Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,128
Likes: 6,346
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
It's been debunked that flange size (in the range of the sizes we see on bikes) makes no difference in ride feel or durability, except in very extreme cases, such as on the track. The same is true of the difference between 3-cross and 4-cross on a 36-spoke wheel.