Originally Posted by
GrayJay
..As I later analyzed the wheel failure, I concluded that the spoke tension of radially lacing is enourmously high during hard rim braking, probably much higher tension than can be generated at the rear wheel while sprinting hard. In order for braking forces to be transmitted from the rim via the spokes and to the hub and the forks, the rim must rotate to lag slightly behind in relation to the hub.
Your analysis is flawed. When using rim brakes there is nothing trying to twist the rim WRT the hub. Or rather, there are two forces that are cancelling each other out. The hub will act as a seesaw at equilibrium, at one end you have ground friction pushing backwards during braking, at the other end you have the brake pads generating an equally strong force also pointing backwards. Net torque on hub is zero. As far as the wheel is concerned it'll simply see an overall greater load at a slightly different angle WRT the orientation of the bike. Allowing for a very minor simplification one rider braking will look the same to the wheel as a heavier rider coasting.