[Porkchop]

I am in need of a new rear 26" mountain bike wheel. The 1st ride after having my rear wheel trued, bent it in the exact same way.

I'd rather not spend a lot of money, but I don't want to deal with a rim that won't stay true. Can anyone recommend a good wheel?

Thanks for the help

[sbarnhart]

Hi I dont know how much you are looking to spend. I have some Spinergy Xyclones and they are great, light wheels. No problems but I weight 125. They are also expensive. I have a set of Vuelta superlite comps. They are about $120 and I havent had any problems with those either. They are a little heavier though.

[hophead]

Performance has a pretty decent set of 26" MTB wheels on sale for $130. They will work with rim brakes or ISO (6 bolt) disc.
Shimano Deore M525 Disc/Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite Wheelset - Mountain Bike Wheels / Wheelsets

[CTD50]

Yeah, the Deore/Rhyno Lite wheels are dependable. Just don't like Shimano products, personally.

Sun/Ringle' Equalizers are under $200, and the best wheels I've ever run.

[ibisman]

Build your own. I got Mavic 317 rims for $19.00 a pair, novatech hubs for $30, and spokes with nipples for 460.00. First time building wheels but they turned out great.

[AndyG]

I have Bontraegers on my race bike, and Mavics on my training bike and play bike. Bontraegers are lite, but no where near as reliable as the Mavics

[qmsdc15]

Originally Posted by hophead

Performance has a pretty decent set of 26" MTB wheels on sale for $130. They will work with rim brakes or ISO (6 bolt) disc.
Shimano Deore M525 Disc/Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite Wheelset - Mountain Bike Wheels / Wheelsets

Jensen USA has Deore/Rhyno Lite wheelset for $95. Link

[qmsdc15]

Originally Posted by ibisman

Build your own. I got Mavic 317 rims for $19.00 a pair, novatech hubs for $30, and spokes with nipples for 460.00. First time building wheels but they turned out great.

Great deal on the rims, but I think spokes can be had for less. Built wheels are often cheaper than the cost of the components if purchased separately.

[RexlanVonSquishVIII]

Originally Posted by qmsdc15

Great deal on the rims, but I think spokes can be had for less. Built wheels are often cheaper than the cost of the components if purchased separately.

Here's the catch, though- when built by the right hands, custom wheels will last so much longer. And you can find decent parts pretty inexpensively.

Repair trick: If you true the wheels yourself, add more tension to the spokes (tighten them further all around). That strengthens the wheel. If you take it to the shop, ask them about how to keep the wheel from folding on you and then have them do it.

[DGM]

Originally Posted by RexlanVonSquishVIII

Here's the catch, though- when built by the right hands, custom wheels will last so much longer. And you can find decent parts pretty inexpensively.

Repair trick: If you true the wheels yourself, add more tension to the spokes (tighten them further all around). That strengthens the wheel. If you take it to the shop, ask them about how to keep the wheel from folding on you and then have them do it.

I'm thinking his spoke price had an extra "0" as a typo. Probably only $46 on the spokes (we hope).

Most wheels out of the box are under tensioned, which can lead to a rim failing prematurely. However, it is possible to make spokes too tight and have the same problem.

Buy your wheel from an actual bike shop who will give you some sort of guarantee or service warranty with it.

No matter what wheel you buy, whether for $20 or $1000, it's possible to kill it at any time if you smash it just right.