The rim on my front wheel is quite worn and has been shedding pesky shards into the brake pads for a while. I'd be willing to have a go at replacing it, but it's got 36 spokes which I'm pretty sure is overkill, so I thought I might as well get a different wheel. I've put it off for months though because I don't know WTF I'm looking at, so I'd appreciate some guidance.
- I have Ridgeback Cyclone from 2010, I think. 26" wheels. Rims say Alex Ace-18, don't know what the hub is.
- I weigh 60kg and my normal routes are 10-30% light offroad, the rest road, so I get bumped about a bit but have to take it easy with the tyres I use. In summer I might put some offroad tyres on for fun, but I'm not adventurous and might use the old wheel to reduce tyre changing anyway.
- I might break 12mph average on a good day, and while it would be nice to get places quicker I'm not really expecting a wheel to make a noticeable difference. Durability is more important.
- I ride all year round and don't do enough cleaning.
- I don't know what a reasonable budget is. Money isn't tight, but I don't want to waste it and I suspect with my profile a fairly cheap wheel will serve well. How cheap though? Is £50-60 ok?
So... what are good hubs and rims for a casual rider? Should I be looking at 32 spokes if I don't want to deal with breakages, or would fewer hold up well for what I'm doing? Should I just forget the new wheel and replace the rim?
- I have Ridgeback Cyclone from 2010, I think. 26" wheels. Rims say Alex Ace-18, don't know what the hub is.
- I weigh 60kg and my normal routes are 10-30% light offroad, the rest road, so I get bumped about a bit but have to take it easy with the tyres I use. In summer I might put some offroad tyres on for fun, but I'm not adventurous and might use the old wheel to reduce tyre changing anyway.
- I might break 12mph average on a good day, and while it would be nice to get places quicker I'm not really expecting a wheel to make a noticeable difference. Durability is more important.
- I ride all year round and don't do enough cleaning.
- I don't know what a reasonable budget is. Money isn't tight, but I don't want to waste it and I suspect with my profile a fairly cheap wheel will serve well. How cheap though? Is £50-60 ok?
So... what are good hubs and rims for a casual rider? Should I be looking at 32 spokes if I don't want to deal with breakages, or would fewer hold up well for what I'm doing? Should I just forget the new wheel and replace the rim?
