Originally Posted by
Velognome
I think your being too conservative. I'm a clyde, just south of 240lbs and have been riding a 28h 3 cross for several years without a problem, even in the NE where a smooth road means they filled the pot holes. I won't jump curbs with them but I don't think twice otherwise. As for keeping them true, they get no more attention than my 32H, 36H or even 40H rims. Maybe I'm a fool and have been lucky so far but I think wheels are generally overbuilt.
Yes, conservative, but what I noted was pretty much conventional wisdom for those time periods. lots of people did push the then known "envelope" and tried out lighter rims, less spokes, fewer crosses than what usually came as OEM from the bicycle companies, but I still remember a few (mostly older) people from LBS's in my area back (Milwaukee) then that I was nuts risking riding a 32h, 3 cross clincher wheelset on the street back in the 80's, even though I see so many of my sport cyclist friiends already doing the same without any problems. Maybe they saw us "adventurous" young 32h wheel riders as some sort of wreckless hipster precursors??.
Heck, I kinda shake my own head when looking at the radial spoke front wheels that my college age cyclist nephew has on his Giant and Ridley race bikes, so the same still goes on as technology progresses.
Chombi