There's a lot to dig into there, Thomas. Hubs shouldn't be catastrophically failing, axles should not be bending (with a freehub setup) and I wouldn't even expect spoke breakage within 1,000 miles unless there were some other issues involved.
Depending upon conditions (wet winter weather, for example), repacking hub bearings within that period is well within reason. A 250 pound rider is probably just below the the average for Clysedale, and I know a few who run 32h setups without problem. But, "bolt upright" position is more than likely concentrating a lot of force to the rear wheel. As "light" as you think you are riding, there may be room for improvement - when you say that you lift the wheel, are you talking about the rear wheel? Or, are you front wheelie-ing and concentrating all the weight onto the rear wheel? You don't say who built these wheels. If they are "off the rack", they are more than likely machine built, with little to no finishing, destressing, etc. Some of the failures you've experienced sound like that. Somewhere, I'm not sure about your numbers - 35mm tires with 60 psi on trails with your mass in the position your describing sounds like pinch-flat-city to me, though not if your limestone trails are smooth. Have you experimented with larger volume tires? (Maybe that will be easier on the Hillborne.) Big tires protect better. In short, I'd either talk to Rich at Rivbike or find a local wheelbuilder who is _not_ a 135 roadie (yes, there are exceptions...). You want to find the big-boned person who has broken wheels themselves (and having built at least a few 100 wheels from scratch) and talk with them about it. The hands that build the wheels are key. Handbuilt wheels are different. I know you are joking about 48h and 3# hubs, but you more than likely don't need either. At 48h, you have arguably a less strong rim (more holes) and Ultegra/XT level hubs should be able to handle things. Lastly, I'd have a shop check the alignment of your rear dropouts and frame. Consistent wheel issues like that could be as a result of misaligned/bent dropouts or rear triangle. Hope that helps, - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Current Classics Bicycle Photo Gallery - http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc Cross Bike Photo Gallery - http://www.cyclofiend.com/cx Single Speed Garage Photo Gallery - http://www.cyclofiend.com/ssg Working Bikes & Practical Hardware - http://www.cyclofiend.com/working Work Shops of the iBob's - http://www.cyclofiend.com/shop Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines "That which is overdesigned, too highly specific, anticipates outcome; the anticipation of outcome guarantees, if not failure, the absence of grace." William Gibson - "All Tomorrow's Parties" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
