RE: new wheels for commute

[Vintaged Velo]

Hi all,
just thinking about getting some new wheels for touring commute bike - it's a heavy framed Gios Spazio, with a Claris group set. The Alex Rims are not really up to task (done about 1400kms and they're cactus) as I weigh 90kgs and have two panniers with change of clothes + work gear. What would be a decent set of wheels? I can't afford to spend a great deal of money.

Thanks!

[10speedsemiracer]

Hi all,
just thinking about getting some new wheels for touring commute bike - it's a heavy framed Gios Spazio, with a Claris group set. The Alex Rims are not really up to task (done about 1400kms and they're cactus) as I weigh 90kgs and have two panniers with change of clothes + work gear. What would be a decent set of wheels? I can't afford to spend a great deal of money.

Thanks!

Have found Mavic Aksium to be a tough wheelset, a good option for larger riders, especially if coupled with a nice 28mm tyre.

[Gerry.M]

Hi all,
just thinking about getting some new wheels for touring commute bike - it's a heavy framed Gios Spazio, with a Claris group set. The Alex Rims are not really up to task (done about 1400kms and they're cactus) as I weigh 90kgs and have two panniers with change of clothes + work gear. What would be a decent set of wheels? I can't afford to spend a great deal of money.

Thanks!

Are these Alex rims which came standard on the bike?
I had the same issues with some Alex rims whereby they were constantly breaking spokes and always out of true.
I was a similar weight middle of last year and also carry a pannier with clothes, lunch, and anything else I need.

I looked at buying other rims but instead took the wheel to a reputable shop who respoked it for less than the cost of replacing it with a new one - (same model, which probably wouldn't have been any better quality).
They commented the rim was actually decent quality as was the hub, but the spokes were crap.
Since then the wheel is always true, feels solid as a rock and I'm fairly confident it's going to last a long time.

[Thoglette]

I looked at buying other rims but instead took the wheel to a reputable shop who respoked it for less than the cost of replacing it with a new one - (same model, which probably wouldn't have been any better quality).
They commented the rim was actually decent quality as was the hub, but the spokes were crap.
Since then the wheel is always true, feels solid as a rock and I'm fairly confident it's going to last a long time.

Gerry beat me to it. If there's someone competent nearby you should be able to get them rebuilt properly for a reasonable sum (less than new wheels). Unless you've got a silly number of spokes (under 28) your wheels should last tens of thousands of km in normal commuting use. IIRC the Spazio comes with a sensible number of spokes.

Enlighten me: 1,500km is a very, very short life for a rim (I have 16,000 on my front rim since the last rebuild and it wasn't new then). In what way are they cactus?

[tez001]

Or if you can pick up a set of Prolite Como's or Gardas still grab them. I commuted on those for a while when I was pushing 100kg with a rack etc and they stood up to the task.

But yes, a set of properly built wheels will make a massive difference in reliability.

[10speedsemiracer]

Actually the above is all very good advice, just depends on finding a good shop to do this (could probably avoid the franchise type stores for this job), but be aware of the costs being new good quality spokes and brass nipples (say $100) plus the labour charge. Should be around the $150 range if the LBS provides the hardware. That's one wheel.

My advice to grab a set of Aksiums was based on my own personal experience with AlexRims, none of which I've ever re-laced.

[Duck!]

I looked at buying other rims but instead took the wheel to a reputable shop who respoked it for less than the cost of replacing it with a new one - (same model, which probably wouldn't have been any better quality).
They commented the rim was actually decent quality as was the hub, but the spokes were crap.
Since then the wheel is always true, feels solid as a rock and I'm fairly confident it's going to last a long time.

Gerry beat me to it. If there's someone competent nearby you should be able to get them rebuilt properly for a reasonable sum (less than new wheels). Unless you've got a silly number of spokes (under 28) your wheels should last tens of thousands of km in normal commuting use. IIRC the Spazio comes with a sensible number of spokes.

Enlighten me: 1,500km is a very, very short life for a rim (I have 16,000 on my front rim since the last rebuild and it wasn't new then). In what way are they cactus?

+2.

Alex Rims are quite decent. Where problems can arise, and unfortunately the rims cop the flak because they have the most prominent labelling, is that OEM-spec wheels, particularly at the lower end of the market, are an assemmbly of bits from different manufacturers, and quite often the spokes are just plain schitt, to put it bluntly, coupled with some pretty ordinary assembly quality.

A rebuild with decent spokes might cost in the order of $250-300, but will be worth it in the long run.

[Nate]

Can you build your own? or get someone to?

I've been rolling on my bdops for ~12,000km & never broken a spoke:
http://www.bdopcycling.com/DIY%20Alloy% ... it%20V.asp

Everything else on my bike has been destroyed on my commute (ROUGH, 45km a day, 92kg + backpack)... frame cracked, groupset lasts 3,000km, previous wheels lasted 2 weeks/2months (Rear/front spokes)... name it.

I'd HIGHLY recommend the cx-ray models, best spokes there are & a high spoke count.