Lightweight 26" rim-brake wheel advice

[sarniacycle]

Thanks in advance for any help with this - in particular I think rims might be difficult to source so any tips much appreciated.

I'm looking to make my tourer a bit more sprightly around town and keep the current 36 spoke wheels for.... touring.

Suggestions much appreciated for:
- Light, fairly wide internally 26" rim-brake rims - possibly in black?
- 135old hubs for 10speed Shimano cassette
- what combo in terms of spoke holes etc would people suggest?

Many thanks, Adam

[cyclop]

How about some quality tyres?Much cheaper option than lighter wheels(on which you still need quality tyres)

[Brucey]

I'd also go for better tyres first of all.

BTW there are several 26" rim/tyre sizes. I'm guessing yours are 559, but in theory they could be 571, 584, 590, or 597mm bead seat diameter; all are nominally 26" sizes.

cheers

[peetee]

Far more weight can be shed by suitable tyre choice that can be lost in a lightweight rim. Rim brake rims have to be a little heavier than the strength requirements dictate just to cope with wear caused by the pads.
The wrong choice of tyre can ruin a good lightweight wheel not just by its excessive mass but by feeling stodgy, noisy and/or having excessive drag.

[horizon]

Or the OP could get a cheap set of wheels (and tyres) for commuting, trash them and still have a good set for touring, clean and ready to go. And get more exactly what he wants for each use. Changing just the wheels is easier than tyres as well. I do this for studded tyres for the winter.

Just a thought, otherwise I agree with what has been said.

[UpWrong]

I've found single walled rims are light weight for internal widths of 19 or 20mm. I like the Alex X101 but not seen them advertised for some time. 36 spokes means you can compensate for a broken spoke if necessary.

[sarniacycle]

Thank you all for the above responses.

Good point, thanks Brucey, 559s, yes.

I'd like 2 wheelsets: my existing fairly heavy touring ones + a new, lighter set with 1.5" folding Paselas which I've kept for them specially. I've tried the Paselas on my existing set-up and it's still a bit sluggish hence looking for a lighter pair of wheels to bring a bit of a smile to everyday riding.

Thanks UpWrong for the Alex X101 suggestion - I'll have a look now.

If there are other fairly light rims people would recommend, I'd love to hear. Thanks.

[Si]

Dunno if they still make them but my Rolf Propels are the best 26" wheels I've had...... Pretty light for off road wheels and can take a hell of a pounding.

[Brucey]

an ongoing problem with any lightweight rim-braked wheel that is used daily is rim wear. Normally I would therefore suggest that this is no big deal provided you choose a sensible rim/rim ERD; the wheelset can be re-rimmed (i.e. using the same spokes) almost ad infinitum. However this should be set against the context of the diminishing popularity of the 559 size. So a few years ago you could buy lightweight Mavic rims in 559 size, but now they have stopped making them.

At present Ryde ZAC19 or Ryde ZAC2000 rims have three things going for them; they are cheap, not too heavy, and you can still buy them. I'd suggest building a set of 32h rims onto the hubs of your choice, using DB spokes. I'd also suggest that if you are looking more than a couple of years ahead, you should lay in a stock of spare rims now while you can still buy them. A spare pair is less than 40 quid and would be money well spent.

cheers

[sarniacycle]

Thank you Brucey, this looks like a very sound strategy - I hadn't appreciated till now just how quickly the range of 559 rims was shrinking...

[bgnukem]

I think Spa Cycles sell Exal rims in 26", they are not as light as the Mavics used to be but not as heavy as the likes of Sputniks etc and can be had for reasonable money. St John Street Cycles tend to sell unusual sizes etc too, as a higher price...

Might be easier to find more choice in Europe, as I think their markets are not as fashion-driven as the UK. Maybe try Rose Cycles in Germany?