How to Choose a Replacement Bicycle Wheel
Mountain Bike Wheels, Hand Built or Machine Made?
Sep 9, 2009
Bicycle wheels are not just those circular things that go round to make a bike go forward. They hold the tires and gear mechanisms that take the weight of the rider; they absorb bumps in the trail; they can withstand rotational pedaling and breaking forces; they allow the rider to freewheel and coast as well as climb steep hills; they provide a means of turning the bike (with help from the handlebar) and the “bi-cycle” (two wheels) is named after them.
Most cyclists ignore their wheels until they develop a problem, usually as a result of damage or neglect by the owner. It is only when the wheel buckles after a crash and falls apart, never to rotate again, that the owner realizes its complexities. Finding a replacement wheel can be mind boggling in terms of choice and especially cost; they are not cheap, at least not if a rider wants them to last.
Cost of Mountain Bike Wheels
Cheap wheels are almost always made by machine. These are common on bikes that cost under $200 but components will have a short shelf life as they usually have cheap non stainless-steel spokes that rust easily and snap, often out on the trail if corrosion goes un-noticed. The problem with trying to replace a cheap wheel is that even a factory made new one will cost upwards of $50.
Hand built wheels are the norm offered by most specialist cycling retailers as they stock hubs, rims and spokes and make new wheels to order. The higher the quality of the components, the greater the cost of the wheel, and prices range from $100 to over $1,300 per pair.
Bicycle Wheel Building
If a cyclist needs or wants a new wheel he can buy one or build one. Building a wheel is time consuming and, whilst satisfying, it is unlikely to save the cyclist any money as the cost of the components is rarely less than the price of a shop-bought hand built wheel. A quick look at the various components in a mountain bike wheel reveals wheel building complexities.
Parts to Build a Mountain Bike Wheel
Rims, hubs and spokes are the three key components making up a bike wheel:
Wheel Rims. These are normally made from aluminum or steel but expensive rims are made of carbon fiber. Sizes for mountain bikes are normally 26 inch though the modern trend is now the 29er, which is a bike with 29-inch wheels. Some wheel rims have flat braking surfaces, designed for rim brakes, while others are designed for disc brakes with no braking surfaces. With rim brakes, alloy rims give a better braking surface than steel. Increasingly mountain bike wheel rims are designed to take tubeless tires that don’t need an inner tube.
Wheel Hubs. The hub contains the wheel axle, bearings and the fixings for the spokes; if disc compatible, it will also have the disc brake fixing mechanism. Cheaper wheels have a screw-on mechanism for attaching gears while better quality ones have bolt-on or freewheel mechanisms. Wheel axles can be quick release or finger operated devices requiring no tools; cheaper wheels are always bolt-on. Wheel bearings can be cartridge, requiring no maintenance, or loose ball bearings which offer more adjustment and can be serviced for longer life.
Wheel Spokes. These come in a variety of lengths, shapes and sizes depending on the choice of hub, rim and spoke pattern. Materials vary but stainless steel is best as it doesn’t rust. Modern trends offer wheels with less spokes but this is more to do with cost cutting than function. Improvements in technology have meant that wheels can be made strong with less spokes but not on cheap wheels. It is therefore better to opt for 32 spokes on a mountain bike, because if ridden hard, 32 spokes will be stronger.
Buying a New Bicycle Wheel
Individual bicycle wheels are expensive to replace as cycling retailers often only offer hand built wheels, made to order, rather than stocking large volumes of cheaper factory made wheels. Depending on the cost of the bike it may be better to upgrade to a new bike rather than replace a cheap damaged wheel with an expensive new one.
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