Old School Wheels?

[1FJEF]

Don't laugh. I have a 7 speed cruiser that I use as a utility/commuter. 2500 to 3000 miles a year. Here's the problem:
The bike weighs 43lbs loaded. I weigh 260! With groceries that's about 307lbs rollin' around 7-10 miles per day.
The tires are 26(559)x2.35
I'm ruining rear wheels. I know, shut up & lose weight.
Does anyone make heavy duty wheels that will fit the 126mm rear dropouts? They are bolted, not QR. (Takes 20seconds to remove the rear wheel, no big deal).
I don't care if it's freewheel or freehub.
I know it sounds stupid, but I love the upright riding position, the comfort & all the storage space.

[Painkiller]

Pics would be nice, but I would look for a hub to suit your frame and have a good boxed rim laced to it. Should not be to bad of job but could cost $100 to $200 us dollars
or buy a pre built lower end wheel $40 to $60 range
It sounds to me that a wheel built to last for you would be option one because of the demanding way you use your bicycle and hence more reliable in the long run.

[1FJEF]

Yep, the typical LBS (or Amazon) entry level wheel (single wall, 36 spoke) is usually too weak to last very long. I will check locally at the one remaining store I haven't visited to see if they can make a 36 spoke double wall, wide (32-34mm rim) wheel.

[nfmisso]

that 126mm OLD is a real challenge, both for availability and strength. Availability you already know. Strength is because the drive side spoke are almost perpendicular to the axle.

Anyway to fit a 130mm hub in there? My SR Sierra Sport is 126mm, but I pushed a 130mm hub into it with no issues. It is a cro-mo frame, I would not try with an aluminum frame.

I would build up a wheel with a 36H hub, using a Sun Rhyno Lite rim, Wheelsmith DH13 spokes on the drive (right) side; and Wheelsmith SS14 on the non-drive (left) side.

I am considerably heavier than you, and have found that if the wheel is properly tensioned (very high tension) and stress relieved, there are no issues. My World Tourist has 5K miles on the used wheels, with no problems - single wall, 36H front, 40H rear, 2.0 mm (14 gauge) stainless spokes; 126mm OLD. I am careful, but the roads are not smooth, not to mention the railroad tracks.

The SR has a couple hundred miles on 36H Alex M14A 571 rims; took me a bit to get the tension high enough. It has SS14 spokes everywhere. The M14A is a double wall mid deep V. I will not build wheels with rims that narrow again, nor ISO 571 and get locked into 28mm max tire width. i should have gone with ISO 590, and CR18 rims.

[1FJEF]

Did you put the 130mm rear in the 126mm dropouts without bending the frame, just kind of spread it a hair & slid it in? I'll take a magnet to the frame, the bike goes 43lbs, so I think it's not aluminum.
One local bike shop had wheels made elsewhere using Alex products, so I looked at these, with eyelets (eyelets & machined brake surfaces are options)

32mm internal width, 39mm outside, so wide tires are no problem, but they are not super heavy duty, also pinned not welded. 36spoke holes.
Sun Rhyno like these?

[DaveM]

nfmisson knows a lot about wheels so go with what he recommends. But for my two cents...good quality parts are important. But what you really need is either a hand built wheel or a production wheel where someone (who knows how to build wheels well) takes it and retensions it. This will cost you a little more, but will make a huge difference in strength. Even the best parts will fold up if the wheel isn't tensioned properly and most machine built wheels are not.

Also, probably best to go with a 7 speed freehub/cassette wheel if you can. Much stronger at the axle than freewheel hubs.

[nfmisso]

DaveM - thank you

Jeff; the Alex DX32 rims are nice too. Pnned vs welded - not really any issue for street riding. Spokes pull the rim inwards, so the joint is always under compression on a well built wheel (proper spoke tension). With 36 spokes, the rim does not need to be heavy duty. I mentioned the Rhyno Lite because it is widely available and a decent rim that will last you until your brake pads wear through it - on a rear on the street, that will probably be a life time. Alex offers fine rims too.

Yes; I just spread the frame a little and push the wheel in. It is not cold set, and springs back when I remove the wheel. 126 to 130 is only 3% stretch. My SR has Shimano Tiagara 7 speed freehub hub.

As DaveM says, freehub/cassette have a much better supported axle than freewheel hubs; thus the axle is much less likely to bend. That said, I have never had a bent axle. I am big; but I try to be gentle to my bike. Your large low pressure tires greatly reduce the shock amplitude that the axle sees; which is what causes it to bend.

Regarding machine built wheels - like DaveM; I do not consider them finished; they need to be properly tensioned and stress relieved and re-trued - repeating last two steps until truing is no longer required.

[1FJEF]

So 36 spoke looks like a good idea, good sturdy rims and a good builder. I realize it's an oddball wheel, anyone have any experience with someone I should call?

[nfmisso]

One of the best is Peter White. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/index.html His wheels will last forever, and I would completely trust his recommendations. But he is not cheap. He builds wheels his way, take it or leave it.

Personally, I decided that it was best for me to learn how to do my own, and I follow Peter's advice. I have purchased DH13 spokes from him.

[1FJEF]

Last time I checked his web site he had a few 32 hole 126mm & 130mm rear hubs, no 36 hole. They were also Quick release, can I put a solid axle in instead?
He also showed no wide 26" rims that I could find.
He's grumpy from what I read. I can give him a call.
I was going to use him to rebuild my 27" Araya rim/SunTour rimmed wheel from my 1984 touring bike, sealed bearings, (40 hole) to Velocity Dyad 700c (since he doesn't import the Velocity Dyad 40 hole in 27") and file the slot in my cantilever pad holders to go from 27"(630mm) to 700C (622mm).

[nfmisso]

(11-20-2011, 12:06 AM)1FJEF Wrote:  Last time I checked his web site he had a few 32 hole 126mm & 130mm rear hubs, no 36 hole. They were also Quick release, can I put a solid axle in instead?
He also showed no wide 26" rims that I could find.
He's grumpy from what I read. I can give him a call.
I was going to use him to rebuild my 27" Araya rim/SunTour rimmed wheel from my 1984 touring bike, sealed bearings, (40 hole) to Velocity Dyad 700c (since he doesn't import the Velocity Dyad 40 hole in 27") and file the slot in my cantilever pad holders to go from 27"(630mm) to 700C (622mm).

Peter does things his way.....I have spoken with him on the phone a couple of times, seems fine to be me.

You can put in a solid axle if they are cone and cup bearings. Finding an axle (any axle) to match a sealed bearing hub is very very difficult.

Then, again, I build my own, and only go to him for parts. I tend to go to lower cost places for parts first.

For ISO 622 40H rims:
http://www.amazon.com/Velocity-Dyad-700c-40h-Silver/dp/B001GSQVV2/
http://www.amazon.com/Sun-Rhyno-Black-Silver-Presta/dp/B001CJVGKQ/
For ISO 599 40H rims:
http://www.amazon.com/Velocity-Aeroheat-Blk-Ano-Sided/dp/B001GSSO6C/

[ghost]

In my humble opinion, wheels that have been made for yourself are stronger and have been tensioned properly over the truing stage. They are going to be more reliable than factory wheels that always need attention before fitting.i would go. For 36 spoked wheels after seeing your post, but nfmisso is the one for what rims and hubs in the US you should look for. Best of luck!