All good advice BUT if a wheel is properly built, you won't experience a broken spoke. Wrong. A wheel has to match the rider's weight and the roads he rides. If a wheel has only 24 spokes and is a shallow rim, and the rider weighs over 200 lbs., he's going to break spokes. All bike manufacturers put the same wheel on the bike not knowing the weight of the rider who buys the bike. You can't expect a wheel that is designed for a 150 lb person to hold a 225 lb person. If you want to reduce your spoke breakage, get a double wall, deep dish wheel that has internal bracing with 32 or 36 spokes.