Originally Posted by
T-Mar
On the practical side, you can replace broken spokes on high flange hubs, without removing the cog/freewheel, if it doesn't exceed a certain size. I forget exactrly what is, but it's around 17T.
Depends on the hub, I'm sure.
Theoretically, high flange hubs have higher torsional stiffness. However, small flange hubs are adequate for most situations, with notable exceptions being tandems and some track riders.
I have wheels with both large and small flange hubs and I can't really tell any significant difference between them.