Newbie question about wheels/rims

[chris_569]

Hi, I'm new here, so don't know if this is the right place or not to ask this. This may sound like a silly question......

I have a Trek 7.3FX that I commute on everyday. While I cycle a lot and repair/service my own bike there are certian technical things I'm unsure about. I need some new rims as mine a getting very worn (1 mile long 12% hill everyday!).

I'm going to get complete new wheels as I don't have time to build a new wheel and paying someone else will cost as much as buying a complete new one.

So my question is which 700c rims can I get/use as I have v-brakes which i believe need a larger rim depth. Can anyone reccommend any (at the cheaper end of the scale) or point any out from here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...4&CurrentPageIndex=0&SortExpression=PRICE_ASC

Thanks for your help

 

[John the Monkey]

What tyres do you run/want to run? That gives you your rim width, from which you can start to look at a wheel/set that suits you.

Re: handbuilts - you could end up paying about the same, or slightly more. Generally (if you use a good builder) you'll get a better wheel though (you'll certainly get one that's easier to maintain/rebuild next time, imo).

More generally, for a commuting bike, I'd be looking at 32 or 36 spoked wheels, in a 3 cross pattern, with a fairly robust rim. My SCR2's commuting wheels are Tiagra hubs with DRC ST18 II rims. My tourer has Deore hubs with Mavic A319 rims, and Mrs. Monkey's bike rolls on Deore & Exal LX17 rims. Both the latter are 36 spoke, 3 cross, and the first is 32 spoke, 3 cross.

 

[chris_569]

Thanks for the reply. I run 700c x 32 tyres. I agree about the number of spokes and the 3 cross pattern, imo anything else looks far to fragile for the state of the roads I ride on.

Does the height of the braking surface on rims vary?

I may look into getting some wheels built with my hubs....

 

[John the Monkey]

How tyre size relates to rim size;

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html#width

One good thing about the LX17 rim is that they allow a fairly thin and a wide tyre.