Originally Posted by
base2
I disagree. People either want "strong" or they want "light" or they want "carbon" or they want "aero" or some other existential quality based on whatever random thing they were told they are supposed to want by some well crafted marketing jargon...As a car salesman you have no idea how many people came in wanting a "sporty" car and when asked what they mean, they had no answer.
You are completely missing my point. I wasn't addressing spoke count number. I was addressing what people say they want in a strong wheel and they
always start with the part that has little to nothing to do with wheel strength. When they want a strong wheel, they think they need a heavy wheel. Mostly it's because people...including a number of knowledgable people posting here...don't understand wheel dynamics.
A steel rim is, arguably, the strongest rim available for a bicycle wheel. It resists bending without spokes attached to it. But if you made a 16 spoke wheel with 1.4mm spokes out of that rim, it would be a weak wheel. Spokes would break with regularity, even on the front. The 1.4mm spoke would simply be too light to take the load. If you made a more reasonable rear wheel with 32 spokes of the same gauge, it would still be a weak wheel.
On the other hand, if you made a 16 spoke wheel with a light aluminum rim but used Alpine III spokes on it, the wheel is going to be stronger and more durable than that steel rimmed monstrosity. Spoke "count" is less important than the spoke
strength.
Originally Posted by
base2
Exactly! Your post was lamenting the focus people place on the number of spokes. And it would seem that in your world according to you that the number of spokes, the quality of rim, the merits of the hub are irrelevant. The only relavent metric in terms of a wheels suitability for service is the strength of an individual spoke, evenness of spoke tension and the roundness of the final product. I.e: the worksmanship of the builder.
No, my post was lamenting the focus that people place on the strength of the rim, not on the number of spokes. More spokes are a good idea. Using stronger spokes is an even better idea. Again, the rim itself means little to nothing in terms of wheel strength.
Originally Posted by
base2
No one says: "Man, do I need a stronger hub..." or "Sure wish I had a rim with more holes..." You know why? Because that's a stupid place to start a wheel discussion if a consistant, round & symmetrical wheel is the assumed normal end result.
But people constantly say "Man, I need a stronger rim". Sometimes they even say that they wish they had a wheel with more spokes. More spokes is one why to have a stronger wheel. Stronger spokes is a better way to having a stronger wheel. A heavier rim is just heavier. It's not stronger.
Originally Posted by
base2
Don't like it? Don't lament convention of spoke count being a proxy for wheel strength or suitability for a particular service.
I didn't. You misread and misunderstood my point.
Originally Posted by
base2
Quit while you're ahead.
Nope. I'm ahead.