Originally Posted by
Wanderer
I've been having problems with rear spoke breakage on my new Specialized Crosstrail. It came with Alex CT double wall, 32 hole, 6061 T6, .18 dia. spoke, non-eyeletted, Shimano Parallax hub, wheels.
Recently, my LBS decided to rebuild the wheel, to resolve the issue. Observation revealed that there were mor ethan just spoke issues, as the wheel was stressed cracked at several spoke holes, and the hub spoke head holes were also damaged by scratching and gouging.
So, they hand built a wheel for me, under warrantee, using Alex 36 hole Adventurer double wall rim, 6061H T6, eyeletted, DT Swiss .20 spokes, Shimano Deore FHM 530 hub.
It looks so nice, and runs so true, that I just might have to have them build a front to match.
To say I'm tickled pink, is an understatement.
The Adventurer is a good, solid, inexpensive rim that a lot of people don't know about. Good for a budget cross wheel or a burly road wheel. I think the main reason it doesn't get much attention is because it's in the same price range as the classic Sun CR-18 and only a few bucks less than the superior (to build with, at least) Salsa Delgado Cross rims. Adventurer rims can build up into nice, solid, day-to-day wheels that ride very well, though, in my experience.
To the OP, 36 spoke wheels will be marginally stronger, all other things being equal, but even a well-built 28-spoke will be stronger than a machine built 36-spoke that hasn't been checked by hand. I build my own wheels and almost went with a 24 front, 28 rear road wheelset, but found some 32-spoke Open Pro/Ultegra wheels for cheap. I'm guessing that's a wheelset that will be with me for years to come, so I'm OK with them being a little bit overbuilt for me.