Wheel strength

[Neg]

is it possible to go for a lighter rim for XC, but go with 36 spokes for added strength? yes i wold need new hubs and spokes but would it make the lighter rims stronger??

[Just Keep Pedaling]

Downhill and tandem wheels normally have extra spokes. I am fairly sure the lighter rim would not offset the weight of the extra spokes but the resulting wheel would be much stronger. Then again, maybe ask Johan Bornman.

[MooToo]

is it possible to go for a lighter rim for XC, but go with 36 spokes for added strength? yes i wold need new hubs and spokes but would it make the lighter rims stronger??

http://www.rolfprima.com/products-cross-page.php check these out

[Christie]

Taking weight off the rim and then adding a % of the weight saved back by adding extra spokes would defeat the purpose. The famous or rather infamous quote about "1kg saved on a rotating part = 2 kg saved on a non rotating part" or something like that is almost complete BS when applied to bicycles, because acceleration of a man-powered machine is so low. I say almost, there is a tiny mathematical difference, but it is so small that only a computer would notice. For a bicycle, weight ≈ weight, regardless of whether it is rotating.

 

A more applicable quote to your question is "light, strong, cheap - pick any two".

 

My advice would be to choose either light or strong and see what you can get for the money.

 

Light and strong would mean something like Enve carbon rims (2x $850) on Extralite hubs ($812) which brings you to around R20k ex VAT.