— Kevin Smith, Juneau, Alaska

Steve Jones's Answer.

	Steve Jones The author of four mountain-biking books, Steve Jones has logged thousands of miles of trails and backroads. Meet Steve Answer Archive Biking Forums

I, too, carry a Clydesdale frame on the trail. I'm sure you'll agree that if more bikers knew the extra thrill the added grams add to descents, the emphasis would be shifted to gaining weight, not losing it.

However, as you point out, heavier bikers have the added challenge of maintaining equipment that is, by and large, manufactured for use by smaller folks. The areas where the most destruction occurs, as we see in the photo of your bike's demolished front wheel, are the wheels. This is also true if you are carrying too much equipment.

A wheel set can be quite expensive to replace, costing on average a couple of hundred dollars per wheel for a satisfactory brand. Dropping bucks like that on an annual basis will certainly push you to look for alternatives. So, as far as where to go for the scoop on how to stretch your dollars and the life of your equipment, well, I believe you came to the right place.

Ouch!

If your rear rim looks anything like your front one does, you are in dire need of a new wheel set (front and rear wheels). (Just a note here: If you have a wheel that becomes untrue as a result of a crash, emergency measures can be taken to bang the rim back into enough shape to get you home. With both hands, grab the rim with both hands opposite the place where the rim is bent and strike the rim sharply against flat ground. If you're lucky, the rim will pop somewhat into shape. You may have to disconnect the brake and tweak the spokes with a spoke wrench in order to ride back, but that's a relatively small price to pay to keep from walking back. Just go slow.)

You mention wanting a solid rim. Instead of going that route, it will probably prove less costly and more effective overall to go with a rim that has 36 spokes, as opposed to the more traditional 32 or 28. The more spokes you have, the more strength the wheel has. If I understand your comment about"number of holes," the number of holes equals the number of spokes.

Also, if you can get thicker spokes, the wheel will be stronger. Spokes come in different sizes and used to be classified in a confusing manner. For example, it used to be you bought spokes like this: U.S./British 14 gauge is the same as French 13 gauge, and U.S./British 13 gauge is the same as French 15 gauge. The practice has now been standardized in the following way: U.S./British 13 gauge is 2.3 mm; U.S./British 14 gauge is 2.0 mm; U.S./British 15 gauge is 1.8 mm; and U.S./British 16 gauge is 1.6 mm. The larger the number in terms of millimeters, the thicker the spoke, e.g., a spoke with a diameter of only 1.6 mm is thinner (and not as strong) as a spoke of 1.8 mm.

In addition, while it may be adding a bit more weight (but what's a few more hundred grams to guys like us?), having wider tires gives extra strength. Consider putting more rubber on the rim, but (and this is a big "but") make sure you have the right size rim for the tire. In other words, don't put a narrow tire on a wide rim, or vice versa; pinch flats and sidewall blowouts become more likely.

The final topic you mention is "offset," which refers to a bike's "trail" or how the hub is placed in relation to the steering angle. What this means is that the closer hub is to the frame (giving the bike more trail), the more the bike has a tendency to steer straight; the farther out the hub from the frame (giving the bike less trail), the more responsive the bike is to a turn of the handlebar.

One final tip I can offer on how to prolong the life of your wheels is to develop a "light" riding style. When you're rocking through those baby heads and over those exposed roots (tombstones, gatorbacks, etc.) have your weight off the saddle and balanced on the pedals and the handlebar. Keep your arms and knees flexed so that they act as shock absorbers, allowing the bike to move underneath you in a fluid motion, instead of bringing all those grams down on the rims in sledgehammer fashion.

As far as making your dollar go further, what I suggest is that you check with some local shops to see if they have any special deals on special wheels that for one reason or another have wound up being sold as generic wheels. These special wheels are built by reputable companies but just got mismatched somehow, or there are more wheels than there were bikes needing them. Many companies cut their losses by reducing inventory. The result is you get a great wheel for a wonderful price. There are also some shops that do business on the Internet offering "seasonal" deals. It's a fluctuating supply, so you have to watch for a while to get what you want. Or just be lucky.

Thanks for the question.