Forum: bicycles.stackexchange.com
Tags: <road-bike><commuter><wheels><touring>
Title: What should I look for in choosing wheels for a road bike?
Question: I have a commuting/touring bike and my riding is a good bit of commuting mixed with weekend rides of up to 50 miles.  In my lame knowledge, I'll assume that lighter wheels can be had when you spend more money, but what are other things to look for or avoid when choosing wheels for a non-racing bike?

Answers:
sents: text: If you're doing mostly commuting
text: I'd look for strength above light.
text: Go for something with more spokes and with a 3 cross lacing pattern.
text: You want something that is reliable.
text: Of course you weight is a consideration so there is always a trade off between that and durability.
text: Going with something with radial (straight) lacing up front can save weight and you're less likely to break a spoke on the front wheel so there is less chance that durability will be a factor.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/30/curtismchale
score: 10
sents: text: Build quality is more important than brand or cost of the rims, spokes, or hub.
text: In response to an earlier post, you don't want to change your wheelsize.
text: And 28" and 29" both refer to 700c wheels (and hence are the same size).
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 5
sents: text: I'd avoid anything with deep (aerodynamic) rims as the wheel will be stiffer and less comfortable.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/259/Jonny Cundall
score: 2
sents: text: Larger wheels are more comfortable, so 28" instead of 26", or even 29" but they need to fit your frame (you should check).
text: More narrow wheels will reduce rolling resistance.
text: Less profile in your tires will reduce rolling resistance.
text: higher pressure in your innertube will reduce rolling resistance. for commuting a puncture resistant tire such as the schwalbe marathon plus is very nice.
text: In googling this question I came across this article which shows that there is quite a difference between different tire types, also, whatever the tire type, increasing the pressure will reduce resistance (probably at the expense of some durability)
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/424/jilles de wit
score: 2
sents: text: Amongst the other good advice I would recommend non-radial wheels - it doesn't save that much weight generally and is stronger; with 28 or 24 spokes you can go cross 2 .
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/2063/petert
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
When choosing wheels build quality is more important than brand or cost of the rims, spokes, or hub.  Larger wheels are more comfortable, so 28" instead of 26", or even 29" but they need to fit your frame (you should check).  Advice on radial lacing is varied including cross lacing, staight lacing and non-radial wheels. 
There are some conflicting views on the desired wheel characteristics. Some argue for more spokes, arranged in a three-cross pattern, some advise against stiff aerodynamic rims, and others prioritize build quality over everything else. Radial lacing is also a point of debate, as radial wheels seem to save weight and protect the spokes, while non-radial wheels are stronger on the whole. Regarding wheel size, larger wheels allow for greater comfort, but increase rolling resistance. At any rate, wheel size depends on a bike's frame.