# Wheels for a heavy rider



## rdickens48 (Sep 14, 2005)

I am replacing my 5 year old Alexrim DP17 and Fuji hubs. I weigh around 220 pounds and I am on a budget and have found to wheel sets that seem like a good deal. The first is the Shimano SLX MT65 and the other is the Fulcrum Red Metal 5. I was wondering if any heavier riders have experience with these wheels? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks


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## WTF-IDK (Feb 23, 2009)

I have not used those wheels but I love my Azonis Outlaws.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

I'd suggest hand-built...but on a budget, get your mechanic to tension the wheels after a few rides when you buy machine-built.


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## JOwens14 (Jul 9, 2007)

At 220, you can pretty much go any direction you want with wheels. I'd stay clear of lower end Sun Rims. A Mavic 317 and up will suit you fine. As 'CharacterZero' mentioned, if you can go handbuilt, do it. 

I suppose, though, it depends on what kind of riding you want to do. There's a guy on the classifieds who's selling some Transitition 36's for $175 shipped! That's a crazy good deal and you won't find a much burlier wheel at that price


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## bvibert (Mar 30, 2006)

WTF-IDK said:


> I have not used those wheels but I love my Azonis Outlaws.


I'm not super impressed with my Outlaws so far. I got a set last year and blew through a lot of spokes before freehub went in the fall. Luckily I was able to get it replaced under warrranty. They ended up sending me a new rear, different color and this year's model, which has 32 spokes instead of the 36 that my original wheel had (a big part of the reason I went with them in the first place). The build on the replacement seemed pretty shoddy too, uneven spoke tension and some marred nipples. I ended up completely loosening all the spokes and retensioning it myself. I have 4 rides on it so far, we'll see how it does the rest of the season.

I really want to like these wheels, they're cheap, supposedly strong, wide, and convertible. Maybe the replacement will treat me better...

I tend to be hard on rear wheels for some reason, maybe I'm just not all that smooth of a rider.


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## rdickens48 (Sep 14, 2005)

Thanks for the replies. I am on a budget, and my other problem is I live in the outback Australia. It is a bit hard to get a lot out here. I am going to see what my lbs recommends as well, but I find the deals at CRC to be very good.


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## WTF-IDK (Feb 23, 2009)

bvibert said:


> I'm not super impressed with my Outlaws so far. I got a set last year and blew through a lot of spokes before freehub went in the fall. Luckily I was able to get it replaced under warrranty. They ended up sending me a new rear, different color and this year's model, which has 32 spokes instead of the 36 that my original wheel had (a big part of the reason I went with them in the first place). The build on the replacement seemed pretty shoddy too, uneven spoke tension and some marred nipples. I ended up completely loosening all the spokes and retensioning it myself. I have 4 rides on it so far, we'll see how it does the rest of the season.
> 
> I really want to like these wheels, they're cheap, supposedly strong, wide, and convertible. Maybe the replacement will treat me better...
> 
> I tend to be hard on rear wheels for some reason, maybe I'm just not all that smooth of a rider.


sorry to hear about your wheels man. I hope the new one lasts at least the season for you.

I've yet to touch my wheels. except for tubes almost every ride this month.

I guess thats the price I pay for all my tubes having 7 or 8 paches each.:lol:


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## Sigmatero (Aug 20, 2007)

I'm 6'7" and 250 lb and was having problems keeping my 29er rims in true so I switched to Salsa Gordos and haven't had a single problem yet and I definitely give them a workout. Sure they're heavier, but oh so worth it!


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## ColorVoyeur (Jun 13, 2009)

My dirt jumper has Outlaws on it.... They're not perfect, but I've had to do minimal work on them.

My trails rig has Sun Rhyno Lite XLs tied to DMR revolver hubs. These wheels are perfect.


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## Sigmatero (Aug 20, 2007)

I'll second DMR Revolver hubs. That's what I went with front and back and they were the best bang for the buck out there (discs w/ 20mm front).


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## biggoofy1 (Aug 24, 2009)

Mavic DeeTracks i beat the **** out of mine and havent even had to get them trued going on 9 months


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## SlowJoeCrow (Mar 16, 2009)

It depends on how hard you ride. I'm 230ish but avoid jumps and drops so the Bontrager Race wheels on my Trek have been trouble free for 2 years. Avoid cheap wheels and weight weenie XC wheels and you should be OK with any decent wheelset. OTOH I demolished the Alex rear wheel on my first road bike last year so YMMV.


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## bikedreamer (Mar 27, 2010)

If you are on a budget, I'd go with Sun Rhyno Lites IF you are aren't hucking on a HT. I've had very little problem with mine, and they are pretty much the only wheels I've used for mountain biking in the past five years or so. That's on both a HT and a FS, the latter being used for all sorts of trails, and light freeride and occasional DH.

Some of it does depend on your bike, and your riding style. Also, wheel maintenance is extremely important. Keep an eye on the wheel's true. Adjust as necessary. As Zero noted, spoke tension is important.


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