Originally Posted by
eddy m
A 16 spoke wheel is way weaker than a 24 spoke triplet. The 16 spoke would have 8 spokes with marginally adequate tension, and only 8 spokes that were fully tensioned. A 24 spoke triplet has adequate tension in all the spokes.
The more I think about this the more I like the triplet. My main objection was that you probably couldn't ride a triplet with one broken spoke, but you can always carry a spare.
em
I cannot picture why a 16 spoke one-cross pattern would have uneven tension? I am talking about putting all spokes at even intervals as if the rim and hube were only drilled for 16 spokes.