I faded out of cycling temporarily about the time when paired spoke patterns
made their appearance. Old school says that few spokes are bad news unless
you are a feather weight, but they seem quite popular on road bikes.
So is old school correct, or is there new technology that makes these OK? Do
the newer aero rim profiles make that much difference?
In spite of my size (6'-6" 200+ lb) and high mileage, I have never used
anything resembling a tandem wheel on my retired DF bikes, on or off road.
In fact, they would more accurately be described as "race day wheels" by
smaller riders than me.
On a DF I naturally used supplesse to spare my wheels, but not an option on
my Phantom II. Even the smooth clean roads I ride now have the occasional
pothole. The side loads are nothing (compared to DF anyway), the 20" wheel
is stronger (so I have read), the frame has lots of passive suspension, and
I am thinking of a Pantour up front too.
Given all this, the Phantom II comes with wheels suitable for a tandem for
elephants. Overkill by a big margin I think. But how far should I consider
going for better performance?
John
(remove 'spam' from my email address)