Likewise I’m not communicating clearly sometimes. I am way past my cycling prime. And am back to the upright posture I had with a 1966 Schwinn five speed. My issue is mostly carrying weight so as to not adversely affect handling as well as having wheels to match the load. If a pile of weight goes on the rear wheel it should be up for it and the fewer spokes the more critical that the wheel is built well. There is absolutely no upside to low spoke count in recreational or non-racing application. Sure an assymeteical rim will help but Trek has a history with low spoke count wheels causing problems which I gather they have addressed with better quality control. If I wanted to play in the margins I’d rather have a robust wheel and a range of tires from super light to super tough.