Originally Posted by
Fissile
Thank you. You don't know now many times I've tried to explain this to the Lance Wannabes. Wheels with half the spokes taken out that cost 5 times what a 36 spoke 3X wheel costs are for SUCKERS. The only exception being people WHO ARE ACTUALLY RACING.
I mentioned nothing about Lance nor was it relevant to the conversation in any sense of it. A wheel doesn't need 36h to be strong, it is about all the parts and who or what is putting it together. I would rather have a handbuilt 28h wheel built by someone who knows what they are doing and is using the right parts and tensions to make a strong wheel then a cheap machine built 36h wheel with more random stuff that may not work as well together.
Also a 36h wheel can be expensive having fewer or more spokes doesn't always equate anything to price however yes you can have lower spoke count wheels that can get quite expensive but typically the rims are carbon and they are handbuilt with high end hubs and spokes that are designed as a system but I could easily build a 36h wheel that is similarly expensive with higher end hubs and really strong rims and say a DT Swiss Alpine III spoke or maybe even still using Sapim CX-Rays.
I am not disagreeing with myself. A machine built lower spoke count wheel tends to be less durable and in some cases having more spokes can make a wheel durable. However that is not what makes a wheel durable it is how the wheel is constructed and with what parts you are using. Having say a light duty rim with a ton of spokes at high tension from a machine will not make a strong wheel despite having 36 spokes. A wheel is a system and all the components need to be similar and selected for purpose to work correctly.