Wheels...

[DirtyHippieUTE]

Ok... Here's my current road bike situation.

I ride an "older" Trek. I think it was built in 91. It still has levers on the tube but it's light, aluminum and it works. My problems are as follows...

1- Wheels. Out of true (so far it isn't funny)
2- Hubs. Shot but still rolling
3- Seat. Big, heavy uncomfortable.
4- Bars. Old, "ram horn" style but they'll be fine.
5- Tires. As bald as a boyscout's balls.
6- Rider: Over 240 lbs (but dropping).

So...
I'm thinking of doing a few things.

Cheapest:
True the rims and hope the old spokes and hubs will hold.
This will leave extra money for tires and a new saddle.
Will the old spokes/hubs throw the rims out of true in a hurry?
Will the old rims hold their true or have they sufficiently weakend with age?

More expensive:
Buy new wheels.
Cheaper in the long run?
Will newer rims/hubs/spokes be stronger and hold true longer?
Will this save $$ on later tunes?

What rims to buy? While I'm hoping to get down to 200, I'm still to heavy for the ultralite rims (as they say in Dune, "[they] will bend like a reed in the wind.") I need a rim that are sturdy enough that will not wrinkle under the weight of a clydesdale rider but not so heavy that I'll feel like I'm riding my mtb.

I've been looking at the "Performance Forte" wheels on performance bike.

So confused... So poor...

[MikeWaters]

one of my buds probably weights 235ish and uses mavic kysrium. I do too (but I weight 185ish).

[creekster]

WHat kind of hubs and why do you say they are 'shot' and what has caused the wheels to be so far out of true?

[Quisqueyano]

I've been in your exact situation.
rue the wheels and replace the tires. You can get cheap tires at Performancebike.com or bikenashbar.com.
See what happens. You may be surprised at how well they hold up.
Don't dump lots of money into an old bike. When you get to your fighting weight, decide what your riding habbits will be and whether you need a new bike to support the habbit.

[creekster]

I've been in your exact situation.
rue the wheels and replace the tires. You can get cheap tires at Performancebike.com or bikenashbar.com.
See what happens. You may be surprised at how well they hold up.
Don't dump lots of money into an old bike. When you get to your fighting weight, decide what your riding habbits will be and whether you need a new bike to support the habbit.

This is good advice with the posible exception of hubs that are so worn or innneed of maintanence that they pose a safety hazzard (hence my earlier questions).

[Quisqueyano]

The hubs may be easily fixed with a good tune-up. I would take the bike to a local shop. For arounf 60 bucks they will go through the whole thing. It will probably ride like a new bike after that.
The tires should be bald. If they are cracked and dried out, replace them. They are pretty cheap. Or I should say, you can get some cheap ones.