Originally Posted by
SammyJ
Going to higher spoke count raises the amount of weight you have to get spinning. Acceleration will be affected. The inverse is also true. I say this from experience, I had a wheel fail when climbing a hill, went to higher spoke count.
If you are using the same components and doing an apples-to-apples comparison, the weight gain in going from a 20 spoke wheel to a 32 spoke wheel is 72g or 2.5 ounces. That's a fairly negligible weight difference. Low spoke count wheels also aren't automatically lighter than a higher spoke count wheel. It depends on the components. I built a 32 spoke wheel with Pillar triple butted spokes, Velocity A23 rims, and a White Industries T1 hub with titanium freehub to replace a set of Veulta Corsa. I lost 2 lbs (of rotating weight) in the bargain and gained about 50% strength in the wheel by using the heavier gauge spokes.