Myosmith

I just got the front mate to the rear wheel I had built for my touring bike a couple of months ago. Went from factory 32-spoke semi-aero road wheels to 36-spoke, four cross, hand built wheels with Deore LX hubs, butted spokes and Salsa Delgado rims. These wheels are slightly heavier than the old ones but even with the same tires the difference in the ride is very noticable. The fine road vibration is much reduced and it takes the edge off of big cracks in the pavement. The new rims are slightly wider changing the profile of the tire slightly and I think cornering feels more secure. Despite the improved ride and extra weight, my average speed doesn't seem to have been affected.

bdinger

I'm on my second custom rear wheel for my Long Haul Trucker in 5 years (read more here), and I've come to realize that a sturdy well built wheel is worth it's weight in gold. Or more, I should say. I'm very fortunate to have a great shop with a great wheelbuilder who really takes his time with my wheels because he knows how tough I am on them .

I will agree that higher spoke count wheels definitely feel more secure. I've test ridden some bikes with low spoke count and I just didn't like it. I'm actually terrified to try something with Kysriums or Aksiums as I'm sure the rear wheel would grenade the second I put some torque on it.

For me I've actually come to prefer a more cushy ride even if it makes me slower.

cwcaesar

I will have to agree. I have less than 100 miles on my new wheels, but I will say that I have a lot of confidence in them. I really like that I can ride the lower pressures on the 23mm wide rims. soft ride and the 32 spokes fell a lot more solid than the 24 that I had before. I still got great weight savings over the previous wheels though. About 474 grams lighter, so I guess I have the best of both worlds right now.