Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
Not entirely, but the old way of thinking (at least 32h for Clydes) doesn't hold true any more. Or, more specifically, they do hold true. Lower count wheels from a few companies have been reported by people on these forums to have held round and true for thousands of miles before needing any adjustments. Advancements in rim, hub and spoke design and materials allow a higher tension than previously attainable with low count wheels making a 24 spoke today just as strong as a 32 or 36 spoke wheel from 10 years ago.
Most myths have a hint of truth about them, as does this one.
Take 2 wheels, one with 36 spokes, and one with 16 spokes, these are built by a machine, and never touched by hand until installed, tension is rather low, spoke prep is used to keep the spokes from turning in the nipples, the 36 spoke wheel spreads the forces over several spokes, and they don't bend as much,
the 16 spoke wheel, needs to absorb that lack of tension, on one or two spokes, they bend a fair bit, and
after 100 miles a spoke breaks. The 16 spoke wheel, with low tension, and 1/16th of it's strength gone, doesn't hold up, and tacos, you replace the wheel, because it's cheaper then rebuilding it, and now, you have a new wheel with the same problem, and 150 miles later, you break another spoke ($%#@!*& cheap, $%#@!*& low $%#@!*& spoke count $%#@!*& wheels).
You are recommended to get a new 36 spoke wheel built by a wheel builder, who hand tensions and trues the wheel, and never have another problem, your firmly in the large spoke count camp. In reality if you had the builder rebuild your original 16 spoke wheel with a new rim, and tension and true it properly, then you would also never have another problem. Which is why some people call the large-spoke-count-only fact, and others call it fiction.