Suggestions for wheel upgrade from DT Swiss R460

I have a couple of pairs of handbuilt wheels built around Kinlin rims by Harry Rowland: great wheel-builder, and exceptionally comfortable wheels.  Hunt uses (and then labels) the same rims - and charges twice the price... I'd have no hesitation in recommending that you get handbuilt wheels and no hesitation in recommending Harry.  

Welsh boy:

                      I agree that high spoke counts do not guarantee a stronger wheel.  The Rolf wheels I have run for a year are 16/20 spoke wheels.  They use good design, good materials, and good build quality to make a very strong wheel.  

The spokes are tiny, and there are only 20 in the rear wheel.  I had my doubts when they arrived, but they have taken year one and they are still as straight as the day the arrived and spoke tension is still uniform.  Yes, the Rolf wheels have a rather high flange hub which helps with the overall strength of the wheel. So it seems does the paired spoke design.  And no doubt the material used in the spokes helps as well.

While adding spokes willl not insure a stronger wheel, it doesn't hurt.  Nor do deep section wheels and high flange hubs.  The reason spokes fail is fatigue. more spokes means that the time each spoke is being flexed is less.  Using fatigue resistant materials helps a lot as well. 

Our tandem has 24 spoke wheels, but the spokes are Polyphenylene Bensobisoxazole fiber. They do not fatigue.  We did break the rear while on tour in France last fall, but it was the RIM that failed, probably from one of the big hits it took on that trip.  Note well that Google will sometimes send you on "roads" that are mouontain bike trails.  Or unpaved farm paths.

Having had a couple of pairs of Aksiums have to say never had an issue.

As a bomb proof winter wheel they are ideal & the freehub is easy to service even for someone like me!

I'll echo the hand built recommendations here.  Mavic back up is shite as it that from Fulcrum.  Having to order spokes from Germany when the distro HQ is 30 mins down the road and won't sell any to you directly is utter lunacy!

The rear wheel that comes with the spec allez elite is the worst wheel I've ever ridden in nearly 30 years. Literally anything is better.
Too few spokes, rim not stiff enough for the spoke count, and the lacing is shit... oh, plus the flange width is too narrow to support anything. Literally shite.

About 40 years ago I was a wheel breaker. Like one rear wheel every 3 months. My LBS at the time built me an indestructible rear wheel: 40 spokes and a 20 mm rim. That wheel lasted about 40,000 miles.

I am about 100 kilos and still fairly strong. I ride about 200 miles a week on the road bike.

When a spoke broke I knew that the rest were suspect. I bought a set of Hope road hubs and had a set of 36 spoke wheels built with DT Swiss touring rims.

They have about 10,000 miles on the clock. No issues what so ever.

That is option one. Strong high spoke count wheels.

Last year I decided to try a set of Rolf Echelon wheels. 3,000 miles and they are still absolutely straight.

Option two: technology. Rolf uses a paired spoke set up. They seem to be holding up for me. They may not be available in the UK.

I have one set of aksiums that have been through the wringer, but are still in good nick, but I bought a second hand set and they're well rusty. Not sure how they've got like that.

Aksium wheels are great, I have used them extensively, commuting, camping holidays in France, canal towpaths and regular 60 mile rides in the winter.  I am on my second pair, they are the only wheels I have bought a second pair of.  The bearings have outlasted those on much more expensive wheels and are you really worried about a couple of hunder grammes?

Rebuild a DT Swiss R460 rim with 32 spoke version. You will need a new hub to match.

I had some 24 spoke wheels which kept popping rear spokes. I had some 32 spoke DT swiss hubs so git some 32 rims to match- no more problems

For commuting you should probably be thinking about getting a nice strong wheelset, so I wouldn't be looking at anything "race" or "performance".

I upgraded to the DT Swiss ER1400 wheelset which are in the enduro range (that's what the ER part of the name means). They are still plenty light and strong to go with it. The rim profile is wider than the performance rims which helps with fatter tyres (I run 38mm tyres on the ER1400s). If the 1400s are a bit too expensive, then the 1600s or 1800s are all great wheels. I've got 2 sets of DT wheels, P1800s that the bike came with for skinny slicks with and ER1400s for the fatties. Both have been flawless.

My aksium wheels are crap, the spokes are mild steel and rusting like an old trawler. And pretty much every spoke nipple has seized because of the mixed metals creating galvanic corrosion. Yes they are on a commuter bike but I really tried to keep on top of cleaning and servicing and greased all the nipples every time I washed it.

My LBS warned me off Mavics as they said they found if difficult to source parts. This was while waiting a month for freehub pawls for my Fulcrum rear wheel.

I am biased, mind you, I once asked a friend if the big yellow M on his Mavic shoes was for Morrisons. I don't recall seeing him wearing them subsequently!

In all seriousness, I see a brand like Mavic and wonder if the marketing spend (eg the TdF neutral car) comes from prices that are a touch on the high side for what you get. 

Go with Hunt's Race Aero wheelset. Very light at 1479g and won't break the bank:

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collections/road-cx-rim-brake-wheels/prod...

If you're willing to spend more, DT Swiss PR 1400 Dicut are what you're looking for:

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/dt-swiss-pr-1400-dicut-oxic-clincher...

Aksiums are a waste of money, very heavy (around 300g heavier than R460s) but it's your choice

Technically, the 460 is not a wheel but just a rim.  The problem with spokes is that once one goes, the others can get stressed and then start failing even if the original spoke is replaced.  For a commuting bike, you have a couple of options really: either go handbuilt which will mean that you can ride all through the year and then replace the rims when worn out...or go for something cheap and take the hit (basically treat the wheels as comsummable items).  If you have the cash, you may want to mix and match with something cheap for the grind to work and then something nicer for the w/e. 

Without spending too much you could go for Shimano RS100s as the cheap workhorse pair (less than £80 and surprisingly good), matched with some Zonda C17s (£300) for when you want something a bit livier with nice rubber on at the w/e.  Handbuilt options will typically start at around £350 but get more cost effective as time goes on.

I got fed up with the cheap option and forever replacing wheels ridden in the winter and splashed out £500 on a decent handbuilt set.  It was a great thing to do as I have now had the wheels for a few years...the DA hubs last for ever if serviced every now and then and a replace/rebuild of the rims costs me about £200.  I have had 3 rebuilds so far and the wheels are lovely to ride, come rain or shine.

I would spend a bit more.  JRA have these reduced which seem very good value.

https://www.justridingalong.com/product/lark18-wheelset