Which wheels or rims would you recommend for a Tourer?

[bm0p700f]

Re:

Or buy the old XT M737 hubs I have them new you know (old stock from a distributor) steel axle goodness.. I have customers who use an LX hubset every 3000 miles of mixed weather commuting they are in urgent need of a service (hub hub grumbles). Sealing on LX hubs is not a good as on XT hubs, but if you keep up the servcing then the LX hubs do indeed last a long time. For me though XT hubs all the way so long as the old M737 hubs are available.

105 hubs seem to soilder one for longer before needing a service but are 130mm OLD for the rear not 135mm.

Cartridge bearing hubs like Novatec A171/F172 are very long lasting and there is no bearing cup to wear which if it does in a shimano hub its new hub time.

If you do open up a shimano hub and clean it out why reuse the ball bearings. surely you would replace them. Grade 10 balls are pretty cheap and there is no point putting the old balls back in for the sake a couple of quid if that.

The best touring rim is the DT swiss TK540 expensive though. Mavic do some quite decent rims the A119 and A319 where as the Rigida sputnik is for touring in mountains of Nepal it is that tough.

 

[barry2017]

Mavic MA2s are good, if a little bit lightweight for a loaded tourer.

The problem is finding good quality tyres in 27 x 1 1/4". There are a few, but only if you search online.

700c rims are better really. You have room for wider tyres if you want, and there's a few good quality brakes that have enough drop.

I'd sell them and get 700c if it were me. My bike has DRC ST19s, but the Sputniks are nearly as excellent and reliable.

 

[DrewSavage]

Is there a benefit to 700c wheels apart from the wider range of tyres available? SJS cycles seem to have a half-decent range of 27-inch tyres... http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-27-(630)-dept203/

 

[barry2017]

You can get them, but you can't easily get them. In most towns what you can get are mail order tyres or poor quality ones (like half the tyres on that page, in fact). Also, you're limited to 1 1/4" width with the rims you want. You could almost certainly go a bit wider with 700c, which is better for bad roads.

Honestly, sell your rims. Mavic MA2s have a cult following. Get some Rigida Sputniks, and build with the XT hubs that b0mbpr0of has. You won't need to think about wheels for years if you do.

 

[hamster]

If you go outside the UK, then 27" are impossible to source at retail. Assuming you are touring then the chance for a hop to France or Belgium would be desirable. Accidents happen, like the time I hit some glass and exploded my tyre on a trip.

 

[DrewSavage]

Thanks - you've convinced me! What are NOS MA-2 rims generally worth? I got this pair for fifty quid.

 

[barry2017]

Put them back up for £50. At least you won't lose anything.

 

[DrewSavage]

Ta. And I've just been to my cupboard and looked at my Shimano 600 hubs. The possibility that was mentioned two months ago looks like it might have been the solution all along, before I went down the road of wanting to have everything Canpagnolo.

I'd been looking at DuraAce and Ultegra hubs for quite high prices (£50+) on eBay and then realised I've had something equivalent all along.

Looking back on it, to get a mini groupset of Shimano 600 brakes, pedals, gears and hubs for £36 was an absolute steal, I didn't quite realise that at the time.

They're 36-hole Shimano 600 tricolour hubs, and the rear one is a cassette rather than a freewheel. Does that overcome the whole unsupported axle problem?

Then I guess I go for the Exal rims or the Sputniks.

If so, then the only question remaining is (all my other bikes have freewheels) what kind of cassette do I put on it, bearing in mind the rear dérailleur and brake levers/gear shifters are 8-speed Campagnolo Record, and I'm probably going to be doing a lot of riding in the Peak District?

 

[cce]

cassettes position the bearings further outboard than freewheels, largely negating the unsupported axle problem

600 tricolor are excellent hubs.

 

[barry2017]

Agreed. The 600s will be perfect, and you won't need to think about them for years.

You're about to do a lot of reading about Shimano and Campagnolo though.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/ ... s/shimergo

That's the shifting. With regards to gearing, I would say this; if you want really low gears, you may not be able to do it with the Campag rear mech depending on what you have. What do your bikes with freewheels currently have?

Personally, I think that unless you're a racer, STI shifters are not all that. Barend shifters work perfectly, and there is less to go wrong - important if you're in the middle of nowhere.