from Rookie’s keyboard

Hello, friends

I hope you had a great weekened. Mine was…well acceptable.

Today, a customer asked me about “24 spoke wheels”, and I told him the truth – they are ok, but kinda overrated and non-needed, at least from my perspective.

Almost pointless?

There are two advantages of 24s wheels – they should theoretically be lighter and more aero. The first one isn’t always true, though.

If two wheels use identical rims and spokes, then the wheel with more spokes will be stronger and the one with fewer spokes will be lighter. However, this isn’t the case when we compare most 24 and 32-spoke wheels, for example.

Wheels with 24 spokes use stronger, heavier spokes coupled with a stronger, heavier rim. Thus, the overall weight of the wheel doesn’t diminish much and its strength could be pretty high.

Aerodynamics 

The main reason for making wheels with fewer spokes is to increase the aerodynamic properties of the wheel.

By itself, a spoke has a slim profile and doesn’t increase the wheel’s drag by a large amount. However, spokes come in numbers, rotate with each wheel revolution, and thus the effect augments.

The greater the number of spokes, the greater the drag that the wheel and consequently the rider has to overcome.  

Hence why time trial bikes use a disc wheel for the rear. Disc wheels don’t have conventional spokes and are notably more aerodynamic than standard ones.

The Negatives

And here’s why I don’t like 24-spoke wheels:

• Spoke Dependence 

Spokes are the pillars of a bike wheel. The more spokes you have, the less each of them contributes to the overall strength of the wheel. Conversely, the fewer spokes you have, the greater the contribution of a single unit.

If you have a wheel with 36 spokes and one of them gets loose or breaks, you will lose 1 of 36 pillars. If you have a spoke with 24 spokes, you will lose 1 of 24 pillars.  

Thus, when you break a spoke on a 24-spoke wheel, it’s a lot more likely for the wheel to become unusable, especially if you rely on rim brakes.

Rim brakes operate by catching the rim. When the rim has a weird shape, one of the brake shoes will rub against it while riding. The effect will augment when braking.

The brake will catch and suddenly release the wheel. The bike will make a jerky motion that may throw the rider over the handlebars if the front wheel is affected. 

Disc brakes, on the other hand, don’t care about a wheel’s trueness as much because they operate with a rotor. That said if the frame doesn’t have a lot of clearance, a significantly bent wheel may rub against the seat stays. 

• Higher Price

A 24-spoke wheel has to be built out of more expensive parts to match the resilience of an average wheel with 36-spokes. Thus, 24-spoke wheels are not the best for budget builds.  

• Lower Rotational Stiffness 

Some people consider bikes with fewer spokes poorer climbers due to lower “rotational stiffness”.

Or in other words, the wheel with fewer spokes deforms more when ridden at high enough torque up the hill and thus increases the rolling resistance of the bike.  

Of course, this isn’t a universal truth and depends on the particular wheelset.  

• Not Suitable for Loaded Bicycles

24-spoke wheels have zero advantages when it comes to touring. The bike is already loaded and thus the extra luggage makes it less aerodynamic. 8-12 fewer spokes can’t make up for the panniers and/or bags sticking out.

The reduced wheel strength, however, as well as the higher responsibility of each spoke make wheels with 24 spokes a liability for long-distance riding.

• Harder To Find Replacement Parts

The best 24-spoke wheels are proprietary whereas most 32 and 36-spoke wheels are generic. As a result, it’s more difficult to find replacement parts for 24-spoke wheels.

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TL: DR;

If you use your bicycle for transportation, 24-spoke wheels are more of a liability. The aerodynamic gains that they provide are of little value to a bicycle used for commuting and touring. If you don’t need a racing machine, standard 32 and 36-spoke wheels are the way to go. You will save money while having more resilient and also cheaper wheels.

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Until next time,

Rookie