Originally Posted by
canam73
Geometry and spoke count are the primary determinents of stiffness, followed by rim choice and lacing. Spoke model actually has very little effect. Whoever told you that was wrong.
That said, I would still go with Bob's suggestion. Or maybe on the rear use Race DS and Lasers NDS because that actually helps with tension balance.
But also, even at your weight the Stan's is a pretty flimsy rim. If you really want a stiff and durable wheel I would choose a beefier rim.
Different gauge spokes don't help to balance spoke tension side to side, they help to balance the tensile STRESS in the spoke side to side. The force transmitted between the hub and the rim does not change because of the gauge spoke you use. What changes is the stress inside the spoke or the force/unit area. By balancing this, you obtain a similar stretch of the spokes on both sides of the rear wheel which can be helpful to prevent complete spoke unloading when the wheel is compressed for any reason during riding. That is thought to increase the longevity of spokes and to keep them taut to deter nipple loosening. But the spoke tension (as measured by a gauge like the Park TM-1) will be the same no matter what gauge spoke you use. So e.g. if you have a highly dished wheel with the same number of 2X spokes on each side, the individual spoke tension on the left will still be much lower than on the right even with heavier spokes on the right.
Robert