Originally Posted by
Tundra_Man
Generally the stock wheels on bikes are machine built and while they may look true the spoke tension isn't optimum all the way around the wheel. As someone else mentioned, getting a hand built wheel from someone who knows what they're doing will usually put an end to spokes breaking. At 188 lbs you're not expecting a wheel to hold too much weight.
Low spoke tension accelerates fatigue failure as the tension drops to zero at the bottom of the wheel when riding. If the tension is up to spec there is still positive tension on the bottom spokes, You dont need to buy expensive hand built wheels. I weigh 235 lb and have ordinary machine built wheels. I also have a spoke tensiometer ($60) and make sure the tension is over 100 kg and even all around when I first install the wheel.