Originally Posted by
Bill Kapaun
If you break enough that it's unusable, that's pretty safe.
Much of your question deals with what do you mean by "safe"?
Depending on the spoke count, you may be "safe" at any time.
I imagine a very low spoke count wheel could collapse and toss you though, IF you broke a couple? spokes at once.
This last sentence is why Spinergy's Rev-X wheels left the market place. With only 4 spokes a side it took only one pair to break for the rim to have no support for almost 180*. There are documented incidences of a pedal or QR lever getting snagged up in such a wheel (during group riding/sprints and the adjacent bikes), the spoke fracturing and the rider taking a tumble as the rim leaves it's placement WRT the hub. This is why so many aero carbon spoked wheels used 5 spokes/pairs of spokes.
It was interesting to watch Spinergy go from their Rev-X wheels and marketing claims (of aero advantage being 31) to their Spox (?) designs as being best in only a couple of years. Andy.