Recommend me a decent rear wheel or wheelset

OK I've got the wanted ad:

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=311840&p=2333898#p2333898

But perhaps it's time to bite the bullet and consider buying a new rear wheel or even a wheelset. I now have a substantial collection of rear wheels in my shed, some of which were sold to me as bombproof, which have variously failed to stand up to commuting on London's roads or mountain biking in Wales.

My latest secondhand wheel, a rather nice hardly ridden Kore, lasted just a few hundred miles until a load of the nipple seats went on a road ride :roll:

I'm not particularly heavy, but the bike usually has to carry shopping as well as the occasional log for the fire. I don't want owt exotic. Ideally, it should be low maintenance. One of my best wheels was an on-one retard front wheel which lasted ten years with nothing doing to it - the rim started splitting apart in the end (the rear, however, only last six weeks).

Must use a standard QR and be disc compatible. BTW I'm unlikely to spend more than £150. Closer to hundred would be better still.

Any thoughts?

Superstarcomponents have wheels in clearance at the mo.

Brilliant. Just what I am looking for jimplops.

The back wheel carries 2 1/2 times the weight of the front wheel.

To do its job properly, you really need 36 spokes with thicker spokes on the driveside, a good quality forged hub, like a Deore LX, and a double-eyeletted rim.

This would serve you well:

http://spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s176p1342

Thanks Chris. A long time ago, I had a local bike shop build me a set of wheels to similar specs (but some scumbag nabbed them from outside a transport police station!)

I have grabbed a set of mavic/xt wheels for £80 secondhand - but I have a spare XT hub so I might chat to these chaps and see what they can go do.

I will never understand why people give a mythical status to wheelbuilding. It is really not that hard to build wheels yourself so long as the parts are new and unused. And once you've done it, you will never be in thrall to a bike shop again.

Just remember to use enough spokes of the right spec to do the job properly.

Any guides to wheel building you'd recommend? - and minimum equipment? Wheel and frame building are the only things I've never tackled bike repair-wise.

The difference between a normal shop and a bespoke wheelbuilder, as far as I can tell, is using a tension meter. Park makes one for about sixty quid.

Beyond that, look at the Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt, or Sheldon Brown's guide. The first wheel you build without a tension meter will be as good as anything you can buy machine built. Just be patient.

chris667":2o4kfubo said:

The difference between a normal shop and a bespoke wheelbuilder, as far as I can tell, is using a tension meter. Park makes one for about sixty quid.

Beyond that, look at the Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt, or Sheldon Brown's guide. The first wheel you build without a tension meter will be as good as anything you can buy machine built. Just be patient.

Click to expand...

SHHHHH your give are secrets away :roll: ha ha its not hard to build a wheel but it is hard to build a really good wheel that stands the test of time I'd happily teach anyone if they wanted to come down to my workshop and bring dr pepper and jaffa cakes

cannondale king":hpovwh4m said:

chris667":hpovwh4m said:

The difference between a normal shop and a bespoke wheelbuilder, as far as I can tell, is using a tension meter. Park makes one for about sixty quid.

Beyond that, look at the Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt, or Sheldon Brown's guide. The first wheel you build without a tension meter will be as good as anything you can buy machine built. Just be patient.

Click to expand...

SHHHHH your give are secrets away :roll: ha ha its not hard to build a wheel but it is hard to build a really good wheel that stands the test of time I'd happily teach anyone if they wanted to come down to my workshop and bring dr pepper and jaffa cakes

Click to expand...

I'd be very interested in taking you up on that Sir