Should I be worried...?

[andytheflyer]

Mavic Open Sport or Open Pro rims on whatever hub takes your fancy.

 

[ChrisEyles]

@Crandoggler I'd like to get a new wheel for under £100, ideally around the £80 mark... but if it proves necessary to spend a bit more to get a decent one I guess I'll have to suck it up! It will certainly get well used.

 

[Crandoggler]

Personally, I'd buy a pair.

Shimano R501
Campagnolo Khamsin
Fulcrum 7
Mavic Aksium

 

[ColinJ]

@Crandoggler I'd like to get a new wheel for under £100, ideally around the £80 mark... but if it proves necessary to spend a bit more to get a decent one I guess I'll have to suck it up! It will certainly get well used.

I was going to suggest Campagnolo Khamsins but a couple of people beat me to it. I managed to get mine for under £100 a couple of years ago.

 

[I like Skol]

Mavic & Shimano

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shimano-Tiagra-Freehub-Cycling-Silver/dp/B00IVJ19TS

May be available a bit cheaper if you shop around?

 

[gbb]

Personally, I'd buy a pair.

Shimano R501
Campagnolo Khamsin
Fulcrum 7
Mavic Aksium

While we don't know what is on the original bike...cassette or freewheel and how many speed it is, i'd fit the R501s without a seconds thought. R500s (501s predecessor) on my winter commuter...excellent wheels for the very good price they are.

 

[I like Skol]

While we don't know what is on the original bike

Should be this - www.ashcycles.com/site/raleigh-royal-2013-touring-bike
While it is titled 2013, at the bottom of the page it states 2014 model so looks like it is 3 x 8 with budget hubs. Something shimano and mavic should be perfect (Did I say that already ).

 

[byegad]

The OP illustrates the folly of cleaning your bike. Had he left it dirty he'd be riding it without a care in the world. At least until the rim failed!

 

[ChrisEyles]

Thanks for the suggestions all!

It is indeed a budget 8-speed hub (with budget rim to match, apparently).

The front wheel seems fine so I was going to get a new rear wheel only - the one @I like Skol linked to looks good, although I would kind of prefer a 36 spoke wheel to 32 (should be more durable, and lower spoke tension necessary, right?). I'll have a bit of a look around tonight, hopefully the current wheel will hold up for the time being!

Have to say I'm not keen on the radial spoke patterns on some of those front wheels though...

 

[ChrisEyles]

Now this looks pretty much what I'm after:
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.M-Part-Shimano-Deore-Hub-on-Mavic-A319-700c-Rim-Complete-Wheel_35638.htm

 

[ChrisEyles]

Might still check with the LBS to see if they can offer anything suitable (it's nice to support them where possible), but I'm guessing they will charge a lot more...

 

[the snail]

My guess is that road salt/corrosion has weakened the rims - they look a bit corroded around the spoke holes. Make sure you're looking at wheels with the right OLN for your frame. Being a cheapskate I'd probably just put a new rim on though.

 

[Crandoggler]

I'm a bit lost with your logic. Support your LBS, of course. But not at the suffering of quality and price.

Genuinely, you may as well upgrade both wheels. Even the shimano' will be a lot better. All for around £60. They're also as strong as hell!

 

[themosquitoking]

R501's i bought my mates boy a pair 18 months ago and they're still nice and true.

 

[ChrisEyles]

The LBS are handy when I get bewildered by too many options online (as is fast happening now!) and for making sure I don't buy wheels with the wrong OLN... not sure if I need 130mm or 135mm (will have a measure) and some of the websites seem a bit unsure of which size they're selling too. Also not totally sure about cassette compatability - I guess most hubs should be fine for a shimano eight speed cassette?

Not too fussed about upgrading the front wheel since I've no complaints with the stock wheels other than the recent damage (it's very much a commuting/utility bike). Might not be a bad thing to have a spare front wheel around if it's cheaper to buy them as a pair though (?).