, you're wearing one black sock and one brown sock!". I looked at him and said, "hey..at least I'm wearing socks."

Looks more like walnut, but it works really well.

Tourist in MSN

Rear mudflap, Folgers lid, front is Hills Brothers lid.

Thulsadoom

There's always Ebay.

LeeG

As mentioned above your weight and intended load can shift the reasonable price range around. I don’t know if Quality bike products still make wheels but they’re good as are Velocity. There are machine made wheels for dirt cheap that you should add $40 or so to for a shop to check the grease, adjust bearings and retrue as needed. Alex Adventurer rims, CR18, Velocity Atlas are all good mid priced rims. You don’t have to have butted or 36 spoke wheels but if you’re heavy carrying a heavy load I’d want a 36 spoke rear wheel. Sure seems like everything is disc brakes these days.

Give these folks a call https://www.jensonusa.com/Quality-Wh...C-Hybrid-Wheel Looks like the price is a front wheel. It’s 32 spoke which is perfectly fine for a front wheel but I’d look around for 36 rear if you and your load aren’t light. Also when it comes to buying inexpensive production wheels you absolutely should have the wheels looked over by a bike mechanic before loading up or after a month of around the town riding. I’m sure cheap production now is better than 40 yrs ago but a common refrain from customers with broken rear spokes in midtour was “I don’t get it, I’ve ridden on them for years with no problem!” which was true. They had a production wheel that was never trued up, was slightly out of true then they loaded it up and rear spokes started popping. If it was trued up from day one they’d be fine even with cheap cadmium plated straight 15 gauge spokes which is what I used touring most of the time and never popped a spoke. Most spokes will be stainless straight or butted 14 and there’s nothing wrong with straight 14 in a cheap wheel. Btw reasonable to me means under $500 for a wheelset.

MarcusT

Look like some good deals, but with all the specs they list, there is no mention of the hub. I know the photo shows Deore, but strange how it's not listed.

saddlesores

could you define "some" parts?
posters are referencing old catalog specs, when we don't know what you've got other than a frame.
can't assume you have the original shifters or derailleur.......if the bike you have included them.
are the included shifters, if any, 7- or 8- or 9-speed?

don't know what you have in your personal parts bin you're planning to build with.
can't assume the rear dropout spacing is the same as in the catalogs.....have you measured it?
what's your experience level with bikes and building up or rebuilding yourself?

katsup

Rob63 Post a photo of your bike (parts) to your album here and tell us when you do so
https://www.bikeforums.net/g/user/552227

Almost any 100/135mm spaced quick release rim brake 700c wheelset will work. You may have to change some parts depending on what cassette you get.

Rob63

Thanks for responses everyone, some good suggestions.. I posted a photo of my frame. For my info...I'm 190 lbs, bike will be fully loaded for weeks and month long trips (warm weather), I'm not a mechanic but have some common bike sense (I know, I know, doesn't reveal much lol), willing to spend 300$ on a good set of wheels. My bike will be loaded, and I'm not light, so I want to make sure that when I'm on the road, my wheels don't fail me. I went to my local bike kitchen, but no luck. It appears wheel knowledge is key which I am learning, so I'll take more suggestions for specific wheels I can buy online would be great.

fishboat

Bare frame. No fork. No parts are mentioned and few are seen.

To be honest, given your (apparent) knowledge/skill set and money constraints..you'd be much better off, and money far ahead, buying a complete bike and learn how to go through it to make sure things are in good repair and adjusted right. You'll need that knowledge down the road. Building a bike from the frame up will cost you a fair bit more than buying a complete bike. I see Trek 520s going for $500. There's lots of (complete )bike options for what you want to do.

Where are you located (city)?

Also..how tall are you?