Touring Rims for 8,000 mile tour

[MrFree]

Hi all.

Im looking for durable and strong 700c rims for touring Europe, with a good braking surface. I don't want to have to change them mid-tour.

I will be building a 36 spoke wheel rear and probably 32 front as I'm only taking rear panniers (about 20kg)

So far I have been recommended Mavic A719 and Rigida Spurnik.

Anybody have any experience with these or is there a better option?

Thanks

[reohn2]

Sputnik=strong,bombproof,long lasting,thick braking surface(last pair I had were 1.8mm thick).Just the job for long tours.
Mavic 719= good touring rim,overpriced @£40 (like much Mavic stuff),lighter than Sputniks,but a very capable rim for touring.The braking surface(1.3mm) is nowhere near as thick as Sputnik's.
Another rim you may wish to consider are DRC ST19's,good strong rim,with a thick braking surface(but not as thick as Sputnik's)

[irc]

I'll second those suggestions. I've done around 10'000 miles touring on my current bike. The rear wheel, a Sputnik rim, has slight wear but still good for a few thousand miles. The front, a DRC ST19 also has a little wear but still has plenty life left. Prior to going on my tourer the DRC ST19 was used for two or three thousand miles of commuting.

I'm a fan of the Sputnik but unless the combined rider and load is very heavy they may be overkill. They are certainly overkill on the front. I'm 15-17 stone (finishing and starting weights) and usually tour with four panniers weighing about 30lb before food and water.

I'm sure either rim would work for an 8'000 mile tour. Most of my miles have been in the dry and on road. The rim life in the wet or off road would, of course, be less.

[MrFree]

Thanks. I think I will go with the Sputniks. I don't mind if its a bit overkill just incase I decide to bulk up on kit diring the ride.

Cheers

[andrew_s]

The other thing to think about is brake blocks, which can have a significant impact on rim wear rates.
Good blocks (eg koolstop) rarely get bits of grit or metal embedded within them, poor blocks (eg shimano) need checking and cleaning regularly. The wrong sort of grit in the brake blocks can kill a rim very quickly, so don't ignore nasty scraping noises when braking.

[bealer]

For that sort of weight the Sputniks are good but may be overkill in my opinion. If you want a slightly lighter rim, the Rigida Synpers are very good. I've done 12,000km on mine without a single problem carrying a similar weight. They fit a range of 25C to 35C tyre, which for me gives a good range, from speed to touring. The Sputniks (I've not owned a set) are something I would use if I were carry 25kg+ of gear.

[MrFree]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into some better pads. Never knew they could make such a difference.

Cheers

[RJC]

Sputniks are probably the most bombproof rim you can find in this size so not
a bad idea for a rear rim for loaded touring. It might be worth putting 36 spokes
on the front as well, so that the wheel will have less wobble in the unlikely
event of one of the spokes breaking. 32 spokes in a Sputnik rim seems an odd
combination except for 32 hole hubs like a Rohloff.

[reohn2]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into some better pads. Never knew they could make such a difference.

Cheers

Koolstop salmon coloured pads are very good and very rim friendly,so are BBB tech stop Tricoloured ones.

[frank9755]

How hilly will your route be? Because of the amount of braking, riding in the mountains will use rims at a far faster rate than flat terrain. If you are doing lots of descending, it may be that no rim will give you the life you are looking for.

Another thing that can make a difference is the nature of the dirt in the area you are travelling through. I have several rims that have done many thousands of miles but, a couple of years ago, I was riding through Nepal. There had been lots of landslides so the road was frequently very muddy and the mud had a high sand content. Travelling through this, I lost about a mm of rim in an afternoon and had to replace the wheel.

[reohn2]

Sputniks are probably the most bombproof rim you can find in this size so not
a bad idea for a rear rim for loaded touring. It might be worth putting 36 spokes
on the front as well, so that the wheel will have less wobble in the unlikely
event of one of the spokes breaking. 32 spokes in a Sputnik rim seems an odd
combination except for 32 hole hubs like a Rohloff.

The scenario is,you've just trashed a rear rim.If both rims are 36hole and the same make and model of rim,you can build or have built the front rim on the back hub,and retain the front hub and spokes,then buy any cheap wheel for the front to either see the tour through or until you get to somewhere that can supply a decent rim or have another rim of the same type posted out.
With different spoke numbers front and rear things become difficult if not impossible.

You'd need to be pretty determined to trash Sputniks though

[nez]

How hilly will your route be? Because of the amount of braking, riding in the mountains will use rims at a far faster rate than flat terrain. If you are doing lots of descending, it may be that no rim will give you the life you are looking for.

Another thing that can make a difference is the nature of the dirt in the area you are travelling through. I have several rims that have done many thousands of miles but, a couple of years ago, I was riding through Nepal. There had been lots of landslides so the road was frequently very muddy and the mud had a high sand content. Travelling through this, I lost about a mm of rim in an afternoon and had to replace the wheel.

If you travel 8000 miles there are hills in every direction.

[MrFree]

Sputniks are probably the most bombproof rim you can find in this size so not
a bad idea for a rear rim for loaded touring. It might be worth putting 36 spokes
on the front as well, so that the wheel will have less wobble in the unlikely
event of one of the spokes breaking. 32 spokes in a Sputnik rim seems an odd
combination except for 32 hole hubs like a Rohloff.

The scenario is,you've just trashed a rear rim.If both rims are 36hole and the same make and model of rim,you can build or have built the front rim on the back hub,and retain the front hub and spokes,then buy any cheap wheel for the front to either see the tour through or until you get to somewhere that can supply a decent rim or have another rim of the same type posted out.
With different spoke numbers front and rear things become difficult if not impossible.

You'd need to be pretty determined to trash Sputniks though

That's a good idea never thought of that one cheers.

Frank the route is fairly flat, with the exception of the Alps from Italy into France. And as its a European summer tour I doubt there will be many landslides

[andrew_s]

The scenario is,you've just trashed a rear rim.If both rims are 36hole and the same make and model of rim,you can build or have built the front rim on the back hub,and retain the front hub and spokes,then buy any cheap wheel for the front to either see the tour through or until you get to somewhere that can supply a decent rim or have another rim of the same type posted out.
With different spoke numbers front and rear things become difficult if not impossible.

I've done this (someone else's bike) with an airline pringled rear wheel on arrival at Lhasa, where at the time regular 26" wheels were not obtainable.
Replace rear rim with front rim, stomp on original rear rim to straighten it as much as possible, then lace onto front hub. The spoke tensions were all over, but at least it was true enough to use the brake, and it lasted as long as it had to (Kathmandu).

Not just a theoretical trick.

[Gearoidmuar]

I'd say also 36 on both.

My current bike is a Thorn Raven Tour which has 32 to accommodate the Rohloff but these wheels are very strong because they are not dished and because they are 26" and use the animal Rigida Andra rims. These show no discernible wear after 10000 miles. They are said to last 6 times as long as conventional rim but have to be used with special brake blocks. The rims are tungsten impregnated. (tungsten must've been a naughty chap)