Wheels for heavy riders

renoster

I have had enough of hearing my spokes snap on my Ksyrium SSCs. I bought them because I thought they were robust. I am loking for affordable wheels that will survive many miles beneath a fat boy.
Anybody have any suggestions?

daveornee

Velocity Deep V on Ultegra hubs.
36 spokes if 250 or above. 32 spokes for 200 - 249

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lohsnest

Alex Rims has some nice products at a lower price point. They have many rims to choose from. I would build your wheels around a 32 hole rim that suits your taste and is designed for someone of your size. Have your local LBS built it around the hub of your choosing. Velocitys are also nice. If you want a pre-built wheel, FSA also makes some nice stuff. Check out their RD220, 24/28 spoke ( I would check on the weight restrictions on this one)

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threaded

I'm not exactly fat, but I put out an awful lot of peak power and hit things very hard. I snap cranks, break axles, rip spokes straight thru' rims / hubs. Lastest is breaking an X0 trigger shifter just with thumb pressure... So I suggest you build up a spares collections and just get used to rebuilding stuff on a regular basis.

Anyways, what I've done to extend the lifetime of a wheel is buy a good quality tension meter, build the wheels myself, and retune everytime before/after a race or if I've hit a hole in the road training.

On my spare MTB I have Halo 26" HD MTB Wheels, they've 48 spoke jobbies on the back. If the course is bad enough to kill my "light" bike this one will always finish.

On my regular commuter I have thicker spokes on the rear and use a drum brake.

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mikesbytes

I've just got Deep V on 36 spoke Ultegra hubs. I'll let you know what I think in 20,000k

Personally I think the order of importance for wheels for bigger riders is;
1. Rigidity
2. Aerodynamics
3. Weight

Too much emphansis on weight, which isn't that relevant for bigger riders.

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531Aussie

yeah........just about any 30mm-deep rims with 32 or 36 spokes.

I have 32-spoke DT RR1.2 rims on most of my bikes, and they are just as bullet proof as my old Velocity Deep Vs, Rigida DP18s and my Mavic CXP30s. I'm a 185-pound masher and thrasher, and I can't remember the last time I broke a spoke. I use 'straight' gauge DT Champions.

I recently bought some Flash-Point FP60s for racing, and while "science" tells me that the aerodynamic advanatage of these wheels gives me about a 15w advantage 'at speed', I can't feel any difference in speed between these wheels and my 2.1kg 30mm alu rims. In fact, the Flash-Points feel a little slower sometimes, because they flex a bit more.

I emailed the 'Rouse' guy on Weight Weenies who does the aero testing, and he said that a 30mm-deep, 28-spoke, v-shape rim would come in at about 30w on his test.

531Aussie

yeah, it's farkin ridiculous!! People go on and on about buying the 'holy grail' of super-stiff and light frames, then they put floppy/flexy wheels there, just because the wheels are 'light'!!!! Amazing!!

PeterF

I would consider myself heavy and here's what I have used over the past 5 years.

Shimano 540's. Heavy, flexible and broke spokes all the time. Total garbage.

Ksyrium Elite's. Noticeably better than the Shimano's. Not particularly light, aero or stiff, but not bad either. Spokes held up for some time, broke two rims though. Ok, but not worth the money.

Campy Proton's. Cheaper and lighter than the Ksyrium Elite's. Stiff and very durable (have never needed to true them since I bought them in 2004). They are stiff enough to race on. Brake surface has started to deteriorate, but still good enough for my 'cross bike. Excellent value.

Campy Eurus' (2005 version). Smooth fast, relatively light and durable. Only needed truing after a crash in a crit. Surprisingly tough considering low spoke count. Not cheap but still a nice race wheel for us clydesdales.

Campy Record 32 spoke hub/Velocity Aerohead handbuilts- Have only used them a handful of times so far, so any claims on durability would be premature however, I am expecting years of service. Excellent all around wheel in terms of ride quality. Fast, light, smooth, corner wheel. Zero complaints. Same price range as Proton's, but easier parts to replace. Much smoother ride than the Proton's too. Excellent value/performance.

For the record I weigh 215 lbs, but I have been much heavier (240 ish) in the past few years. I ride about 4-5,000 miles a year over some pretty crappy New England roads, so wheel durability is a huge factor.

Peter@vecchios

Campag hubs if Campagnolo, shimano if shimano. Centaur or Ultegra for mid range hubs. Deep V or DT 1.2 rims. 36h all around(no need to save 28 grams per wheel if 200-249 pounds). 14/15 spokes, brass nipples, laced 3 cross all around.

Jman

I agree. I am 265 - 270lbs and have been using Deep Vs (32 spokes) for the last 2,500 miles with no problems. Front has a an ultegra hub and the rear has a PT SL.

Powerful Pete

Do a search. This has come up time and time again.

The best hubs you can buy. 36 hole rims (Mavic CXP if you are really heavy, Open Pro, or Ambrosio if you still want total reliability).

Et voilà. Happy riding.

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daveornee

I would avoid Mavic rims if you really want reliability.

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sideshow_bob

First let me say that every set of road wheels I've got (5-6) are hand built by a local wheel builder. All are superb sets of wheels.

However a hand built set of wheels is only as good as the quality of the build. I've seen a lot of sets of Open Pros or Aeroheads etc on DA/Ultegra hubs that have been junk because it's likely they've been put together by the minimum wage 16 year old apprentice in the back room of a bike shop.

It's not that hard to put together good quality wheels consistently, but if you are going to go that route, spend some extra time sourcing someone who has a reputation. If you live in an area where this is a problem, then maybe you might want to consider off the shelf wheels because generally the QC on them leaving the factory is more consistent.

If I was buying off the shelf for a big guy, I'd look at some of the Easton range. Maybe Circuits or Tempests, or lower end Fulcrums (3's).

--brett

Powerful Pete

Fair enough. I always assumed the wheels would be built up in a professional manner.

As for problems with Mavics? Their rims seem fine to me... maybe I have just had 20 odd years of good fortune.

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