Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,519
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4353 Post(s)
Most of the time when we are talking wheels with those numbers of spokes we are typically talking to someone looking for a heavier duty wheel so strength and such is more important than aerodynamics.
Yes the point you have brought up is not a bad one but honestly most people aren't worried about the "fan" effect on a 36h wheel and if they are they probably aren't riding a 36 or higher spoke count wheel.
I don't know what the power savings would be and I doubt it would be an easy calculation as a heavier wheel could act as a flywheel as you get higher speeds but would be slower at lower speeds (plus a host of other factors)