Recommended strong non-disc back wheel

[GaryA]

I regularly carry my toddler son XC (mild!) on the cycle seat and I have buckled beyond repair yet another back wheel (mavic xm 317/deore)
Looking for a cheap strong but light rear wheel/rim combination preferable from merlin cycles
Any ideas please?

 

[RedBike]

You'd struggle to beat a handmade wheel.

Perhaps a wider rim and tyre combo (and as many spokes as possible),
If you can manage to buckle a rim like the 721 then it's time to give up.

XC is cross country.
XM is cross mountain, that little bit stronger
EX is downhill, Very strong but rather heavy

 

[GrumpyGregry]

almost anything Merlin Cycles sell. Got a pair on my rockhopper that are still true after umpteen years

 

[Steve Austin]

It matters little what the components of the wheel are, it just needs to be built well.


Find a decent wheelbuilder, and tell him what you want, and they will build you wheel for that purpose. You can't go far wrong giving Harry Rowland a ring.

 

[RedBike]

I've got mixed views on Merlins wheels. The first pair I had stayed true despite taking a real bashing MTBing. I eventually sold them with the bike about a year later.

The next set had a very low spoke tension and they buckled on their first ride out before I even got off-road with them. After being re-trued I did a road sportive on the MTB using slick tyres. The wheels were so out of true by the end of the event the tyre was rubbing the fork.

 

[john59]

Not the cheapest, but recommended. Spacycles.


John

 

[Tim Bennet.]

IFIRC, the early Merlin wheels were built by Paul Hewitt. The two original shops were both in the same bit of Leyland. I don't think he does them (or certainly not them all) any longer.

The sure fire way to get a Hewitt wheel is from Hewitts.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I stand corrected all my merlin wheels are hewitt era ones

 

[barq]

Go for 36 spokes rather than the regular 32. Quite a few Mavic rims are available in that design and it doesn't add that much weight.

But the biggest single issue is the quality of the wheel build. Unfortunately nothing will make up for crappy spoke tension.

 

[GaryA]

Thanks for the replies folks.....will probably go for a handbuilt Ex721 form merlin and keep fingers crossed, about £60 which is my budget limit anyway. Should be bomb proof and the slight extra weight wont really matter.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Thanks for the replies folks.....will probably go for a handbuilt Ex721 form merlin and keep fingers crossed, about £60 which is my budget limit anyway. Should be bomb proof and the slight extra weight wont really matter.

make sure you up the spoke count from 32..... I find 36-ers pretty well bombproof off road