New wheel for touring bike

Dave207 said:

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and the reason I signed up was because I need to buy a new front wheel for my touring bike.

I have a Dawes Karakum which I bought in 2008. Unfortunatly the front wheel of my bike became bent and cannot be repaired. I'm need to buy a replacement but I don't really know where to look or what I need to buy 😕

This bike is a touring/road bike and I think I need a 700c wheel? Any advice on where to look, good deals, etc. will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Look at a decent LBS(Local Bike Shop) that can evaluate your front hub, reuse it by lacing it to a rim, new spokes...go ride.

Dave207 said:

Any advice on where to look, good deals, etc. will be greatly appreciated.

Check eBay.

Also, some bike shops have extra wheels -- an average-to-good/very-good USED wheel(-set) will probably cost less than having your current hub relaced with a new rim.

Can one assume your front hub has 36 holes for 36 spokes of course?

It if does (these are also available in 32 just in case I assumed wrong) then there are several good hoops you can get that are more then strong enough for touring. Sun makes one called the Rhyno Lite which is a wide rim for big tires, or their other one the CR18 more of a cross rim-not as wide as the Rhyno but wider then a road rim, or Velocity Dyad a fantastic touring rim comes in a variety of widths, or Mavic A719 also comes in a variety of widths.

The Suns are the least expensive at between $28 to $35, followed by the Velocity at about $65 then the Mavic at about $85 (prices vary depending on LBS) The Velocity, if you can afford it, is the best buy with high quality-actually better then the Mavic but at a moderate price. The Suns are very good for the money if your cash is a bit short, but these are a not as polish nor brake as smoothly, but many people tour on them.

Once you have the rim chosen then chose the right spoke, most tourers swear by the DT Alpine 3's; their triple butted for superior strength for touring.

Then use brass nipples for long life.

Lastly have the rims laced 3 cross.