When to replace wheels? 28 vs 32 rims

[DougW]

Of course when they are broken , but lets say you have a 5 year old wheel, the rim goes, do you bother reusing the hub. You've already replaced a spoke or two. Wouldn't the hub be pretty worn out?

So if you were getting ready for the near or med term demise of your rim would you forget about the current spoke count and just standardize on one count lets say 32. Even though two bikes are 28 and only one is 32?

[mntlion]

if the hub is really high end (DT swiss, chris king, etc) save it. But other then that, its time for a new wheel. Pre buits are fine and work great. Go 32mm unless you are building up something really XC/light.

Shimano hub, Mavic/stans rim, You will be fine.

[toast2266]

Carbon rims tend to be fine (arguably better) with a 28h rim unless you're building a proper DH wheel. I'd go 32h with aluminum rims unless it's an xc wheelset.

[DougW]

two enduros and a DH so nothing has to be that light

one enduro and the DH are from 2014-15 maybe that is why 28

Was thinking of getting some Spank Spike Race 33 Bead Bite MTB Rim in both 27.5 and 26 (DH is 26)

My enduro has SLX hubs so can get XT for not a lot of $
DH has Sun Ringle can't tell model but very beefie - might want to keep
Wife'e enduro does have Hope pro 4 again might want to keep 28H

Having a real problem finding rim 26 28H

[Falcon3]

Carbon rims tend to be fine (arguably better) with a 28h rim unless you're building a proper DH wheel. I'd go 32h with aluminum rims unless it's an xc wheelset.

Can anybody expound on this thought that 28h is better for carbon? Is it because it allows the wheel to flex a little since the rim is so much stiffer?

Looking at a BTLOS carbon wheel set and debating the spoke count for a 29” trail wheel set. It will see some enduros, bike park days, and also endurance “races” (I’m not going to podium, but I am looking to lighten up where possible)

[jm2e]

Can anybody expound on this thought that 28h is better for carbon? Is it because it allows the wheel to flex a little since the rim is so much stiffer?

I’ll be curious to hear Toast response on this. Guessing it’s for less stiffness.
From my experience, the two beNefits of 32 hole rims:
1. Pragmatic. Readily available hubs, reuse hubs in the future without asking this same question again, way easier to find rims in a pinch.
2. If you’re rocking alloy rims, you can keep riding with one broken spoke. If you break 2-3 spokes (ie. RD sucked into rear wheel) a 28H rim can get sketchy at best, or even rub the frame enough to not roll. Ask me how I know. Not as big a deal with 32H. As far as I can tell, you can break spokes all day long on a carbon rim and it’ll roll impressively true.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[toast2266]

Can anybody expound on this thought that 28h is better for carbon? Is it because it allows the wheel to flex a little since the rim is so much stiffer?

I'm sure companies that are making a dedicated wheel can tune the stiffness of the rim paired with the spoke count to dial in ride quality.

But my point was more anecdotal - carbon rims are generally stiffer than aluminum, and when they do flex it tends to be over a broader area, so they're better able to handle a build with fewer spokes. Most aluminum wheels I've ridden with a lower spoke count were a bit flexy and didn't really hold up that well. But I've ridden lots of carbon wheels with 28 spokes and for the most part they've held up just fine and were plenty stiff.