The only time I've needed a new rim, I stopped by a few local shops and asked if they had any singles laying around. The place that had one just gave it to me. Might be worth trying in your area.
The best deals I've found have been at bike shops with used parts, if you're in the Denver area Lucky Bikes is wonderful
Spokes and nipples: Several wheel builders I trust told me to use DT Swiss Competitions. That is all I have used. No complaints.
Whoa....what are you doing that you break so many rims?
If you want cheap and weight/performance's not an issue, do you have a community bike shop in your area, or some other option for salvaging used bike parts?
I use any cheapo double walled rim, and cheap spokes. i normally use like 36hole hubs, so pretty resilient, with that many I don't think it really matters. I guess it might if you had a lot fewer spokes.
Also i use 35mm tyres which spreads the load too, i personally value comfort, resilience, bump handling, and low maintenance over speed.
As for Tyres , i do spend money on those. Schwalbe marathon plus on pretty much every wheel as soon as it wears thin. I've never had a puncture on those. They're probably considered slow and heavy, by people who aren't me.
Context is I use mine for urban transportation on mostly bike paths, some park routes. old tram tracks that can be shonky and bumpy, and a bit of road occasionally, but plenty of rough damaged tarmac as well as the smooth stuff. I'm pretty slow.
I think the terrain really matters when choosing tyres - and i'd err on the side of fatter up to 32/35mm just to accommodate uncertainty.
Velocity rims are great, weinmann second.
I'll add that continental 4 seasons are the absolute best tires, better even than gatorskins for longevity and thorn resistance. Not cheap, but it's been almost a year since my last flat.
I bent three Velocity Blunt 35s. Now I use DT Swiss XM 481's even though they only come in black.
Edit: disclaimer: I probably bent them on either rock gardens or jumps. I would not hesitate to get Velocity rims for a road or gravel bike.
Edit 2: neither of these are cheap, unless you are comparing to carbon aero dentist wheels or something
Ah, yeah I meant for my road bike. I got my velocity rims for $40/ea on ebay.
Yeah there are free bikes or nearly free at garage sales where I live. I’ve gotten decent bontrager or similar wheels for commuter bikes and hybrids for years that way.
They are usually quite dusty and occasionally need a hub rebuild, but more often than not I just adjust them or adjust the brake paces more commonly, check the spokes, and send it.
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