Are these wheels strong enough for my intended use?

[silverdorking]

Apologies for only posting on this site when looking for advice? Maybe one day I'll have something useful to impart, you never know!
I've just been solo camping, end to end on my RST, using 'my 4 Kalahari' panniers, rack and bar bag. Me myself am not over heavy but no lightweight. My question is are the pretty new (and well built) Mavic 317 (front) & 717s (back) up to this sort of touring use? They seemed to cope well with the almost exclusively on-road use they received!
Am I pushing their strength, only to become unstuck some time soon. The thing is I'd also like to build a dynamo into the setup and wonder whether it's worth getting it laced into my current front rim!
All thoughts appreciated!
Thanks Andrew

[julk]

Andrew,
after the tour - no broken or slack spokes, wheels still true and running quietly?

If so, then they are ok to tour with.
Julian.

[martinf]

I had Mavic 717 rims on the converted mountain bike I used for my approx 3,300 km tour to Spain and back. They were the best rims I could get locally (and quickly) at the time. That tour was mostly on roads and good cyclle tracks, but with some rough paths and tracks. The 2.0" Supreme tyres I used probably gave more shock absorption so more rim protection than the thinner tyres that will fit to a Sport Tour.

All-up start weight was 123 kg, this reduced substantially by the time I got to the rough bits as I started with several kg of food that would otherwise have gone to waste (wife was also on a long trip), and I also lost a few kg of excess bodyweight. 

The Mavic 717 rims survived the tour, but the rear rim was damaged, probably from hitting a pothole at speed. Rear brake track was also fairly well worn, due to riding on sandy tracks in wet weather, I scrapped this rim after another 1,000 kms of use. The front rim is still going strong, with about another 4,000 kms of mainly utility riding since the tour.

Next time I do that sort of tour I will be using the substantially stronger rims on my Raven Tour, which are also wider so match the 2.0" tyres better.

On a Sport Tour I would be fairly happy with the Mavic 717's for fast day rides and lightweight touring, but I wouldn't really recommend them for heavily loaded touring with frequent off-road stretches.


 

[geocycle]

I'd also suggest it might be a false economy to reuse the rim and spokes unless they have had very light use.  If you build your own wheels then fine but by the time you have paid for them to be built and the delivery to the builder you might as well have a new build. You would also have a spare wheel that could be useful in case of future problems.

[mickeg]

Given the cost of a set of spokes, I think it is always best to build up a new wheel if you change hubs.  I am assuming that the spokes would have to be replaced as the hubs probably have different flange sizes. 

I build my own wheels, on one occasion I reused a rim and spokes because I bought a new set of wheels and I needed to replace the freewheel hub with a freehup type hub.  So, in my case the rim and spokes were brand new and my new hub had the same flange diameters, so since there was no labor I reused those new components.  But that is the only time I can think of when reusing a rim on a new hub was cost effective.

If your old wheel is in good shape, it might be worth selling.  Or, if you sell the bike later you might want to keep the dynohub wheel and sell the bike with the other wheel.

[silverdorking]

Thanks for some really helpful advice. Fully understand the logic of 'not broke, don't fix it' and the encouraging strength of 717 rims under more challenging conditions than I think I'll be experiencing. However see great sense to go for new rims if I decide to install the son hub when considering labour costs for the rebuild.

So the next logical question for which help/experiences will be much appreciated is what rims for an RST undergoing camping tours, usually on good surfaces? I'd like to stay reasonably fast, keeping 1.5 tyre widths and would not want to overcook rim strength with unnecessary weight! Also would like a matching pair!
Thanks again

[geocycle]

I run Rigida/Ryde Grizzlies on my RST.  They are certainly very strong in my experience and not overly heavy.  I have the tungsten carbide coated versions.  So far they have lasted 18,000 miles and I am only on my second set of swisstop blue blocks! Thorn currently recommend the non CSS version for the front as some have found braking in very heavy rain can get interesting.  I've not had that problem.  I do tours of up to three weeks with two panniers and a bar bag.