# Clydesdale wheelset Q&A



## jeeper006 (May 10, 2010)

ive been riding for several years now but recently got a Giant TCR Advanced all stock.
i currently weight roughly 260lbs and im not sure how much i like these Stock 16/24 spoke count wheels.
I used to have a Carbon litespeed with Zipp 404s and rode the hell out of it and i was still probably around 225 then.
I'd like to get some semi deep 35mm+ wheels that are proven pretty sturdy?
I always run Conti GP4000s in 25mm.

Whats a lower priced wheelset with a semi deep dish wheel for a big boy?!!


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

jeeper006 said:


> ive been riding for several years now but recently got a Giant TCR Advanced all stock.
> i currently weight roughly 260lbs and im not sure how much i like these Stock 16/24 spoke count wheels.
> I used to have a Carbon litespeed with Zipp 404s and rode the hell out of it and i was still probably around 225 then.
> I'd like to get some semi deep 35mm+ wheels that are proven pretty sturdy?
> ...


I responded in beginners forum, but let me suggest for a big guy, 36 x 3 cross spoked aluminum rims custom built on a pair of nice cup and cone hubs, will be the best, hands down. These are usually cheap, under $500, nothing tricky, just solid, stiff, responsive wheels that can carry lots of weight. 

There are many rim choices, generally aimed at cyclocross, gravel riding, loaded touring, 29er mountainbiking. "Box section" rims with spoke eyelets are also bullet proof. The 36 spokes hold things together, so the rim can be box shaped and very stiff climbing and such.

Custom wheels will come out of the box hand trued. Tensioned to a middle C, they've lasted forever for me, +/- 160#, on two bikes with 75,000 miles on each. I've replaced the rims on each pair of hubs once, due to wear from braking, getting away with using the original stainless steel spokes. Strength, agility, more than compensate for a slight weight handicap. Once rolling, there's not that much difference.

Go up to 28 mm tires, also. They'll give a more comfortable ride and you'll never notice the difference from 25s unless you're stuck in too high a gear going up a climb.


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## changingleaf (Aug 20, 2009)

A Boyd Altamont 30mm alloy rim with DT Swiss 350 hubs and a steel freehub to handle the torque of your size. Or if you want a carbon rim Alto Cycling C40 (40mm) rim is a good choice.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

H Plus Son Archetype rims 
DT Swiss Champion 14 ga. stainless steel spokes
DT Swiss Brass nipples
Shimano 105 hubs

Go 32/32 at a minimum. Personally I'd go 36/36 or 36/32 would be okay as well. A bombproof combo for not a lot of money. I've used prowheelbuilder.com a few times with great results. Their website lets you play with building custom wheel combinations to see what you like and what options are out there.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

The most important item with a rider your size is the more spokes the better. 32 minimum, preferably 36. Spoke gauge is less important than number of spokes. Remember, the fewer spokes you have, the more load on each spoke, not to mention the more your wheel will flex and possibly cause brake rub during climbs. I am 170lbs. and build all my own wheels with at least 32 spokes on the rear wheel.

The next most important item is to get a robust rim. DT Swiss R460, H+ Son Archetype and HED Belgium series (from least to most expensive) are all good choices depending on your budget. Aero rims are of minimal value for a guy your size. Avoid Mavic.

You may want to go with wider tires too if your bike frame can fit them.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Lombard said:


> The most important item with a rider your size is the more spokes the better. 32 minimum, preferably 36. Spoke gauge is less important than number of spokes. Remember, the fewer spokes you have, the more load on each spoke, not to mention the more your wheel will flex and possibly cause brake rub during climbs. I am 170lbs. and build all my own wheels with at least 32 spokes on the rear wheel.
> 
> The next most important item is to get a robust rim. DT Swiss R460, H+ Son Archetype and HED Belgium series (from least to most expensive) are all good choices depending on your budget. Aero rims are of minimal value for a guy your size. Avoid Mavic.
> 
> You may want to go with wider tires too if your bike frame can fit them.


+1, but I would also like to add Velocity A23s and/or Velocity Deep Vs to that list of options.


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

My wife and I ride a tandem. Our weight together is the same as yours.
We use 32 spoke wheels. White Industries hub and wide / deep aluminum rims.


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## bilbo (Aug 2, 2017)

I had a set of custom wheels built after having a lot of problems with the originals on my Synapse. I'm not far off from your weight, and could not keep the original wheels trued and the spokes would constantly loosen up/break. I tried the Archetype rims on the original hubs (28h I believe) and still ruined them in short order. Now I have 32/32 Belgium rims, Champion spokes, and DT350 hubs. around 2k miles on them and zero issues. I really think my issues with the Archetypes was due to the spoke count as the rim design looked solid enough and not much different from the Belgiums. I think they were $750.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

bilbo said:


> I had a set of custom wheels built after having a lot of problems with the originals on my Synapse. I'm not far off from your weight, and could not keep the original wheels trued and the spokes would constantly loosen up/break. I tried the Archetype rims on the original hubs (28h I believe) and still ruined them in short order. Now I have 32/32 Belgium rims, Champion spokes, and DT350 hubs. around 2k miles on them and zero issues. *I really think my issues with the Archetypes was due to the spoke count* as the rim design looked solid enough and not much different from the Belgiums. I think they were $750.


I would concur on this. 28 spokes is too few spokes for your weight. You may get away with that on a front, but not a rear. The Archetype is a pretty robust rim. The only complaints I've heard on these is the narrow brake track and that the brake track is painted on the black rims which makes the rims ugly for the first 500 or so miles.

Don't know what year Synapse you have, but for awhile, the stock wheels were 16/20 spokes which would explain that they were trashed very quickly.


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## bilbo (Aug 2, 2017)

Mine is a 2016. I believe it was 28 hole but I'm not 100% sure. Pretty amazing what four spokes will do. Really I opted for the Belgiums because I liked the way they looked, and MN pride. In reality, the matte finish is harder to keep clean than the Archetypes (same goes for the bike) and they probably look worse.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

bilbo said:


> Mine is a 2016. I believe it was 28 hole but I'm not 100% sure. Pretty amazing what four spokes will do. Really I opted for the Belgiums because I liked the way they looked, and MN pride. In reality, the matte finish is harder to keep clean than the Archetypes (same goes for the bike) and they probably look worse.


Did you have the Al or carbon Synapse. The carbon 105 or Ulegra versions used either Shimano or Mavic entry level wheels which were both 16/20 spoke count. If Al, they were probably Maddox which is a budget wheel set - not sure about spoke count on those, maybe 20/24?

Keep in mind that the quality of the wheel build can factor into reliability and longevity. If the wheels weren't stress relieved properly or spoke tensions weren't equalized, this can cause spokes to loosen and the wheel to go out of true. Loose spokes are very stressful since they will go through greater fatigue cycles and fail sooner.


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## bilbo (Aug 2, 2017)

Forgot to mention it's the carbon 105 version with disc brakes. They are Maddux 28 hole wheels. I checked last night. The 16/20 may be the rim brake version? I had wheel issues with previous bikes; they were a bit concerned about the wheels when I bought it but I decided to see how it went. They checked them over when the bike came in , and I put about 1200 miles on it before I started seeing issues. 

Thought it was maybe a fluke and went to replace the spoke and realized they were kind of goofy spokes. They were a lighter gauge than standard so the nipples wouldn't fit the standard spokes I could get locally. The shop I bought the bike from rebuilt the wheel with new spokes and nipples and I was good for about 500 miles. That's when we started over with the Archetype rim. It was good for a while, then slid into the regular spoke breaking thing again. Then I just said F it and sprung for the new wheelset. I should have just done that from the start, maybe I'll be a little wiser next time.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

bilbo said:


> Forgot to mention it's the carbon 105 version with disc brakes. They are Maddux 28 hole wheels. I checked last night.


OK, this makes sense. Maddux is a generic brand of wheels. 

Yes, the 16/20 are the rim brake wheels Cannondale used for their Synapse Carbon for a few years - either Shimano RS-11 or Mavic Acksium - both entry level wheel sets.

I have to say I was confused as the Archetypes are rim brake rims, though they can also be used with discs. Their Hydra rim is their dedicated disc rim.


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## bilbo (Aug 2, 2017)

I picked them because they were a proven rugged design. The LBS had experience with them and I found lots of people saying good things about them. They also looked right even with the brake track since it's painted. I didn't even know they had a dedicated disc version; guess I should have done some more research. 

I'm going to build a bike for riding the gravel and backroads around here one of these winters and it will probably have Archetypes (or Hydras) as the dust will be easier to wipe off quick.


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## chad.trent (Apr 4, 2016)

I'm 270 lbs. I have three bikes that I rotate through. All have Mavic Aksiums 20/24 on them. Thousands of miles on all three of them with zero issues on any of them. Enough miles on one set that I got in 2008 that I'm started to wear through the brake track and need to replace them.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

chad.trent said:


> I'm 270 lbs. I have three bikes that I rotate through. All have Mavic Aksiums 20/24 on them. Thousands of miles on all three of them with zero issues on any of them. Enough miles on one set that I got in 2008 that I'm started to wear through the brake track and need to replace them.


Mavic wheels were good in the past. Their quality had deteriorated.


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## chad.trent (Apr 4, 2016)

Lombard said:


> Mavic wheels were good in the past. Their quality had deteriorated.



How recently? I think my newest set is from 2017 and they have been as good as any of the others.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

chad.trent said:


> How recently? I think my newest set is from 2017 and they have been as good as any of the others.


I'd say in the last 10 years. How many miles on those 2017's? Do you ride hills or mostly flats?


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## chad.trent (Apr 4, 2016)

Lombard said:


> I'd say in the last 10 years. How many miles on those 2017's? Do you ride hills or mostly flats?



I'm not sure to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say 3500-4000. Nothing flat about any of the roads around here.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

chad.trent said:


> I'm not sure to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say 3500-4000. Nothing flat about any of the roads around here.


Well I have to say that's about the same mileage I got out of a pair of Bontrager Race wheels before the rear developed spoke hole cracks - and I'm only 175lbs! Get out your magnifying glass and check those spoke holes.


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## chad.trent (Apr 4, 2016)

Lombard said:


> Well I have to say that's about the same mileage I got out of a pair of Bontrager Race wheels before the rear developed spoke hole cracks - and I'm only 175lbs! Get out your magnifying glass and check those spoke holes.


I go over them pretty regularly. Maybe not as often as I should though.


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