A question for the wheel gurus...

[Avispa]

Could a 32 or 36 spoke wheel be more comfortable than a 28 spoke wheel?

That is, if they are build with similar parts, i.e. Same type of rim, spokes and hub? and of course same type of tubes and tires? And both tires are inflated to the same PSI?

Thanks, eh!

..A..

[Grant McLean]

In terms of "comfort" you likely can't tell the difference,
especially if you're under 180 lbs.

The 28 hole may be slightly more laterally flexible in the rear
if you're a bigger/stronger rider who isn't smooth.

-g

[old_school]

I had 2 identically built sets of wheels: one 28, one 32 (dt 240 hub / 1.1 rim / supercomp spokes / pro race tires). As far as I could tell switching off on the same bike, they rode about the same; although, the 28 was the first to need truing.

[Tobias]

You can safely conclude that a 28 spoke wheel will be more flexible than an otherwise identical wheel with 32 or 36 spokes.

Whether that leads to more comfort depends on other factors. I’d guess most of the time it would help ever so slightly but not enough to notice.

For me it would come down to durability more than anything else.