Hey all . . . I've been averaging 200 - 250 km a week this year, and the four year old stock rims on my bike are getting pretty worn. I've had to replace about three or four spokes each year on the crappy machine built rear wheel and that's getting old. I figure that it's about time to start looking for/pricing out some new wheels.
I'm about 200 lbs, and use my steel bike for commuting several days a week and long, fast bike rides on the weekend. My commuting route is pretty badly potholed . . . and while I do my best to bunnyhop and steer around the worst of it, any wheels that I use will take a beating. Commuting I'm carrying between ten and twenty lbs of stuff most of the time.
So, on to the questions:
- Does it make sense to get a heavier/deeper aluminum rim and use fewer spokes, or to stick with a lighter aluminum rim with more spokes? Specifically, I've been considering a 28/32 build on something like a Kinlin XR31 or XR279. Would that be too light, and cause breakage problems or would the stronger rim make it OK?
(The wheels I'm replacing are 36/36 on cheap box section rims on my summer bike. I've been running 32/36 on my winter bike for several years and break spokes occasionally on the rear, but never on the front.)
- Double Butted spokes (14-15-14) are lighter, and seem to be reinforced in the place that spokes like to break (the J-bend for me). Is there a disadvantage to using them in a build, other than cost?
- If you build up the same rim with 36 DB spokes vs 32 straight gauge ones, the DB spoke wheel is actually lighter. Which wheel is stronger?
- I figure that having more stuff spinning around in the air is bound to add some drag, but is there any real noticeable aerodynamic penalty for using more spokes in a wheelset? (Like 28/32 vs 32/36?)
Thanks!