Originally Posted by
BlazingPedals
I disagree with this. Lower spoke counts do more than just save weight - they're faster, which is another way of saying they let you get down the road will less energy expended. You don't need to be a racer to appreciate that. For a lot of cyclists, those low-spoke-count wheels are strong enough. If you're touring, or if you're a clyde, then feel free to go ahead and get stronger wheels; just don't expect everyone else to share your priorities - racers or not.
I can respect that, it's just that marketing in the cycling industry is targeted largely at elite atheletes. So opinion as to which wheel is better is less relevant to the enthusiast level. If it comes down to 1% less energy expended - I'd rather have the bombproof wheelset.
Now, to be clear - the lightest spokes are actually also some of the strongest, so you can have your cake and eat it too.
I find retro grouch's comments to be a usefull solution somewhat along my thought pattern.