New rear wheel for fatboy rider

[mike1727]

Fixing a puncture the other night I noticed my rear rim was cracked at about half of the drive-side spoke drillings. So...I need a new wheel.

A few questions:

I'm 16 stone. Will a 24 spoke rear wheel be up to the job?
Looking for 32 spoke factory wheels at no more than £100, the Mwheels at £100ish and £70ish (Mavic rims on Tiagra hubs) seem to be some of the only ones around- any feedback on these?
Does anyone know a wheelbuilder in Hertfordshire?

Thanks
Mike

 

[PpPete]

Of the two I'd go for the Open Pro rims...

I had a look at Open Sport - and they have a definite "budget" feel by comparison. Open Pros have an awesome reputation for robustness.

I got good feedback when I asked about M:wheel on here a while ago - but in the end I decided to learn to build my own wheels, and I'm really glad I did, because then you can take advantage of special offers for individual rims/hubs that come up at various retailers from time to time - or if you break a rim you can re-use the hub.

 

[MacB]

if the bike's going to take a pounding I'd be tempted to get the Mavic A719, or at least that's what I did.

 

[PpPete]

if the bike's going to take a pounding I'd be tempted to get the Mavic A719, or at least that's what I did.

Bit "chunky" for a road bike - that said my next wheel build will be recycling an old Mavic T520 rim which is the predecessor to the A719 - on an MTB hub (thanks to Landslide) - it will be shod with cyclocross tyres for some "off-road" touring. I've heard you can use cyclocross tyres on OpenPro rims, but I'm not going to risk it - I'm a big guy too.

 

[jimboalee]

Is it a 9 or 10 cassette?

The dishing on wheels with a 9 and 10 is so upright, the spokes need a LOT of tension to provide lateral stability.

It is NOT your weight that is the problem, it's the person who tensioned the spokes. On the top end of the range, I bet.

 

[Landslide]

I had a set of the Mwheels (Open Pros/105) and was really impressed with the build quality. I think I might have been at them with a spoke key once in about 5 years (before I wrote them off going head-on into a Range Rover ).

 

[mike1727]

Ta, I'm going for the Open Pro and planning to lose more weight quickly..shame they don't come with 105s but there you go.
Cheers

 

[mike1727]

Wheel building, a dark art I'd like to learn. How long does it take to get your head round it?