Wheels for heavier riders

Have you thought about getting a set of tandem wheels for your bike as there are companies that will build them onto standard size but tandem style/strength hubs just a thought as I bet they would be mega strong for just one person

Slightly changing the subject, keep an eye on the tension of spokes and trueness of your wheels.

I think most wheels with normal spoke counts have the potential to be very strong under nrmal use, and can even take some hefty hits. Many problems are just from the the wheel not being well balanced/tensioned in the first place, or one or two spokes losing a bit of tension. At the most basic level spin the wheels and look where they pass the brake blocks to see if they are true, and retension as needed. Also if when you first try wheels they go ping ping ping, then they need the tension checking as they were not stress relieved properly when they were built. Obviously the wrong pothole on the wrong day and your wheels are going to break but I suspect a well tensioned 28 spoke wheel is going to be sronger than a poorly tensioned 36 spoke wheel.

Ideally, the more spokes the better. I too am a heavy rider. The LBS contacted several wheel maker distributors for me. Seems Macic Ksyrium Equipe are the 'toughest' wheel ( other manufacturers didn't respond, was looking at DT Swiss wheels too)

The Mavic Ksyrium Equipes on my Titan and Carbon bikes have stood the test of many rides on crap roads.

Sounds like you made a good choice for the budget.. If and when funds allow then I do wholeheartedly recommend the Zondas - as a larger rider I speak from experience

PS please don't take Simon E's advice to lose weight and improve your diet personally, he's just very anti people spending money on upgrading wheels!

I had some hand built by Harry Rowland they are lightweight and totally bombproof 36 spoke jobs. I'm running a bit heavier than you, 110Kg, and have had no problems with them.

http://www.harryrowland.co.uk/

Wheel weight doesn't make much difference to speed, despite all the claims, even on steep climbs. Honestly.

And aero wheels don't do much - an expensive 'aero' 30mm rim usually only takes 30-40 seconds off an hour compared to a standard box section, a lot less than swapping your jersey for a close-fitting one.

I would go for a standard rim. A heavier rider would be better off with 32 spokes and a Mavic Open Pro or similar. Inexpensive and easily serviced/rebuilt. CX-Ray spokes are disproportionately expensive and don't really make any difference, normal spokes are fine. I wouldn't spend much on a bike and wheels for bunch racing anyway, just get stuck in and have some fun.

If you want to get up hills easier or race faster then losing weight from the rider will make far more difference than any amount of bike bling or carbon this & that. It doesn't cost much but it requires willpower. Unfortunately plenty of people struggle with this concept and think they can just 'buy' speed. It doesn't work.

Thankfully it's simple: avoid processed food as much as possible, it's calorie-dense and nutrient-poor. Lots of fresh food + plenty of training = faster, fitter, healthier you. I guarantee it.

Depends on where and how you ride, but my Shimano RS10s served me well for over an year & half while I weighed between 92 & 99kgs.

Lost them due to a crash so now riding with another of the same, at 80kgs.

Most of my riding, though, is within the city and sportives is Surrey & Sussex. Even rode the Ronde sportive on them twice. No races though.

If you decide not to go down the handbuilt route, then campag Zonda wheels are worth a look. Mine are still perfectly true and I was just over 100kg when I started using them. Have put a few thousands miles on them in total

They are light considering their stiffness.

Only drawback is that the propriety design means that you can't easily replace rims when worn -it's actually cheaper to buy another wheelset!

Not that I've ever had to adjust, true, or anything.

With handbuilts, you could could go back to the shop to tweak and replace parts very easily. Worth bearing in mind

handbuilt wheels. A good LBS will sort you out. Ride the wheels for a while and pop them in to get the tension checked and they should be bomb proof.

I am over 80kg and have hit some pretty awful potholes and yet my wheels are still perfect. Mine are H plus sons archetype rims with 28 cx-ray spokes on hope pro 3 hubs.

I've recommended them before here, so at the risk of sounding like a shill, I'd go over your requirements with the guys at http://www.stradawheels.co.uk

If you want a factory built wheelset this list might be useful:
http://www.lifeinthebuslane.com/road-wheel-weight-limits/