Meadows advises checking the wall thickness of the rim if it is a rim-brake wheelset. He adds that some road wheelsets designed for rim brakes can have a wall thickness as low as 1.1mm to save weight.

In contrast, some rim-brake rims can be as thick as 2.5mm, which adds weight and durability.

Downes doesn’t like building on rims that measure less than 1.8mm in wall thickness because “you’re simply looking for a thicker rim for touring purposes that has more braking material to account for the wear over time”.

You should also consider whether you would like to run tubeless tyres or if you’ll be sticking to clincher tyres, because the rim will determine compatibility.

Meadows says tubeless tyres are unpopular with his customers because the tyres can be harder to install or remove. That said, the sealant can help prevent punctures, so you shouldn’t need to remove or re-install the tyre as often as a clincher.

Downes says he sees roughly a 50-50 split between tubeless and clinchers, whereas SJS does not collate these figures.

Bear in mind that fitting tubeless tyres often decreases a wheel’s spoke tension, because they exert more force on the rim than an inner tube. It’s worth deciding if you are going down this route before the wheel is built to ensure it’s built and tested with tubeless in mind.

Touring wheel spoke counts

Most touring wheels use higher spoke counts for better rigidity and often use a three or four-cross lacing pattern.

A higher spoke count is preferable because if you were to break a spoke on a ride, there is a reduced chance of the wheel going significantly out of true, given there are more spokes to hold its structure.

This is corroborated by Thorn, who says that “it is easier to [achieve] a straight wheel” when truing and “32 holes gives the best chance of getting a replacement rim in the event of a misadventure”.

Meadows says the spoke count “should really be driven by the rider and luggage loading [weight]”, but would generally “advise 32 spokes”, although “36 and 28 are also common”.

Russell Burton / Our Media

Meadows adds thicker spokes on the driveside is a popular option and that while some riders opt for plain gauge (the same thickness from one end to the other), he wouldn’t recommend them.

Some believe using a thicker driveside spoke helps to even spoke tension across the wheel, but Downes says this is a misconception and is just a reading on the tensiometer.

Downes generally echoes DCR’s recommendations on spoke count, although he believes thicker spokes on the driveside only offer a marginal gain because “while thicker spokes will result in a stiffer build, most riders may not notice this and generally speaking a superior butted spoke will have a longer fatigue life”. 

He adds there is a stronger case to be made for thinner spokes on the non-driveside because they exist under more elongation and are more likely to lose their tension, should the wheel take an impact, but it’s still a fairly minor detail in the grand scheme of things.

Jack Luke / Immediate Media

Brass nipples are generally used on all touring wheels, because they are more durable and corrosion-resistant than lightweight alloy nipples.

Meadows likes to use double square nipples, where the shape allows truing with a spoke wrench both internally and externally and the nipple surface doesn’t get scratched while truing internally. He advocates their use because they take the spoke further in and the slot is a weak point for a traditional nipple.

Downes believes that double-squared nipples offer a quicker build but doesn’t feel it’s necessary with brass. However, they can be really useful if using alloy nipples because they encourage more thread engagement.

On the subject of alloy nipples, Thorn advises against alloy nipples unless “all you intend to do is look at your bike (or weigh it)”. This is a sentiment shared by Meadows.

Downes is more positive but will only use Sapim alloy nipples, because they feature additional weather-proofing properties.

Front wheels generally have a lower spoke count than the rear because they carry less weight. It’s a good idea to consider what luggage you will be carrying and where on the bike, because you can opt for different spoke counts front and rear to suit your requirements.

Rim or disc brake for touring wheels

Russell Burton / Immediate Media

The type of brakes a touring wheel is designed around will be determined by your bike.

Rim brakes are a more traditional choice for touring bikes, offering solid braking in dry conditions, although they can suffer when it’s wet. They are easy to work on mechanically and it is usually easy to source a brake cable, should you suffer a breakage in the field.

Disc brakes allow for increased tyre clearances and the rim of the wheel is not being used as a braking surface. Hydraulic disc brakes (which use hydraulic brake fluid rather than a brake cable) offer more consistent braking and improved modulation (the feel of the brake) when stopping. They are now ubiquitous off-road.

Rim brakes once ruled the roost on the road, but the majority of road bikes and gravel bikes have now moved to disc brakes, too, and rim brakes are slowly and surely becoming seldom specced.

Touring bike hubs

Ian Linton / Immediate Media

Reliability is, again, the aim when deciding on hubs for your touring bike.

The first thing to consider is what type of bearings the hubs roll on. You will typically have a choice between cup-and-cone and sealed-cartridge bearings.

Cup-and-cone hubs can be adjusted and relatively easily serviced. If you have a problem in the middle of nowhere, you’re also not reliant on being able to source a proprietary-sized cartridge bearing that a bike shop is unlikely to stock. Cartridge bearings also need to be installed using a bearing press.

James Huang/BikeRadar

However, cup-and-cone bearings suffer under poor adjustment and, if not maintained, the cups and cones can get pitted over time.

Sealed-cartridge bearings do away with loose ball bearings and rely on cartridge bearings instead. There generally isn’t any adjustment possible, given they are installed into the frame using a bearing press.

However, on some hubs, you can adjust the preload. Sealed-cartridge bearings are a fit-and-forget item and should generally last a long time before they require replacement, provided the bearings are of good quality and are properly maintained.

It’s worth spending money on the hubs, because a good quality one can be rebuilt on a new rim once the braking surface wears out.

Downes advocates using sealed-cartridge bearings over cup-and-cone, saying: “you’re not going to find a Shimano cone in the middle of a desert, but you might find an automotive bearing.”

Freehubs

James Huang / Immediate Media

It’s also worth considering what groupset you are likely to ride on the bike so you can ensure that the freehub is compatible with it.

Downes prefers a steel freehub (as opposed to aluminium), because there’s a reduced chance of the cassette biting into the body, as well as a lower risk of breaking the axle under full load if the hub features an increased bearing size. He adds regardless of the hub choice that a steel axle is the best choice because he has seen aluminium ones snap at machined junctions and “steel is a stronger material”.

You should also consider how easy the hub and freehub are to service, should you get caught out on a tour. Some hubs rely on a pawl-and-spring system, whereas others use ratchets.

Dynamo hubs

Jack Luke / Immediate Media

You may want to consider a dynamo hub, which offers you the opportunity to charge devices and/or run lighting while riding. We have a full guide to bike dynamos that takes you through all the details.

Touring wheels vs road and gravel wheels – the differences explained

Touring wheels are typically intended to be harder-wearing and designed for pure reliability over road and gravel wheels.

However, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two and, technically, a touring wheel designed for the road could equally be classified as a ‘road’ or ‘gravel’ wheel.

Thorn argues there are no differences, other than touring wheels are more focused on “endurance and less about performance”.

It’s a sentiment mostly shared by DCR, who says “the most important thing in any pair of wheels is that it fits the bike”, but concedes that a touring bike will “generally have wheels which are confused about being tough and durable”.

Custom or stock?

James Huang/Future Publishing

You can very easily buy a set of touring wheels off-the-peg, but there is a strong case to be made for ordering custom touring wheels to suit your needs. Specific wheel-building specialists, such as DCR Wheels or RyanBuildsWheels, exist for this purpose.

Hand-built wheels are customised to your personal needs and are built to your riding conditions and weight. Some argue there’s greater quality control over the process, too, such as tensioning and truing by hand rather than by machine, as well as correct preparation of the spoke thread interfaces.

They can potentially be more durable too, given they have been custom built to your requirements. In contrast, stock wheels need to cater to the largest possible audience and may not suit your needs as precisely.

Should I build my own wheels?

Phil Gale/Future Publishing

Unless you know what you’re doing, Thorn advises against building your own pair of wheels. He says that if you want to give wheel building a try, “your build should be something cheap” and you should “practise, practise, practise”.

He adds: “the components play a big part [in the wheel’s performance], but so does the wheel builder… use a professional!”

Meadows’ view isn’t as strong, but he notes there are many areas where home builders go wrong. He advises to use the correct length of spoke and double-squared nipples, ensure spoke tensions are even and to “stress the wheels… [repeatedly] until they settle”.

Downes is significantly more optimistic and encourages riders to learn the science of wheel building. He advises to “go [for] brass [spokes] if you’re building for the first time and lubricate the spokes and nipples”. He also recommends using “some form of tensiometer” but also to take time and enjoy the process, and crucially “never work without a cup of tea”.

If you do fancy giving it a go, check out our guide to lacing wheels.

Eight touring wheelsets to consider

Here are some touring wheels to run the rule over if you’re in the market for a new set.

Factotum Endurance Disc

DT Swiss

The Factotum Endurance Disc is a performance-focused tubeless-ready wheelset that is ideally suited for 30-48mm tyres in either 650b or 700c wheel sizes. This wheelset sees DT Swiss R500 rims laced to Bitex BX106 Centrelock disc-brake hubs. Silver or black Sapim Race spokes with Brass Polyax nipples are specced and available spoke hole counts are 28 or 32.

• £325