Touring wheels

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:13:25 +0100, Paul D <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite fancy
as an
introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp, rather
than
my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my mate said was
"you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".

I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which seem to
get
rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100 miles and
had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for me.

So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone + some
bodged-on
bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody recommend a
cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.

Suggestions involving buying a new bike shall not be required! :0)

Ta

Paul

Did you know you can get P-Clips (small brackets that fit around the
seatstays) that will let you fit a rack? Has to be better than carrying a
bag all day.

As for the wheels, I have a set of Mavic T520s on deore hubs on my tourer,
which I've been extremely pleased with. You will need a narrower hub
though, I suppose. Have it built with another Ultegra hub?

Let us know what you choose.

Chris.

--
|C|H|R|I|S|@|T|R|I|N|I|T|Y|W|I|L|L|S|.|C|O|M|
Remove the bars to contact me

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:13:25 +0100, Paul D <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite fancy
as an
introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp, rather
than
my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my mate said was
"you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".

I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which seem to
get
rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100 miles and
had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for me.

So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone + some
bodged-on
bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody recommend a
cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.

Suggestions involving buying a new bike shall not be required! :0)

Ta

Paul

Did you know you can get P-Clips (small brackets that fit around the
seatstays) that will let you fit a rack? Has to be better than carrying a
bag all day.

As for the wheels, I have a set of Mavic T520s on deore hubs on my tourer,
which I've been extremely pleased with. You will need a narrower hub
though, I suppose. Have it built with another Ultegra hub?

Let us know what you choose.

Chris.

What is your classification of cheap to mid-priced? Give an indication,
then we can recommend.

--
Mark (MSA)
This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling
of contents may have occurred during transmission

In message <[email hidden]>, Paul D
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite fancy as an
introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp, rather than
my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my mate said was
"you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".

I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which seem to get
rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100 miles and
had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for me.

So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone + some bodged-on
bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody recommend a
cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.

Unless you actually *want* another set of wheels then I wouldn't bother
for a few days touring. I'm assuming that we are talking road touring,
not going on any significant rough stuff.

Worst that is likely to happen is that go bit out of true, if they get
a bit of a beating on a rough road.

Assuming that you run narrowish tyres, I'd fit some 28mm tyres if they
will fit,
--
Chris French, Leeds

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul D

(') said:

Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite fancy
as an introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp,
rather than my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my
mate said was "you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".

I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which seem to
get rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100
miles and had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for
me.

So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone + some
bodged-on bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody
recommend a cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.

Suggestions involving buying a new bike shall not be required! :0)

Suggestion: buy a trailer. I used to 'tour' (well, go off doing research
fieldwork, but it amounted to the same thing) on a racing bike with my
gear in a trailer. Great solution. The trailer takes the weight, is
easy to unhitch, and once it's unhitched you've got your light, fast,
fun bike again. I'd suggest a one wheel trailer - Bob Yak or Weber
Monoporter - as (although I still haven't tried one) I suspect that a
trailer that leans with the bike will be a better bet at speed.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

The Conservative Party now has the support of a smaller proportion of
the electorate in Scotland than Sinn Fein have in Northern Ireland.

Simon Brooke [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

Suggestion: buy a trailer. I used to 'tour' (well, go off doing research
fieldwork, but it amounted to the same thing) on a racing bike with my
gear in a trailer. Great solution. The trailer takes the weight, is
easy to unhitch, and once it's unhitched you've got your light, fast,
fun bike again. I'd suggest a one wheel trailer - Bob Yak or Weber
Monoporter - as (although I still haven't tried one) I suspect that a
trailer that leans with the bike will be a better bet at speed.

The only negative comment of the Bob Yak that I've heard was from
someone who said that if you load it heavily (weight, not volume) it has
a tendency to steer the bike. It was described as a genuine case of "the
tail wagging the dog"! I don't know what "heavily" consitutes though.

Jon

I don't know what Shimano 540s are but they may be adequate.
The way to prevent spoke breakage is stress relieving the wheels.
The best way I've found is to put a large screwdriver handle between
crossing spokes and to move it such that it stretches the spokes at the bend
over one another. You don't need to use a LOT of force. Do this at each
crossing. It stops breaking.

Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee said:

I don't know what Shimano 540s are but they may be adequate.
The way to prevent spoke breakage is stress relieving the wheels.
The best way I've found is to put a large screwdriver handle between
crossing spokes and to move it such that it stretches the spokes at the
bend over one another. You don't need to use a LOT of force. Do this at
each crossing. It stops breaking.

The 540s are (IIRC) low spoke count racing wheels. My only fear WRT using
them for touring would be that if they did get knocked out of true, their
not as easy to true as more conventional wheels. (Although that might make
a good excuse for replacing them with some Gippieme / Kysriums!)

Jon

"MSA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:13:25 +0100, Paul D

<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite fancy
as an
introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp, rather
than
my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my mate said was
"you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".

I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which seem to
get
rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100 miles

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for me.

So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone + some
bodged-on
bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody recommend a
cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.

Suggestions involving buying a new bike shall not be required! :0)

Ta

Paul

Did you know you can get P-Clips (small brackets that fit around the
seatstays) that will let you fit a rack? Has to be better than carrying

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bag all day.

As for the wheels, I have a set of Mavic T520s on deore hubs on my

tourer,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

which I've been extremely pleased with. You will need a narrower hub
though, I suppose. Have it built with another Ultegra hub?

Let us know what you choose.

Chris.

What is your classification of cheap to mid-priced? Give an indication,
then we can recommend.

less than £150 for the pair

"Jon Senior" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee said:

I don't know what Shimano 540s are but they may be adequate.
The way to prevent spoke breakage is stress relieving the wheels.
The best way I've found is to put a large screwdriver handle between
crossing spokes and to move it such that it stretches the spokes at the
bend over one another. You don't need to use a LOT of force. Do this at
each crossing. It stops breaking.

The 540s are (IIRC) low spoke count racing wheels. My only fear WRT using
them for touring would be that if they did get knocked out of true, their
not as easy to true as more conventional wheels. (Although that might make
a good excuse for replacing them with some Gippieme / Kysriums!)

They are indeed 16 spoke wheels. I think i read somewhere that they're not
particularly reliable for more than 14 stone-ish, but i'm 13 1/2 & haven't
had a spoke go or needed to true them in the thousand miles i've been using
them. Touring kit would push the weight up though (unless i went for the
trailer option).

Really would like some kysriums... ;0)

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul D

(') said:

"MSA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:13:25 +0100, Paul D

<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wrote:

> Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite
> fancy as an
> introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp,
> rather than
> my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my mate
> said was "you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".
>
> I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which
> seem to get
> rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100
> miles

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for me.
>
> So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone +
> some bodged-on
> bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody
> recommend a cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.
>
> Suggestions involving buying a new bike shall not be required!
>
Did you know you can get P-Clips (small brackets that fit around
the seatstays) that will let you fit a rack? Has to be better than
carrying

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bag all day.

As for the wheels, I have a set of Mavic T520s on deore hubs on my

tourer,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

which I've been extremely pleased with. You will need a narrower
hub though, I suppose. Have it built with another Ultegra hub?

Let us know what you choose.

What is your classification of cheap to mid-priced? Give an
indication, then we can recommend.

less than £150 for the pair

That's what I've just paid for a pair of Ksyrium Equipes from Bolton
Cycle Centre (special offer). They're very nice wheels with very low
rolling resistance, and the spoke pattern is conventional (radial front
two cross rear) so shouldn't be hard to true.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us
;; many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets.
;; Imagination without skill gives us modern art.
;; Tom Stoppard, Artist Descending A Staircase

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul D

(') said:

"MSA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:13:25 +0100, Paul D

<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wrote:

> Have been offered a place on a few days of touring which I quite
> fancy as an
> introduction. I want to use my 'good' bike, a spesh allez comp,
> rather than
> my nearly knackered old hack bike but the first thing my mate
> said was "you'll have to get at least a stronger set of wheels".
>
> I've got a set of shimano 540's that came with the bike, which
> seem to get
> rotten reviews, but i've not had any problems on runs up to 100
> miles

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> had no intention of changing them until wear decided it for me.
>
> So will these not be strong enough to carry my 13 1/2 stone +
> some bodged-on
> bags (no rack fittings on the frame)? If not, can anybody
> recommend a cheap-to-mid price set? I'm running 9-speed ultegra.
>
> Suggestions involving buying a new bike shall not be required!
>
Did you know you can get P-Clips (small brackets that fit around
the seatstays) that will let you fit a rack? Has to be better than
carrying

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bag all day.

As for the wheels, I have a set of Mavic T520s on deore hubs on my

tourer,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

which I've been extremely pleased with. You will need a narrower
hub though, I suppose. Have it built with another Ultegra hub?

Let us know what you choose.

What is your classification of cheap to mid-priced? Give an
indication, then we can recommend.

less than £150 for the pair

That's what I've just paid for a pair of Ksyrium Equipes from Bolton
Cycle Centre (special offer). They're very nice wheels with very low
rolling resistance, and the spoke pattern is conventional (radial front
two cross rear) so shouldn't be hard to true.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us
;; many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets.
;; Imagination without skill gives us modern art.
;; Tom Stoppard, Artist Descending A Staircase