Originally Posted by noglider

@ksryder is right about the proper use and abuse of the term jump the shark.

It was in about 1975 or 1976 when I asked a bike shop owner why low flange hubs were coming into style. He said they give a softer ride since the spokes of the wheel are longer. Of course, that is bunk, but the bike world believed it for a long time, and some still believe it. I don't know why Merckx preferred them, and it's possible for anyone to come up with a belief like this and believe they feel the difference, even a highly competent champion. Jobst Brandt measured the forces going on in bicycle wheels, and he pointed out that that the tension is along the length of spokes, not across them like a diving board. The size difference between high and low flange hubs is negligible, too. Most importantly, even if one wheel is radially stiffer than another, the difference is lost in the compliance of a pneumatic tire.

I am also among those who think high flange hubs look better, not because I think they ride better or worse.