I totally agree with the 14/15/14 spokes and tioga DH rim. That's what's laced to my King right now. I use v-brakes, and yes, pad clearance can be an issue if you don't set them up right. This rim/spoke/hub combo is working great, absolutely no complaints. The only thing you may or may not want to consider is tire size because of fold over due to a "smaller" rim width compared to others (i.e. don't use a 2.7 or something huge). I'm running a 2.3 inch rear, and has never folded. Oh, and I'm on an echo for the moment...