Road Wheelsets for 220lb.+ riders?
- Thread starter caldaw
- Start date
I got a set of vuelta aerolites on my roadie, cant speak for braking with them as i have crappy calipers, but they hold my 245# fat ass without flexing.... Got em on ebay for a touch over $100 brand new for the set... Probably not the best rims but the do the job for me....
It can be a challenge to find something both light and durable. My weight ranges between 230 and 220 and have had a history of breaking spokes. In general I have chosen heavier, value oriented wheelsets, but I don't see how the features on more expensive sets would increase durability.
Generic 32 spoke 3 cross wheels, Alex DA22 rims: Break rear spokes at bend every 500 miles or so, rideable with broken spoke, easy to repair even in the field - retired to trainer use.
Generic 36 spoke 3 cross wheels, Alex DC19 touring rim: Break rear spokes at bend every 500 miles or so, rideable, almost unnoticeable with broken spoke, easy to repair even in the field - trashed hub and spokes, reused rim for custom build.
Handbuilt 36 spoke 3 cross wheels, sapim double butted spokes brass washers at head, tiagra hub, DC19 rim: Great for several thousand miles, started breaking non driveside spokes at nipple every 500 mile or so. Now my winter wheel
Velomax Circuit (predecessor to EA70): Great, 0 spoke breakage, had to retire wheelset after rear rim started cracking around nipples, 15K+ miles
Mavic Akisum (set 1): Built in romania, great to about 2K miles, started breaking NDS rear spokes. The Head of the spoke fractures. Not rideable after breakage. Very easy to repair, even in the field. Removed from bike and kept as spare after second spoke broke. Spokes $2 at LBS.
Mavic Akisum (set 2): Built in China, needed frequent retruing for first 300 miles. Seems OK now. Little more than 1K on set. Using them on my group ride bike.
Shimano RS30: TRI bike usage, front wheel (16sp) needed slight retruing after 200 miles. Rear used a slight readjustment as well. Interesting lace pattern on rear - cross, but spokes do not come in contact with each other. Seem solid enough. Less than 1000 miles on wheelset.
Vuelta Corsa HD: Obtained at a significant discount. Arrived very true, spoke tensions seems a bit uneven but have not tweaked it. I have taken them on a few hard rides and trueness holding. Less than 500 miles on set. On my commuter, solo ride bike.
Generic 32 spoke 3 cross wheels, Alex DA22 rims: Break rear spokes at bend every 500 miles or so, rideable with broken spoke, easy to repair even in the field - retired to trainer use.
Generic 36 spoke 3 cross wheels, Alex DC19 touring rim: Break rear spokes at bend every 500 miles or so, rideable, almost unnoticeable with broken spoke, easy to repair even in the field - trashed hub and spokes, reused rim for custom build.
Handbuilt 36 spoke 3 cross wheels, sapim double butted spokes brass washers at head, tiagra hub, DC19 rim: Great for several thousand miles, started breaking non driveside spokes at nipple every 500 mile or so. Now my winter wheel
Velomax Circuit (predecessor to EA70): Great, 0 spoke breakage, had to retire wheelset after rear rim started cracking around nipples, 15K+ miles
Mavic Akisum (set 1): Built in romania, great to about 2K miles, started breaking NDS rear spokes. The Head of the spoke fractures. Not rideable after breakage. Very easy to repair, even in the field. Removed from bike and kept as spare after second spoke broke. Spokes $2 at LBS.
Mavic Akisum (set 2): Built in China, needed frequent retruing for first 300 miles. Seems OK now. Little more than 1K on set. Using them on my group ride bike.
Shimano RS30: TRI bike usage, front wheel (16sp) needed slight retruing after 200 miles. Rear used a slight readjustment as well. Interesting lace pattern on rear - cross, but spokes do not come in contact with each other. Seem solid enough. Less than 1000 miles on wheelset.
Vuelta Corsa HD: Obtained at a significant discount. Arrived very true, spoke tensions seems a bit uneven but have not tweaked it. I have taken them on a few hard rides and trueness holding. Less than 500 miles on set. On my commuter, solo ride bike.
Hey guys, I'm in the same boat as you guys. I have been riding Fulcrum Racing Zero's (2-way fit) for the past 2 years without any problems. Ironically enough, they have a low spoke count but the spokes are bladed aluminum so I'm only guessing this gives them a little more stiffness and strength. Furthermore, I run them in the tubeless setup, which I absolutely love. As a clyde, I was used to running tubed setups with PSI of 130+. The ride was rough and was routinely getting punctures and flats. Ever since switching to those wheels and the Hutchinson Intensive 25cc, I've never looked back. I would check them out.
Nope and nope on the bladed aluminum spokes. The yield strength of stainless steel (what most spokes are made of) is higher than that of aluminum (depending on the aluminum alloy, stainless' yield strength can be 120-500ish percent greater). For that reason, the aluminum spokes have to have a huge cross section compared to stainless steel spokes. Stainless is also about 200% or so stiffer than aluminum (again, it varies with the stainless steel type and the aluminum alloy in use). With that said, why are the spokes bladed? For these reasons:matbond said:
- It reduces aero drag compared to a round spoke of the same cross-sectional area
- It looks cool
- Mavic did it and made it popular, so Fulcrum (Campy) is trying to ride that wave
The Racing 0 spokes appear to be bigger/wider/larger than a regular bladed stainless spoke. If what you're saying is true about stiffness of steel vs. aluminum (and I have no reason not to believe you), then could it be this wheelset's stiffness could come from the amount of material used in the spokes vs. the material itself? Either I'm riding on a magic set of wheels or despite the low spoke count there's something pretty stiff and sturdy about this wheelset.
I'd be inclined to stick with a handbuilt wheel, for both durability and serviceability. A talented wheel builder will likely build you something far more reliable than most of the factory built wheel systems, and because a custom builder is going to build using off the shelf parts service and repair parts will be easier to source. My two cents for 220ish rider who wants something light: DT 240 hubs, HED C2 rims, DT competition spoke, 32 spoke front and rear, 3 cross the rear and 2 or 3 cross the front. And at the risk of starting an argument, I'd go the extra mile and have these tied and soldered. One absolute benefit of the tied and soldered wheel is that if you do break a spoke is remains tied to its partner and won't flail about, carving up your carbon frame or fork.
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