26 wheels for road and off road ?

[spoon boy]

It would seem as though as long as the frame is steel and the wheels are suitable then everything else is pretty much okay

steel frame a few ready for my pennies but the wheels??

Most of the touring will be a mixture of road and gravel roads with about a 5th being off road

I've been looking at halo rims as they seem to be strong and fit for purpose but also obviously sjs wheels for the thorn are largely okay

Given the importance of wheels I would greatly value anyone who has this dilema or any one who has experiemented.

I will be using a 26 wheel with 1.75 tyres if that helps

[geocycle]

Rigida grizzly tungsten carbide are good and strong.  You need suitable blocks but they last just as long as normal ones.  Better braking in wet, good as most others in dry.  Had mine for 6 months now without problem.

[spoon boy]

right old skool mtb bought   a marin bear valley se  the wheels and tyres next on the list before a full service and upgrade along with racks

now would be an excellent time to get the wheels

[vik]

I'd go with one of two schools of thought:

1) get the bike's existing 32H wheels tensioned by an expert wheel builder and use 'em until they are toast.  I've abused some economy mtb wheels on a touring/utility bike for a long time after I expected they'd be junk they just keep on trucking.

2) get some hand built wheels with your components of choice - 32H front and 36H rear should be plenty.  Go as heavy duty on the rims as you need.  LX hubs are a tough low cost choice.

Option 1 is cool as long as your first trip isn't to Outer Mongolia and will give you time to source parts for Option 2.  If you don't want to deal with any hassles and/or are heading to a remote spot off the bat just skip to Option 2 and save the original wheels for when you are home and using the bike as a commuter.

safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com