My colleague is forever buckling and breaking rear wheels on his hybrid commuter.

After breaking his third rear axle in a year he's getting a bit annoyed.

Got any recommendations for a really strong 700cc rear wheel?

Mavic Open Pro/Comp should do it, go for 36 spokes too.

I'd get a mavic touring rim, stronger than an open pro. 36H obviously.

Mavic Open Pros are pretty sturdy. Get a decent wheelbuilder to build it tight and strong, nice high spoke tension with double butted stainless steel spokes (NOT plain gauge, they're not stronger!) and use a mountain bike hub like an LX.

Is your colleague in London?

: P

I'd say any touring rim paired with a 36h hub.

Might be worth getting larger volume tyres as well depending on what he's running/what will fit? I had 700×54 Big apples on my old commuter which were ace. Shame it got pinched. 🙁

I have a WTB Dual duty 36h rim on my current hybrid and it seems very strong but then i don't ride that bike much anymore so longevity isn't an issue for me.

Pierre, are plain gauge weaker then? If not weaker then surely they would be ok (if a little heavier)?

they concentrate stress at the elbow, butted spokes spread it out over the thinner section (allegedly).

Plain gauge aren't necessarily weaker but they build a less resilient wheel. Double butting (or, more correctly, swaging) makes the material in the middle of the spoke thinner, which makes it more flexible ("stretchy!"). This allows the middle of the spoke to expand and contract more under varying forces, which prevents those forces being transferred to the spoke elbow or to the hub flange.

Spokes commonly break at the elbow, mainly because that's where they end up absorbing force if the rest of the spoke doesn't. I've built hundreds of wheels and IME double butted spokes build a stronger, more resilient wheel. My recommended spokes for really heavy riders would be Sapim Force – 2.3mm at the elbow, 1.8 in the body and 2.0 at the thread – they're thicker diameter at the elbow to be even stronger.

There's all sorts of technical bumf about this online, Sheldon Brown wrote loads, Jobst Brandt has covered lots of the physics stuff in his book "The Bicycle Wheel" and Roger Musson's written some very helful stuff too.

HTH.

: P

Will an MTB hub fit his hybrid frame?

(he rides in Sheffield and Swansea so plenty potholes)

I think most hybrids are 135, so yes.

As a big lad I can recommend 36h Mavic Open Pro's on Hope hubs (mine were done a few years ago and are on Hope XC's) – despite country lanes and all their foibles around here they haven't needed any attention in years. Not even a spoke key. Coupled with Spesh All Condition Pro tyres fit and forget on the commuter.

I'm his weight and had my LBS build up some LX hubs on to some Halo rims – 36 holes – plain gauge spokes.

Halo cheapy rim

Utter bargain and have made my commuter a pleasure – the wheels are great now and the Conti tyres with a wee bit more width than before make for much more comfort and less chance of dinging the rims.

Good recommendation on the Halo rim. Think I'll go for that over the mavics.

It turn's out he's got a 7 speed cassette on his bike, so what half decent shimano hub do I need to get him?

Anything. Just get a spacer too.

Lx and above are better sealed.