We both said pretty much the same thing but you beat me to it. You’ve made an important point here...
Originally Posted by
brawlo
...have a look at what the wheelbuilders are proposing to use for your build and be prepared to advise them that what they want to use may not be appropriate for the weights that your bike is taking.
The bicycle world is full of wheel builders who will tell you very convincingly that what they want to build for you “should be plenty strong” or “should be more than you’d ever need.” The problem is that when they’re wrong it’s YOU that’s stranded. They’re comfortable back at their shop while you’re out of cell phone range trying to figure out how you’re gonna make it to wherever you’re going.
I argue; embrace the over built. Before I started building my own I had to argue with a guy to just build me what I wanted regardless of his opinion that it was overkill. And this was after a rear wheel he previously built had failed. It occurred to me one day that some skinny little weight weeny really has no clue about the magnitude of the problem because it’s so far off from his own point of reference. He may build a decent wheel but he’s never pounded the pavement at well over 300lbs, so he doesn’t appreciate the situation. He may mean well, but his good intentions mean nothing on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Ask about a wheelset for a tandem and they’re all about the 36 or 40 butted spokes in a stout rim. Well, guess what? I’m a tandem on two legs. Drop the whole “lighter” or “aero” BS and build me something I can rely on — and I really don’t care that you think it’s overkill.
What’s the downside to overkill? Weight. Weight measured in grams. The difference is often less than the weight of ONE of my shoes. Okay, look at me, do I look like I care? Picture a middle linebacker on a bicycle. A guy whose frame of reference is 16 spoke carbon rims shod with 23’s probably won’t get it, no matter how great of a wheel builder he may be.
I just read through this and it’s more than a little rant-y and for that I apologize. Waste enough money on “should be plenty strong” failures and it gets frustrating. Peace.
-Kedosto