Originally Posted by
bleedingapple
So im sitting looking through ebay, online shops, even a wholesale catalogue and all I see is everything wheel wise being 32 friggin holes!!! Why? I mean even the DH mountain hubs are 32 hole, BMX hubs are 32h... Have we come that far in new spoke materials that someone busting down a hill and hitting some pretty good jumps on the way, only needs 32 spokes? The only consistant 36h+ hubs and or rims I see are for bike polo... Why that and not mountain biking? Just really annoying, I'm not small and am rough on wheels so I look towards 36 spokes for my wheels... Or am I just missing something? Even sheldon brown says 36 rear is best... anyway...
When you read Sheldon Brown, you have to consider his age and his retro-perspective. Spokes and rims are much better now than they used to be. 36 spoke wheels, though still available, are basically unnecessary for most people. In fact, it sort of rediculous that most SSFG hubs and wheelsets have so many spokes. Given the high flange hubs, deep profile rims and the lack of dish the characterize many track wheels, most people could get away with 20-28 spoke wheels with no problem. There are some advantages to having fewer spokes, but the problem with fewer spokes is that you need a better build. With 32-36 spokes you have enough redundancy that the wheel is robust to uneven and improper tension levels. This is why so many low-end wheelsets have 32 or more spokes...the factories can cheap out on building it properly with less risk of the wheel failing. When you get into fewer spokes, the wheel will only be strong, stiff, and resilient when it is built with care and attention. A 20-28 spoke wheel that is well-built with quality DB spokes is going to be stronger and stay true longer than a poorly built 36 spoke wheel with ****ty SG spokes.