res09c5t wrote:
Hi all,
I'm a roadie who's thinking about building a mountain bike. I'm a bit of a
Clydesdale, about 6'3" and 220 lbs. On my road bike, I use 36 spoke, 3x
cross wheels that I built using Mavic CXP33 rims and a double-butted spoke-
don't remember offhand which one. As I look at mountain bikes, it seems
like the standard is 32 spoke and I don't hear about a lot of wheel issues.
Are there some underlying reasons like stronger rims, maybe the wider rear
axle requiring less dishing, or the diameter being a little smaller that let
the lower counts work since it seems like MTB wheels would get a lot more
abuse? I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that a well-done set of 32
spoke wheels will be ok for me or a recommendation that I should be looking
for 36 spoke wheels.

Thanks!
Lyle



it's the rim that matters more than the spoke count. i've ridden 32
spoke wheels at the 205-210 range for years with no problems.