Welcome to the boards!
We have a good number of clydes (riders over 200lbs) that ask about stock wheels and beginning riders are usually OK with stock wheels. Your case may be different, but 'it depends'. I have been as heavy as 300lbs myself and build my own wheels as well as for other people, mostly friends and family.
How aggressive are you when trail riding?
Being well over 300lbs, I think you are a good candidate for using some strong 36h rims. And I don't think "off the shelf" really applies to you, although I guess you could choose a set of dh-ish type wheels or burly AM type. Shaquille O'Neal doesn't go to Payless expecting to find a pair of shoes in his size on sale.
For a set that won't melt your wallet (not particularly cheap, but about as cheap as you can go without being somewhat risky), I would look to use parts like these:
Let's start with the rear hub, which is the cornerstone of any clydesdale wheelset. mtnbiker72 is pretty solid on his advice and he has been recommending that clydes on a budget give these a shot. They are 36 hole rear hubs with a solid 10mm qucik release axle and they are on sale right now for $40 (regularly $99):
https://www.transitionbikes.com/Store/Detail.cfm?Token={ts_2011-03-09_22:53:37}-25633675&P=1425
The front hub is not nearly as critical as the rear hub and Shimano XT should be fine for that. You can get them in 36 hole and black (or silver if you wanted) and they are pretty reasonable. Here is an example:
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=41982&page=Shimano+Xt+M756+Mtb+Disc+Hub
For rims, I would look for something wide and heavy duty. You have several good choices that are fairly heavy duty. I really don't think you need to go to extremes, such as a Kris Holm, Double Tracks, etc. I think the Sun MTX 33 would be fine and not outrageously heavy or expensive (if you shop carefully):
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=22831&category=147
For big guy spokes, I am a fan of these. They are (butted) 13 gauge (2.3) at the j-bend and neck down to 14 gauge (2.0) for the remainder:
http://www.sapim.be/index.php?st=products&sub=spokes&category=3960&id=3387&detail=butted
One of the places they are sold:
http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/sapim-strong-single-butted-spoke.html
And then some good ol' brass nipples to hold it all together.
Something like that would run you around $220 (plus shipping, taxes, etc.) just for parts. Then you have to get someone to put them together or build them yourself, which is not as difficult as you might think. To have them assembled, is probably going to be $40 or more per wheel.
If you can swing that kind of dough, I think you'd have a wheelset that will last for a long time for about as little as you could hope to spend on a set that addresses your specific needs.
Many times there is more than one way to climb the same mountain, and this is no different. Just try to not include any weak links if you can help it.
We have a good number of clydes (riders over 200lbs) that ask about stock wheels and beginning riders are usually OK with stock wheels. Your case may be different, but 'it depends'. I have been as heavy as 300lbs myself and build my own wheels as well as for other people, mostly friends and family.
How aggressive are you when trail riding?
Being well over 300lbs, I think you are a good candidate for using some strong 36h rims. And I don't think "off the shelf" really applies to you, although I guess you could choose a set of dh-ish type wheels or burly AM type. Shaquille O'Neal doesn't go to Payless expecting to find a pair of shoes in his size on sale.
For a set that won't melt your wallet (not particularly cheap, but about as cheap as you can go without being somewhat risky), I would look to use parts like these:
Let's start with the rear hub, which is the cornerstone of any clydesdale wheelset. mtnbiker72 is pretty solid on his advice and he has been recommending that clydes on a budget give these a shot. They are 36 hole rear hubs with a solid 10mm qucik release axle and they are on sale right now for $40 (regularly $99):
https://www.transitionbikes.com/Store/Detail.cfm?Token={ts_2011-03-09_22:53:37}-25633675&P=1425
The front hub is not nearly as critical as the rear hub and Shimano XT should be fine for that. You can get them in 36 hole and black (or silver if you wanted) and they are pretty reasonable. Here is an example:
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=41982&page=Shimano+Xt+M756+Mtb+Disc+Hub
For rims, I would look for something wide and heavy duty. You have several good choices that are fairly heavy duty. I really don't think you need to go to extremes, such as a Kris Holm, Double Tracks, etc. I think the Sun MTX 33 would be fine and not outrageously heavy or expensive (if you shop carefully):
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=22831&category=147
For big guy spokes, I am a fan of these. They are (butted) 13 gauge (2.3) at the j-bend and neck down to 14 gauge (2.0) for the remainder:
http://www.sapim.be/index.php?st=products&sub=spokes&category=3960&id=3387&detail=butted
One of the places they are sold:
http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/sapim-strong-single-butted-spoke.html
And then some good ol' brass nipples to hold it all together.
Something like that would run you around $220 (plus shipping, taxes, etc.) just for parts. Then you have to get someone to put them together or build them yourself, which is not as difficult as you might think. To have them assembled, is probably going to be $40 or more per wheel.
If you can swing that kind of dough, I think you'd have a wheelset that will last for a long time for about as little as you could hope to spend on a set that addresses your specific needs.
Many times there is more than one way to climb the same mountain, and this is no different. Just try to not include any weak links if you can help it.
. I'm sure you could even spend more if you tried, but I don't see the point unless you're into the 'bling' factor.
