Which new Rims and Hub and Tyres for fully-loaded touring bike?

[oxford_guy]

Hi - I need to get a new rear hub and a pair of rims for my Hewitt Cheviot SE touring bike. The rims I had were 36 spoke Sputnik Rigida rims, which I've not had any problems with, but are showing a lot of rim wear from the brake pads after 4 1/2 years heavy use (and they're rather heavy). The rear hub I had was a 36 hole Hopetech Pro 3 which was lovely, but somehow the flange got broken where 2 adjacent spokes should fit and needs replacing. The front hub is a Schmidt Son 28 Dynamo Hub, which seems bomb-proof, and I want to keep and will build the new front wheel around this. I'm tempted to get a Chris King rear hub, which would be lovely, but possibly overkill and am not sure whether I would need the "high" or "low" flange version. I want something that's well-sealed, reliable and engages fast.

Am also after some new tyres, I originally had some 35mm Schwalbe Marathon XRs, which, although a bit heavy, were reliable until near the end, and gave nice ride. They don't make these anymore and I replaced them with 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, which have a thick puncture resistant layer, but they're even heavier and feel very stiff and not so pleasant to ride. I'm tempted to go for some lighter tyres and possibly down to 32mm width, but they need to be heavy duty enough to cope with a fully-loaded touring bike on rough roads and tow paths etc.

Any recommendations for any of this kit gratefully received (and maybe a decent wheel-builder, preferably Oxfordshire-based)...

Thanks!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

david hunt builds lovely wheels, popular with many members of this forum.

 

[oxford_guy]

david hunt builds lovely wheels, popular with many members of this forum.

Thanks for the tip, have sent him a message via the form on his website, am still open to suggestions for hubs and rims etc., though!

 

[oxford_guy]

David Hunt seems to be quite a fan of Royce hubs - one of his standard touring wheel setups involves Royce Titan Venus hubs (which are British made, so may be easier to get spares of over here) with either Exal LX17 or Rigida rims, perhaps the Rigida Grizzly, which is a little lighter than my current Sputniks - does this sound l like a good setup?

I'm also considering Scwhalbe Marathon Deluxe tyres, which at 545g each for the 35mm ones are lighter than my current Marathon Plus tyres at 800g each, but are other brands worth considering?

 

[User482]

If you have a Hewitt, why not ask them? They have an excellent reputation for wheelbuilding.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

He built my wheels with Exal LX17 rims. They are taking daily abuse in their stride so far. I weigh more than many cyclists + their touring gear!