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.
To an extent you do get what you pay for in wheels. Stock wheels that come with a stock bike are made to sell the bike at a price. It is one of the ways that a manufacturer can keep the price of a bike down. For this reason one of the Best upgrades you can do for most bikes is to buy better wheels. How much and what type of wheel you get is down to your wallet size and Then you run into another problem of you could get wheels that give a harsh ride- or are not suitable for the way you ride. I do use the low spoke count wheels and they are good in most conditions but can be a hit "Harsh" on certain road surfaces- or on the "Wrong" bike.
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