Originally Posted by Treebeard3
Thank you for responding.
Any suggestion on a particular clincher? My initial search found Tufo Tubular clincher C Elite Ride 23 (up to 220 psi) and C Elite Ride 25 (up to 145 psi). Are there any others you would recommend? And what about a wheel set? Do I have to worry about the rims bending with tire pressures of 150 or greater and my weight?
Some wheels/rims come with pressure limits because of sidewall strength. Zipp101's come to mind with a max pressure rating of 120psi regardless of the tire being run, but you wouldn't want to run wheels like that at your weight anyway.
A clincher rim with a good reputation as a solid wheel is the HED Belgian C2. Typically heavier riders will (or should) run higher pressures than lighter riders but I don't no why anyone would want to run those uber high pressures anywhere except of the track, even at 250lbs or so. Also, the wider the tire, typically the lower the pressure required. At my weight for instance on a brand I often run, as per manufacturer recommendation, the 25c requires 10 lower psi than the 23c.
Additionally, with the HED Belgians, the rim width measured outside to outside at the brake track is slightly wider (at 23mm) than the older school rim designs, like Mavic, which are commonly in the 19-20mm range. This has a few benefits, one of which is a stronger rim, but also because of the increased air volume inside the tire, HED recommends lower pressures should be used which to make a long story short means a heavier rider can run a slightly lower pressure thus accommodating many tires recommended pressures, but at no loss of performance. So for a tire who's rating is say 120psi, HED recommends something like 100psi. I won't go into the benefit of the wider rims (they roll fast, are inherently stronger/stiffer, handle great, and are more comfortable because of the lower pressures required) but the fact that almost every manufacturer are slowly adopting the standard should say something.
And finally along with being available as a low weight/low spoke count factory built wheel, the rims are also sold separately with a 32 hole drilling which when paired with a quality hub and some meaty gauge spokes attached with brass nipples should serve a heavier rider like yourself reliably for years to come. Outfits like Colorado Cyclist and Excel Action Sports in Boulder build great wheels, or you may have a good bike shop capable of doing the same locally. I purchased a pair of HED C2's laced up to some Campagnolo Record hubs for about $650 from Excel and they are some of the nicest wheels I have ever come across. Smooth rolling, superb quality, and tough as nails.
Edit: Here is a review I just grabbed off the web, no endorsement of the website, it just happened to be the first one that popped up: http://drummondcycles.com/2012/12/707/
