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Old 05-25-11 | 04:53 PM
  #24  
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mihlbach
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Long Island, NY
Originally Posted by avner
mihlbach - i'm about 190 or so. What spoke count would you recommend?
It depends on the depth of the rim (and a few other factors)... My current wheelset with Kinlin XR300s is 24/28. I built that wheelset when I weighed 205-210 and at that weight they felt more than stiff enough even during a full sprint and are more than strong enough to handle curbs and potholes.
These days I am very close to your weight and if I were to build another wheelset with the same components I would go down to 20/24 and would be absolutely confident that they would be sufficiently stiff and responsive.

Keep in mind, there are a lot of fatties out there riding road bikes with way fewer spokes than that. With lower spoke counts, a quality build is very important, and as long as the wheel is built right, strength is less of an issue than stiffness. Road wheels have asymmetrical dish (due to the cassette) and consequently that makes the wheel less stiff and the non-drive-side spokes more prone to breakage. My 28 spoke rear road wheel, built with the same rims and spokes, feels like a wet noodle compared to my 28 rear FG wheel. A ss/fg wheel is structurally stiffer and more fatigue resistant, in theory, allowing you to use even less material in the wheel without compromising its stability or longevity.

Conservatively, 24/28 will be more than strong enough for someone your size (no tricking of course), but if you know how to build a good wheel and can appreciate fast light wheel, 20/24.

A shallower rim causes the load cycles on the spokes to be more intense, so you would want more. For a very light, shallow rim, I would bump the spoke count up to at least 28/32, maybe even a little more for a Kinlin XR200.
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