Advice on bike wheels

pab_lowe

Hi there, advice appreciated. I have a low to mid range mtb (I think it was about 350 euros new). I have a good front wheel and now I need to replace the rear wheel and I admit to being entirely clueless.
The tire on the rear wheel is marked 26x 1.95 so I guess I am looking for a 26" wheel? Are there any other measurement/characteristics I need to be aware of?
How much does one need to spend...I have bought a number of items from Chainreaction cycles and have been happy, I see their wheels start from 90 euros plus for factory MTB wheels...is this the norm. What are the benefits to custom wheels?
I use the bike only for mtb and use it in Ballyhoura, Derroura, Cratloe and so would like ot get something that will take a little punishment. Considering the bike I have what should I be looking at?

Manythanks
pab

Ant

You'd be looking for a 26" wheel as is standard for almost all MTBs. The main factor that would influence the type of wheel that you need is whether your bike uses disc or rim brakes.

• If you have disc brakes - or ever plan on upgrading to disc brakes - then you'll need to choose a hub that you can mount brake discs on.
• If you use rim brakes, then you'll need rims with a braking surface. These are more common but you don't want to mistakenly buy a light-weight rim that was designed only for disc brakes.

Custom wheels are actually built by the shop and essentially give you much greater choice over what rims, hubs, spokes and nipples you want in your wheels. Factory built wheels simply come 'as is'. Custom wheels might suit you better as you should be able to get quite a decent rear wheel built from around €80. (I see CRC are doing a Shimano SLX Rear Wheel M665 for £60).

Regarding rims, I'd recommend a cross-country (XC) rim as I doubt you're down-hilling on a €350 bike. A downhill (DH) rim might be useful if you're a very heavy rider but otherwise get an XC.

If you're heavy, I'd recommend a 36-hole rim for the back wheel as a wheel with 36 spokes will be more robust than one with 32 spokes - though it will also be heavier. I'd say it's probably worth the weight penalty as the back wheel generally has to support more weight than the front. If you're a light rider, you should be able to get away with the 32 spokes and enjoy the benefits of 4 less spokes.

With regard to weight, generally speaking, more money will get you lighter spokes and rims (and hub) for the same strength. Shaving weight from the rotating wheel is actually much more beneficial than from anywhere else on the bike.

Another thing to watch out for is that some rims are only drilled with holes small enough for Presta valves so it's something to watch out for if you prefer Schrader valves.

Finally, though it should go without saying, you want to be sure that the rim - and spoke nipples - are the right colour.

pab_lowe

Thanks very much for your reply. I have rim brakes so I'll probably stick with those.

What would qualify as downhill (as opposed to XC), I do go downhill (as in down a hill:D) but is there a certain gradient that qualifies as downhill.

As regards weight, I am probably up around 200 pounds now, I would imagine that qualifies as heavy for a cyclist so I might look at the 36 hole wheel.

I might look at a custom wheel but it probably needs a bit of time researching the benefits of each of the bits.

Again thanks for your help