Originally Posted by supcom
My feeling is that the Neuvations are a good choice for racing, but not so much for randonneuring or touring. The low spoke count might give you trouble. Do you really want to have to replace a drive side spoke in the middle of the night? Also, bladed spokes can be less than fun in stiff crosswinds.
A 32 spoke Open Pro should make for a reliable wheel. If you do opt for a low spoke, ultralight wheel, do it up front where the loads are less.
I'd also say that you're not going to save a significant percentage of weight by opting for the Neuvations. Yes, I know that it's rotating weight, but that's only important for accelerating. And unless you plan to race, the benefit will be negligible. Besides, you are talking about putting 28 mm tires on the wheels. The 28's will certainly help the comfort level of any wheel, as you can run them at lower pressures.
+1
I started just north of 200lbs and had a set of 32 hole Mavic OPs built for me. Wonderful wheels, and even though I've shed nearly 30 pounds I wouldn't change them. I had the front wheel - with my dynohub - fly off the roof rack at 80mph passing a tractor trailer. The big rig missed it - and it bounced off the median and ended in the shoulder amongst the rocks. Took me 15 minutes to find it - but when I did it spun true. I had the LBS take a peak at it for me and they found nothing wrong. It's worked fine since, nearly 8 months.
IMHO traditionally spoked wheels ride is smoother than minimal spoked and aero spoked wheels. I've ridden both - and prefer the Mavic OPs and Mavic Classics (both 32s) to my Bontragers with minimal aero spokes.
Find a good local wheelbuilder who warranties their work, or use a reliable online source. My LBS mech does lifetime truing - but I've only had the pair tweaked about 2 weeks after "breaking them in".
For LD riding I'd recommend against using the alloy nipples. They corrode and will evnetually break. I've had this happen on my rear wheel. Not much you can do about it on the road, even with a fiberfix as there isn't anything to grip.
I've had the rear rebuilt with brass nipples, and I will be doing the front when I have opportunity. (I'll use a bit of Tri-Flow on the front at the nipple / threads when cleaning after a rainy ride.)