Originally Posted by
elcruxio
The advantage I see in using 32 spokes is better availability of parts. Most rims and hubs are made with 32 spoke drillings whereas 36h hubs and rims are in fact relatively uncommon. Shimano has them in most model ranges but whether they are in stock is a different issue.
That may be generally true, I don't know, but... When I wore out a rim mid tour and wanted to find a replacement for a 32 hole mavic open pro, I was looking for any rim that would lace on with the same spokes for ease of replacement mid tour. This was on my 1990 Cannondale Crit bike that I perversely like to tour on. An open pro would have been my first choice and an open sport my second, but I would have taken anything that fit since the rim was ready to fail completely pretty soon. I called every bike shop within 100 miles and found nothing. I eventually settled for a built up 36 spoke wheel that a shop had in stock. I forget what components it has, but it was a lower end but not too bad wheel. Some time I'd like to build up another wheel with the original hub and an open pro rim or find a nice used one in good shape, but I may never get around to it.
I expected the rim to last for the tour. I figured there was a small chance it just might need replacement on the tour, but it never occurred to me that it might be difficult to find a replacement.