Originally Posted by
Bjorneas
I have been on three tours with my 32-spoke rear wheel (on a Windsor Tourist) but can't stop worrying about it when riding fully loaded. I'm concerned about breaking a spoke. I think I would like to upgrade to a more robust touring-specific rear wheel (I guess with 36 spokes) but am not sure how to go about ordering one. The bike is 700 x 38 with disc brakes. Any recommendations about how to find and order a suitable wheel?
I just run 28 spoke gravel wheels for numerous month long tours. I am well into Clydesdale category no issues. Wheel technologies have changed substantially thus the lack of high spoke count wheels out there. Bring a spare spoke or two if you are nervous. Rather than bringing a cassette cracker just use DT hubs and you can pull cassette off by hand if needed for spoke replacement.