Will I notice going from 36 to 32 spokes?

[Davey Two Shoes]

I'm going to ride my Sam Hillborne in the Vermont Overland this year and as such I feel compelled to convert from tubes to tubeless. My current wheelset is the 36 spoke deore/dyad setup so many of us know and love(?). I'm considering the following options; either replace the rim with a Velocity Quill and reuse my 36 spoke hubs or having a 32/32 or maybe 28/32 spoke wheelset built up with Velocity Quills. I plan to run 48mm Rene Herse tires. I'd like the bike to feel quicker and more inspiring with this wheelset, I've often thought that the "ploddy" feeling my Sam has is down to the uninspiring wheelset.

[Will Boericke]

I'd do a serious calculation of saved grams there.  It looks like you save roughly 75g for the rim swap, and let's say 7g per spoke.  In my book, very not worth it.  Put some lighter tires on there and roll (maybe 42s?).

Tubeless-wise, there are pros and cons.  In my experience, mtb usage is 100% tubeless worth it.  Skinny tires, 100% not worth it.  "Gravel" size is in the 50% range.  All of my gravel wheels are tubeless now, but those setups are also where I've had to do a lot of plugging and patching in the field.  This is a lot harder than replacing a tube.

As far as durability, I don't think anyone believes 36 spokes are necessary for wheel strength in the era of stiff rims.  MTB wheels are currently 28h, for the most part.

[Davey Two Shoes]

Thanks for the reply! The main reason for the switch is tubeless. The type of "gravel" I ride often has more in common with single track and so running a tire pressures high enough to prevent pinch flats has really been a bummer. I already run pretty light tires, Ultra Dynamico Cavas, but I want more volume still.

[Brent Eastman]

I have a 36H deore/atlas wheelset, and a 32h deore/dyad wheelset. I've used them interchangeably on both my rivs. They feel identical on all terrain. The only difference I've ever noticed is that i sent the 32h rear wheel out of true by beating on it. 

+1 on the tire switch recommendation. try that first! tubeless will also feel different/better/faster.

not sure how much you, or the bike, or your overland gear, weigh.

i believe keeping wheels complete is almost always more cost effective unless you get a crazy deal on wheel components. get a new complete wheelset, keep the old as a spare, or sell it to minimize your net spend.

[Patrick Moore]

It may be the very stout frame. I used to scoff at “planing” but then got a geometrical clone of a 2003 custom Riv Road built with narrower gauge, thinner wall tubing (I got the replacement frame because I wanted certain new features, not because of the tubing, but I asked for normal gauge, thinner wall 531 at the same time), and I immediately noticed that it felt “easier to pedal.” Now, no science at all, at all, at all went into my judgment, but I don’t feel that the newer frame is “fighting me” the way I felt over the years that the 2003 frame was slightly “resisting my pedaling.

It has been 15 years since I owned my first-gen Sam, and if that model had had clearances for true 50s and fenders I would have kept it for dirt road riding, but it did not feel “spritely” on pavement, to say the least.

OTOH, “they” have long said said that the biggest change you can make to the feel of your bike is to change the tires ….

On Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 9:44 AM Davey Two Shoes <dgold...@gmail.com> wrote:

… I’d like the bike to feel quicker and more inspiring with this wheelset, I've often thought that the "ploddy" feeling my Sam has is down to the uninspiring wheelset.