ZTR Crest rims for well-loaded touring?

[Pynchonite]

Howdy!

So, I'm doing a 200-mile gravel/trail/absolutely awful road tour in a few weeks, and right now, the rims I've got laced up are ZTR Crests.  We have to pack all our own water, tent, etc, and food, and I'm worried that the Crests won't be able to handle the weight.  I'm about 165 lbs, and then there's going to be probably 50lbs of gear (conservatively).  Now, I know they'd been on Tour Divide bikes, but those setups are a great deal more svelte than mine will be.  Anyone know what to expect from them?  Thanks!

[harryonaspot]

A lot will depend on the tires you use. With some 2.3s I would think you would be ok. With some 35s not so good. You will be approaching their weight limit.

[Pynchonite]

I've got Maxxis Crossmarks 2.1's mounted tubeless right now.  No plans to go any smaller than that.  I've railed them all last year with no issue, but I work in a shop and I've seen what an inopportune side load can do to the wrong wheel, so I'm a bit nervous.

[kato]

My wife has a set of Crests laced up for her bike as a lighter wheelset.  Two years ago I threw that wheelset on my bike, loaded it up and took it out for a few days to see how they felt (it was testing for the Divide).  I'm around 160 pounds and had around 30 pounds loaded on the bike.  I had 2.1 Kenda Small Block 8 tires on.  The wheels are laced with 15 gauge straight spokes.
I found them quite flexy with a 30 lbs load.  Enough flex to make me fairly nervous on descents.  They held completely true despite some heinous terrain.  None the less they did make me nervous.
If you have the option I'd go for something a bit more robust for a 50 lbs load.  If that's the only wheel set you have the option of just watch your speed on the corners and downhills.

[Harley431010]

I did my first bikepacking trip last November, a 3 day 300 mile gravel road/trail ride and my gear including tent only weighed 17 lbs and we had to carry clothing for weather ranging from 32 degrees to 70 degrees.  While I carried my food, I did acquire approximately 2 gallons of water along the route.  The weight of that water would have still left me well below 50 lbs of "stuff" on my bike. 
I don't know how much weight your wheels can handle, but as the motor of my bike, I wouldn't have enjoyed the ride very much if I had packed gear weighing 50 lbs for the trip.  To me, that is an important issue.
My first trip was so fun that I have signed up for the approximately 900 mile gravel Ride Across Texas this October.

 

[Pynchonite]

I'm more worried about water weight than anything.  We're headed basically through Utah's West Desert, and I'm planning on carting around 12 L o' water, which, according to the Internets, should be about 26 lbs all by its lonesome.  I figure that after that, between food and the weight of my bags and F rack and shelter and bag and such, it wouldn't take much to get to 50 lbs.

I was also wondering: I have enough money for either a frame bag, a saddle bag (like a Revelate), or a bar bag.  I have a rear rack and pannier (only one).  I have tiny versions of each - a not-tiny Banjo Bros saddle bag, a Jandd frame bag, and the pannier - but I was wondering what everyone thought the best investment would be.  What would give me the best bang for the buck: the frame bag, saddle bag, or bar bag?  I'd rather leave the rack and pannier at home just b/c of weight.

[wahday]

It is easy to just strap a stuff sack/dry bag to the handlebars so I don't think a sling is a big priority. I have done that many times without incident. Personally, I think the frame bag may be your best investment when you factor in the water. I live in NM and also often have to carry large amounts of water. I have been using an MSR bladder that I stash in the frame bag. I can carry about 4l down there (I only have two bottle mounts on the frame, so otherwise I could only get 2l on there. Three if I added one under the down tube). You can then stuff a good deal of smaller items in and around the bladder. You would be surprised how much a frame bag can hold.

All that being said, a seat pack can also be very useful, but not for carrying water (just not the right place for something that heavy). If you use the rack, I recommend strapping a stuff sack/dry bag to the top of it rather than using a single pannier (which may put you off-balance). That will hold as much as a large seatpack, though won't be as light. I have a seatpack now but bikepacked the previous two years with a rack and bag strapped to the top with no issues. I assume your rack is pretty solid. Check the bolt-on points regularly as things can shake loose. A little loc-tite before you head out doesn't hurt.

You will also need to get creative around where you are going to store all that water. My setup covers 7 liters as described above. If I need more, I can put two on the fork and I have another bottle mount that I can strap to my bars. I have also put a 1 liter bottle in my rear bag on top of the rack. Important thing is to spread the weight around for a balanced ride. And as you progress on the journey, you will get lighter...

And FTR, I have a pair of ZTR Crests laced to I9 hubs. I do agree that they can be a bit flexy under a lot of weight. I love them for regular riding (fast, light and very strong) but am swapping them out with a set of Velocity P35 rims for bikepacking use. I weigh in the 190's dressed.

[Pynchonite]

Ok. So I went, I rode the whole thing from Wendover to Lehi  (trip report forthcoming... after thesis gets done), and the wheels held up REALLY well.  I weigh about 165 on average, clothed, and I had about 30+ lbs of stuff at our most loaded.  We had to pack all of our water with us since there was one and only one place to refill until we reached basically the finish line, and I had essentially an entire bikeshop in my Jandd frame bag since we would be at least 75 miles at any given point from any kind of help. 

I talked to Stan's and they told me that the max recommended rider weight for the set is about 190 lbs, and the bike itself weighs about 30 lbs with a front rack on it.  So I was definitely pushing the upper limits of what the wheels are rated for.  They didn't feel particularly flexy, but I ran them with 2.3's, and perhaps the squishiness of the tires reduced my ability to feel flexiness in the wheel.  Despite audible pings as the spokes detensioned (which was real scary) when I was at my heaviest, they stayed true through the whole trip.  I let them have it, too.  The Pony Express Trail is just one long, scranus-rending washboard with occasional sandpits and some short downhill washboard, with a few babyheads thrown in for good measure, and I did not slow down one bit.  So, I'd say they passed with flying colors.  I will say, though, that I would recommend getting a wheelset with a higher weight rating just for peace of mind (which is my plan).

Also, w/r/t the framebag versus saddle bag: I ended up being able to rig a 22 L OR rainproof stuff sack as a saddle bag.  It was a PITA to figure out how to lash it so that it wouldn't hit my thighs/the tire or swing like crazy as I rode, but once I got it figured out, it was dandy.  Again, pictures'll be forthcoming.