Rear Wheels
Over 95% of wheel problems affect the rear wheel. Roughly 60% of the weight is on the rear wheel (and the more upright you ride, the larger the percentage). Not only that, but it’s the drive wheel. Good riders also have a natural tendency to take weight off the front wheel when going over rough roads guess where that puts the weight?
That’s why you can get by with fewer spokes and smaller bearings in the front wheel and still have fewer problems. The last place in the world you want to have a problem is with a front wheel so having it little overbuilt is a good idea.
Almost all spoke breakage occurs in the rear wheel. As a word of caution, if you are on the road and break a rear spoke and need to adjust them to get home, don’t try to adjust the drive side spokes because they are most likely so tight you will strip the nipples. Do all adjustments with the non drive side spokes.
Thanks for reading – John Neugent
