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source for Mavic T217 rim or similar

6K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Keeping up with Junior 
#1 ·
Anyone know where to find a couple of these rims (32 hole)? A 36 would also work. I was thinking about switching to a rear mountain bike hub anyway since the current one needs more than just a simple overhaul. Any other similar rim offerings? Must be 700c. The sidewalls on mine are getting pretty thin..

As far as hubs go, what is the reasoning behind using a mountain hub? Is the XT a little more bombproof than the Ultegra, or just a little cheaper, or what? Is the flange spacing wider? Also, what's the real world difference between Deore, Deore LX, and Deore XT? I've heard some people say Deore hubs are great if you don't care about weight and others say they are junk. My bike has 132.5 spacing, but if there isn't any strong argument for a mountain bike hub, it would be more reasonable to stick with 130mm axles so I can use this wheel on other road bikes. Seals aren't a major concern as long as they're comparable to a modern Ultegra hub.

Use will be on a Surly Long Haul Trucker with the occasional loaded tour, but mostly just commuting, groceries, and gravel roads on 28-30mm tires. I like the T217's because they've stayed true through some nasty hits and have a medium width that works with a wide range of tires. The MA-3 is a crappy rim from what I've heard but it looks like Mavic's current touring rims are a bit overkill for my sort of use - they're either exceedingly heavy, or too much money, or both. Maybe I can find a a 36 hole MA40 or something. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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#2 ·
I think the only 700c, double eyelet and welded rim that mavic make now is the T719, so that would be the equivalent of the old 217. FWIW, I have a pair of 26" 217 rims (in the 'sunset' colour!) on my MTB, and they're still going strong after nearly 15 years. I also toured australia and NZ on a different set of wheels but also with 217 rims. The rear one gave way after 4000 miles, but then outback dirt roads and upto 60kg of panniers are not a good combination for any rim. Previously I also had a set of 700C touring wheels, built with the T217 model. They were fine.
For what you want, the 719 might be overkill - many people have done light (and even heavy) touring on standard mavic road rims without any problems. If you're using the bike for load carrying and touring then the last thing you should worry about is the weight of the rims, especially on a bike that isn't that light to start with.
As for hubs, I have a 1993 deore LX rear hub built into one of my sunset rims, and it's still fine. The australia tour was done on a pair of well used STX mountain hubs, that must date from the mid 90s at least. I've always found shimano hubs to be pretty reliable, and cost effective as they're usually a good price to start with. If your frame is 132.5mm (according to the surly website, it's 135mm), you should be able to fit an MTB hub in there no problem. I don't know if the current MTB hubs actually have a wider flange spacing than the road hubs, but remember that the flanges have to be wider on both sides - if only the NDS side is wider, that makes for a greater overall flange to flange distance, but more dish, which can make for a weaker wheel as there is greater difference in the spoke tension between DS and NDS. The bearings and axle are probably beefier than a road hub though.
I'd suggest deciding what you want the wheel for - light weight, fast riding, or a strong load bearing wheel for touring - and building one to suit (or building one of each). Trying to build a wheel that will do everything will only result in compromises all round, and might not be great at anything.

foz
 
#3 ·
40 hole

BenR said:
...Any other similar rim offerings? Must be 700c...
Poked around a couple of tandem sites I visit and only saw 40 hole offerings. The link below has a few other options listed. You might call the shop for their recommendation as Peter is well respected in the tandem community.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tourtand.asp
 
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