What wheels for the larger person??

[Keenbfb]

I'm quite new to this cycling thing and need a bit of advise please.

I've been using an old MTB or the last few years to commute to work so when a chance to get a new bike using the cycle to work scheme came up last year I jumped at the chance to get my hands upon a road bike, so I'm the proud owner of a carrera vanquish 2010 spec, it has however been collecting dust for the last year due to the fact I'm to heavy for it and snap spokes on the back wheel regularly.

Not knowing much about the way bikes work I now need advise as to what wheels to put on this bike that will take around 22 stone in weight and be okay to use on roads I believe the wheels currently on it are Shimano WH-R500's 700c and as always in this day and age budget is tight, weight of the wheels isn't really a concern to me I need to lose more than a few stone from me before I worry about a few ounces on the bike.

 

[defy-one]

Any wheel with 36 spokes/hubs are what you need. Another thing you need to check is the clearance between your forks. A rim that can take a 28mm tyre will be best.
If thats not feasable i suspect staying on the mtb is you best bet until you lose a fair few stone.
Sorry if that sounds abrupt - it's not meant to be

 

[Keenbfb]

Thanks for the advise, no offense taken. I wish the sales people in Halfords had been as honest at the time I brought it, I'll have a look around to see if I can find a set of wheels to fit but I think you may be right that it would be advisable to lose 4 stone before trying to get back on this bike.

 

[PpPete]

If you can afford it, a hand-built wheel with 36 spokes and a good quality rim like a Mavic Open Pro (or somewhat cheaper a Rigida Chrina rim)
built with stainless-steel double-butted spokes throughout. These will easily stand 22 stone.... friend of mine of similar weight rode over 1000 miles on such wheels what I built for him, with no spoke probs at all, and would still be riding them now if they hadn't been stolen.

If a wheelbuilder wants to put plain gauge spokes on one side "because they are stronger" go elsewhere. It is a fallacy based on confusion between static tensile strength (which is irrelevant to spoke breakage) and fatigue failure modes, any wheel-builder who hasn't grasped that is to be avoided.

 

[mr_hippo]

I am roughly the same weight as the OP. I ride 36 spoked wheels with 700x23 tyres.and, touch wood, no problems.
I am not familiar with UK prices now, how much does it cost to have a wheel re-spoked? Would a viable alternative be to buy the cheapest pair of factory built wheels and have them respoked with double butted stainless?
If you want to know how much I pay for respoking with DT Swiss double butted satinless here in Korat, please make sure you are sitting down before reading further and do not have a full mouth of coffee -
supply & fit about £9.50 per wheel and same day service!.

 

[fossyant]

Any hand built wheels should be fine. The problems you have, and any rider, is that cheap wheels aren't built as well - often without good spoke tension as they are done by machine and not finished by hand. Higher priced factory wheels are fine, as are hand builts by a decent wheel builder.