I just bought this bike, and I freaking love it. It’s been great on fire roads and even some single track. I’m leaving to do a bike packing trip along Lake superior in Minnesota in a couple of months and realize these wheels only have 24 spokes do you think this will be OK for a four-day bike packing trip, I’ve had spokes on cheaper wheels in the past.
https://lynskeyperformance.com/2024-gravel-mullet-complete/
Vision Team 30 Wheels
by luckyleg33
9 Comments
Should be fine, just take extra and a tool
There is more than simply number of spokes that matter:
* How well built the rims are
* What metal the nipples are made from
* What spokes were used
* Is the wheel true
* How heavy you are
* How heavy your gear is
* What terrain you are riding on
* How fast you are riding
* And probably more I am forgetting about.
A well built wheel with 24 spokes can easily out last a poorly built/maintained wheel with more spokes.
That said, assuming everything else is equal a wheel with more spokes will typically last longer than a wheel with less spokes as it distributes the energy of your riding across many possible points of failure.
I think it’s safer to assume not if your wheels will break, but how long? Bring spoke tool and spare nipple/spoke. I also hear there is this string replacement, but I cannot remember it’s name right now nor have I used it, yet. (note to self: get it for later)
If you just got the bike it’s possible if not even probable that you could go on some short trips without any issue. Beyond that, when they will break is anyone’s guess.
Take it to a competent shop and have them verify that all spokes are tensioned correctly and that the wheel is true. This is excellent insurance against having wheel problems.
Wheels are under a great deal of tension, and a loose spoke can cause a wheel to “Pringle” itself much too easily.
32h has always given me great confidence. I would never get a wheel built with less spokes on the back wheel for general bikepacking, but that’s just me.
These days I’m less worried about spokes than rims. Cracked a half dozen eyelets on a Bontrager rim last year. The replacement Alex rim started coming apart at the seams.
Straddle and Paddle? Bring extra spokes and all the tools needed to fix them, including a way to remove your cassette – unless you bring a couple of those fiber fix spoke kits. There’s no bike shops up there to save you, and there’s not a lot of civilization to rely on when you’re in the Superior National Forest.
Better to carry a few extra grams than be stuck.
I really wouldn’t. For carrying any kind of load on any kind of dirt or gravel trails, you’re just asking for it. That spoke count is only for folks wanting to shave grams for performance, and that kind of performance gain just doesn’t matter when you’re on a loaded bike.
I’m 250 pounds, had about 40+ pounds on my bike (giant revolt 2) with 24 spokes, no problems.
Get your wheels trued and tensioned before you go. You’ll be fine.