Subject: Re: Touring wheelsets Posted by: Robert on December 13, 1999 at 23:28:22: In Reply to: Touring wheelsets posted by Rich on December 13, 1999 at 13:17:15:

Message: >Can anybody recommend a good wheelset for touring. I've seen a lot sturdy cyclocross wheelsets. Can I use these type? While I don't recommend any one particualr wheel, I do recommend you get 36 spoke wheels with 14 guage straight spokes. Cyclocross wheels could be apropriate, if they are built like that. I wouldn't get any aero wheels of wheels with butted spokes. Wheels built with standard 14 guage spokes are the stongest and easiest to repair if any spokes break and you need help from a local shop. I would stick to wheels built with DT or Wheelsmith spokes, I don't trust the no-name Japanese type spokes. DT and Wheelsmith make spokes that are about as strong as they can be. When you tour, carry plenty of spare spokes (at least two of each length) and tools to remove the cassette when one breaks. I toured about 2000 miles four years ago and broke two spokes on the rear wheel. Normally I break about one spoke a year, or 10,000 miles. I didn't carry any cassette tools, and one broke on the drive side. I had to ride about 200 miles with a spoke missing until I got to a city where a nice bike shop let me use their cassette tools for free. After that I learned never to forget those!