I was recently in a bike-shop where the proprietor told me that the "normal" racing wheels of the more advanced bikes are normally only rated to carry 85kg. For example, he mentioned the Bianchi Maddux RX 5.1 as being unsuitable for a 95+kg person… you could ride on them, but within six months you would be unhappy.

I have never heard this before, and while it is obvious that the wheels will have a designed weight limit, I find 85kg really light.

I am over 6'4", so getting to 85kg renders me as a stick insect, and is unlikely to happen… So I would like to know whether I really need to splash out the extra to get custom made 36 spoke wheels.

So the direct question, for a normal 24 spoke wheel, what is the designed carry load for this wheel?

**Edit**: I ended up getting myself a pair of [Mavic Ksyrium SR](http://www.mavic.com/en/product/wheels/road-triathlon/wheels/Ksyrium-SR) wheels. The general reviews seem to have them as being fairly strong...

**Edit 2**: Having ridden these wheels for a few thousand kms, I can say that they really are strong. I just had a front-on accident where the bike frame had the top pipe literally snapped , and the front wheel is only slightly off true, and with a relatively small dent... still enough to write the wheel off, but I was extraordinarily impressed!