Originally Posted by
rydaddy
As for rim braking, there is no torque applied to the hub. If there was, then radial lacing would be unacceptable regardless of type of brake.
If you raise the tension on the spokes while braking with a rim braked bike (which we seem to agree is what happens) and use non-radial lacing, the net effect is that you are torquing the hub. Rim brakes add less tension to the spokes than disc brakes which is why you can get away with radial spokes on a rim braked bike.