I've toured with 32 spoke mountain bike wheels and have had no problems. I more commonly used them for mountain biking. On the trail they take a tremendous thrashing yet I rarely have a problem. True, they don't have the weight on them like they do while touring but the rigors of the trail have got to be greater than the weight on the road. The beauty of it is the weight of the wheel. Mine are built with rims that are commonly used for racing yet nothing seems to faze them. I agree that quality of the wheel components and the quality of the build are factors.