Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Survey: Spoke count & durability. Do 28 spokes (or less) hold up?

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 24 Posts

BergMann

· Registered
Joined
·
47 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm looking to replace a set of 28-spoke 27.5 wheels that simply did not hold up to the rigors of day-in-day-out trail riding.
This in mind, I'd be interested to have others weigh in with their long-term experiences with lower-than-32 spoke count wheels.
Have yours required more frequent truing?
Have they been more susceptible to tension loss over rough terrain?
Have they had life-expectancies comparable to equivalent 32 spoke wheels you've owned before?
If you've had notable success with low-spoke builds, what was your build spec?
 
Discussion starter · #2 ·
Fine print: I'm well aware that terrain & riding styles vary widely. And like many here, am well versed in wheel building theory, and have been using "everyday tough" road wheels with <28 spokes for years.
The point of this thread is that the stock spec of my new 5" trail bike followed what has become a widespread trend to build & market 20-28 spoke wheels to the Trail-to-Enduro segment of the market: the result was an abject failure.
Was my experience an outlier, or is are manufacturers sacrificing reliability to save a few grams by dropping spokes?
The focus here is on "everyday tough" trail equipment: i.e. stuff you'd use on terrain rougher than your average XC race course, but shy of stuff you'd want a 8"+ "big bike" to tackle. If you feel you have relevant experience outside this range (low-spoke failures for XC? Low-spoke success for DH?) then weigh right in.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Cool. Anyone reporting successful builds who wants to share more detailed specs that will help others reproduce that success (e.g. rim model, lacing pattern, spoke gauge/brand) please do so. We'll try & keep it positive: if you've had multiple problems with a particular component, and want to "red flag" it by name, that's useful info, but this thread will be most productive if we can focus on specifics and avoid the emotional minefield of debating or trashing brands as a whole.
 
#6 ·
Blew a couple on a 24-spoke wheel. Without getting into slipping perceptions of what XC riders and bikes can/should/do do, I'm a XC guy spoiled enough to live at the foot of a small mountain with tons of good trails.

I'm back to 32 on my new wheels. (I'd never have bought fewer on purpose.)
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
My failed (stock) wheelbuild: 27.5", 28h, aluminum rims (~460g, 23mm ID), 3x DB spokes (14/15g), alloy nips, DT 350 hubs.
Me: 155lbs, endurance rider who chases KOMs up & down hills. No big drops, but I'll hit double-black trails places like Sedona.
Puzzled why these trail-spec wheels required monthly retruing when my aluminum XC 29er hardtail wheels weigh 1/4lb less and are in the stand 1-2 times per year, max.
 
#8 ·
A lot of the durability of a wheel is in the craftsmanship of the person who built it. It's not rocket science or anything, but it takes patience and attention to detail. Stock wheels aren't always built by a person at all. Or not for the important stages. There's a cool video of a wheel production machine that QBP put on the net a while ago. Point being, if your spoke tensions were generally low and were all over the place, the quality and durability of the individual components doesn't matter. The wheel's going to suck.

A lot of people say they throw their wheels on a truing stand and check tension and true before ever riding a new bike. It sounds like a good idea to me, but I have to admit, when I get a new bike, I'm excited - I don't check that before riding. Though I do manage to squeeze a pair of spokes, which gives me some insight into tension.

Once a rim's got some bends in it, it's a lot harder to work with.

And there's the materials selection. Aluminum is very sensitive to which heat treatment was done. It's pretty pathetic in an untreated state and potentially very strong indeed with the right alloy and treatment. It could be that your OEM rims just used a cheaper alloy or heat treatment, and your XC wheels are better because they're better.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Thx AndrwSwitch,
Ironically, I retrued both wheels straight out of the box because I noticed they were well out of spec - both horizontally & vertically. I'm suspecting bad rims - it's a new rim model & built up by a smaller bike brand w/ a good reputation. They agreed the wheels shouldn't be losing tension so fast & were cool about doing a warranty replacement. I plan to resell them because I've lost faith - in this rim specifically, and in 28 spoke wheels in general.
 
#12 ·
I got a set of Sunringlé Charger Pro 29" wheels for a very good price in 2012. I was a bit apprehensive about the 28 spoke count at the time. I've been riding them on an AM hardtail (Banshee Paradox) ever since and I weigh about 210lbs. The only problem I've had with the wheels was a bad rear bearing which is no reflection on the spoke count. I've never touched the spokes and as I said these are 29". I was told by a reputable local wheel builder that the straight pull design results in a stiff wheel.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#13 ·
Most people sell bike parts very quickly. Long term durability is taking a back seat these days. 32h wheels last longer... but if you sell off the wheels after a season or two, it doesnt matter if wheels last 2 years or 20 years.

Lower spoke count wheels are definitely less durable, but most people dont own wheels long enough to notice the difference.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Given my recent experience, I'm more concerned with day-to-day maintenance than maximum lifespan. Once I have a bike dialed, I tend to ride components into the ground, not sell them. So far all respondants sound like they have had better experiences with low-spoke MTB wheels than I have.

Coming at it from another angle, anyone have to walk home after breaking a spoke on a low-spoke wheel? This has happened to me on a 28-spoke road wheel. Wheel jammed so hard against the frame that it couldn't be ridden.
 
#15 ·
Rim stiffness, radially and laterally, is going to be a huge factor. A stiffer rim will spread the loads more evenly across multiple spokes, so not as many are needed. I'd still be nervous about wheels like the Roval SL Carbons which have only 8 spokes on the front non-disk side, though. If a stick took one out I'm not sure how sound it would be for the rest of your ride.
 
#16 ·
Easton Havoc. 24 spokes 26" 142mm version, I weigh 240 geared up on a good day. My riding style is... unsubtle - my answer to not cleaning obstacles is usually to hit them harder. Bike is a Canfield One, I joke this bike doesn't like to ride around or even over things, but through them.

No spoke wrench touched them in the 4 years I rode them. I dented the rear rim to the point it won't hold air, but it's still perfectly true (at least as far as I can see, given the dent).
I'm not convinced spoke count matters as much as some people think. Straight pull spokes may have helped, but I think the fact that they were built in a shop that had an actual QC process (unlike most hand-built at a shop wheels) is probably the bigger factor.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
No truing in 4 years? That's unheard of, even on the road. Havoc's are a burlier build than what most trail riders run, but given your size & style, that's still a remarkable run.
Enjoy that charmed life you're leading!
 
#18 ·
BergMann said:
No truing in 4 years? That's unheard of, even on the road. Havoc's are a burlier build than what most trail riders run, but given your size & style, that's still a remarkable run.
Enjoy that charmed life you're leading!
Click to expand...
No it's not that remarkable, you've just never had good wheels. I can't remember the last time I had a spoke wrench on a road wheel, it's been over a decade (though I probably only ride 1-1.5k a year on the road).
 
#19 ·
Joules said:
No it's not that remarkable, you've just never had good wheels. I can't remember the last time I had a spoke wrench on a road wheel, it's been over a decade (though I probably only ride 1-1.5k a year on the road).
Click to expand...
Besides having good wheels, I have another theory as to your success.

What size tires do you use, and how much air in them?
 
#20 ·
BergMann said:
No truing in 4 years? That's unheard of, even on the road. Havoc's are a burlier build than what most trail riders run, but given your size & style, that's still a remarkable run.
Enjoy that charmed life you're leading!
Click to expand...
Maybe I'm living a charmed life, but I've replaced spokes but haven't had to do any supplementary truing on any of my wheels in several years, either.

Also, I'd argue that many road/cross wheels undergo far worse than many/most MTB wheels.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
1 - 20 of 24 Posts
About this Discussion
23 Replies
11 Participants
Last post:
AndrwSwitch
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion