New rims. Any suggestions?

[MiloSnowe]

I've got some Dura-Ace C24's and the rims are coming to the end of their useful life. This is after 18 months of ownership and what I would class as relatively light usage in good weather on the flat planes of Cheshire

Needless to say although they felt wonderful whilst they lasted I wont be parting with that amount of cash on another set. The hubs are obviously excellent so I'm thinking of watching a few youtube video's and teaching myself wheel building

Anyone got any suggestions on decent rims with similar performance (but with a longer life) for me to purchase and mess up before taking to a LBS to sort out?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

You are going down a difficult route. It is virtually impossible to find a rim with the same spoke count and ERD as the one on that particular wheel. ERD = Effective Rim Diameter and this measurement determines the length of the spokes. Even a 2mm difference in ERD could mean you should replace the spokes because they will be either too long or too short.

Your best bet is to buy replacement rims and do a rim transplant. That's a relatively easy job for a first-timer and will cost you less than fiddling around with new spokes.

You seem surprised that the original rims gave you such a short service life but it is something you should have considered when you chose lightweight wheels. The weight has to be saved from somewhere and it seems you just found out where.

 

[huwsparky]

How many miles have they done?