what's a better choice for a rugged tourer with cx leanings that will be used on a variety of surfaces, from road to gravel to sand to (less frequently) mud:
29er rims
700c touring rims
What tire options do you have with 29ers?
It's to go on a steel frame and i'd want proper mudguards on there too. Planning the order / purchase for mid summer. It's going to be a custom build so space could be built in, but is there a limit to this stuff? would 32s be the biggest tire you'd go for? is there a good website for this sort of info? i've been looking at other forums and threads but not found anything definitive.
The reason i was thinking 29er rims is to get something naturally bomb proof without having to build in bomb proof on normal 700cs by going crazy on spoke count.
I'm not sure a 29er rim is going to be much stronger than a touring rim. One thing to consider is that for a wheel to carry more weight (touring), is might need higher spoke tension. Touring rims are designed to cope with this. Saying that. The DT swiss 29er rims I posted up thread are claimed to withstand increased spoke tension. So are probably perfect.
The advantage is in rim width, which gives a better profile.
With those I wouldnt go below 25mm. 28mm maybe. If you are lucky you could fit a pair of skinny 29er xc tyres. The upper limit depends on the frame TBH.
I'm not sure a 29er rim is going to be much stronger than a touring rim. One thing to consider is that for a wheel to carry more weight (touring), is might need higher spoke tension. Touring rims are designed to cope with this. Saying that. The DT swiss 29er rims I posted up thread are claimed to withstand increased spoke tension. So are probably perfect.
The advantage is in rim width, which gives a better profile.
http://www.lfgss.com/post2877456-1883.html
With those I wouldnt go below 25mm. 28mm maybe. If you are lucky you could fit a pair of skinny 29er xc tyres. The upper limit depends on the frame TBH.