Need wheel/rim upgrade advice



S

Splat

Guest
Somewhat of a newbie here. I've been riding a lot of pavement and easy
trails (no 2' drops) the past three years since getting my 2002 Giant
Rainier. Everything is still stock on it because I was saving up for bigger
bills. I'm starting to get a lot of broken spokes now on the rear wheel so
now I'm thinking about replacing it. Should I go with a new front & rear
wheelset or just change the rear? Any brand/model recommendations? Thanks.
---
Splat
 
"Splat" <spamthis> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Somewhat of a newbie here. I've been riding a lot of pavement and easy
> trails (no 2' drops) the past three years since getting my 2002 Giant
> Rainier. Everything is still stock on it because I was saving up for
> bigger
> bills. I'm starting to get a lot of broken spokes now on the rear wheel so
> now I'm thinking about replacing it. Should I go with a new front & rear
> wheelset or just change the rear? Any brand/model recommendations? Thanks.
> ---
> Splat
>
>

I had the same problem until I had a good wheel builder build me a set of
521 (now EX-721) Mavics, DT Swiss double butted spokes on a Chris King Hub.
It is a heavy build but in over three years I have had zero problems. I will
never buy machine built wheels again.
 
"Dean A. Stepper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:xiSGe.70360$ro.4633@fed1read02...
>
> "Splat" <spamthis> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Somewhat of a newbie here. I've been riding a lot of pavement and easy
>> trails (no 2' drops) the past three years since getting my 2002 Giant
>> Rainier. Everything is still stock on it because I was saving up for
>> bigger
>> bills. I'm starting to get a lot of broken spokes now on the rear wheel
>> so
>> now I'm thinking about replacing it. Should I go with a new front & rear
>> wheelset or just change the rear? Any brand/model recommendations?
>> Thanks.
>> ---
>> Splat
>>

>


A lot of broken spokes, as in 10? Why not just replace the spokes?

If that's all that's wrong with it, spokes are easy to replace.
--
DTW .../\.../\.../\...

I've spent most of my money on mountain biking and windsurfing.
The rest, I've just wasted.
 
D T W .../\... wrote:
> A lot of broken spokes, as in 10? Why not just replace the spokes?
> If that's all that's wrong with it, spokes are easy to replace.


That's what I'm trying to decide. I want to, and plan on, ride more
aggressive trails. Roughly 6-8 broke spokes since I first bought the bike 3
years ago.

Considering that I'd like to start riding more aggressive trails, should I
replace all the spokes with quality spokes, or get a new better rear wheel
like a Mavic XC717 w/Shimano XTR hub?
--
Splat
 
"Splat" <spamthis> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>D T W .../\... wrote:
>> A lot of broken spokes, as in 10? Why not just replace the spokes?
>> If that's all that's wrong with it, spokes are easy to replace.

>
> That's what I'm trying to decide. I want to, and plan on, ride more
> aggressive trails. Roughly 6-8 broke spokes since I first bought the bike
> 3
> years ago.
>
> Considering that I'd like to start riding more aggressive trails, should I
> replace all the spokes with quality spokes, or get a new better rear wheel
> like a Mavic XC717 w/Shimano XTR hub?
> --
> Splat
>


I'd tell you that XTR is overkill on this bike. XT level is plenty good,
and I still think you should rebuild the wheel you have. Just replacing the
broken spokes at this point is probably best. After 3 years you probably
have worn the braking surfaces a bit so it's not worth a total re-spoking.
The only reason to replace it would be if the bearings or braking surfaces
are trashed.

If you really, really, want a new wheel, read all about building them here:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html


http://www.universalcycles.com/wheelkit/index.php

--
DTW .../\.../\.../\...

I've spent most of my money on mountain biking and windsurfing.
The rest, I've just wasted.
 
"Splat" <spamthis> wrote:

>Somewhat of a newbie here. I've been riding a lot of pavement and easy
>trails (no 2' drops) the past three years since getting my 2002 Giant
>Rainier. Everything is still stock on it because I was saving up for bigger
>bills. I'm starting to get a lot of broken spokes now on the rear wheel so
>now I'm thinking about replacing it. Should I go with a new front & rear
>wheelset or just change the rear? Any brand/model recommendations? Thanks.


If you're breaking spokes, and it's NOT because of foreign objects
getting into your wheel, it's just a problem with the wheel build, not
the spokes. One of the "foreign objects" can be the chain (see the
other thread on overshifting and scoring the outside drive-side
spokes).

But most spokes break simply because the wheels aren't built well. On
a well-built wheel, the spoke tension is high enough to keep them in
tension under just about any normal circumstance (10 foot drops
excepted). This means the spoke doesn't see constant
loading/unloading cycles, but instead lives in the "tensioned zone",
where the maximum tension (which occurs with the bike hanging on the
wall) is below the rim's maximum ability to withstand the tension, but
the minimum tension (which occurs when that section of the rim hits an
obstacle) isn't enough to entirely untension the spoke. This has the
side benefit of never allowing the nipples to unscrew (the reason
poorly built wheels always need retruing).

If the hubs and rims are still in good shape, my advice would be to
have the rear wheel rebuilt by a GOOD wheelbuilder (you might have to
ask around to find one). When you're talking to people about who
built their wheels, and they say "I only need to true them up once or
twice a season", chances are you should ask around some more... well
built wheels should stay true until you bend 'em (something that no
wheelbuilder can prevent).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame