The other day, after re-lacing the 32H Open Pro rim front wheel from radial to tangential lacing,
I received this comment:
「A basic question.
With 32 radial spokes on an Open Pro, I'd think you'd have sufficient rigidity.
Did you switch to tangential because of excessive stiffness?」

Actually, the tangential lacing was the customer's request.
Since I didn't ask them in detail, I'm not entirely sure of their reasoning,
but given that the customer uses this wheelset for gravel riding,
I'd say they prioritized wheel trueness and stability.
Beyond that, setting aside stiff technical talk about performance,
the "aesthetic appeal" is also something that matters for certain bikes.

And here's another advantage I've thought of:
「For wheels with 28H or more spokes, tangential lacing is dramatically easier to clean.」



I'll get in trouble if I bring up extreme examples,
so I'll show specific examples using standard wheels.

Example 1
32H rear wheel with standard (radial) lacing

↑The hub is easy to wipe clean!


Example 2
Front wheel radial-laced with a former 32H rim(now 63H)


↑The hub is difficult to wipe clean!