You can get your bog standard spokes and you can get your high end expensive spokes but is there a difference except weight?

If there is which ones are strongest, most robust and most reliable for a heaving hitting front wheel

cheers

Lighter weight spokes which are usually more expensive are generally weaker due to being thinner. If you want something nice and strong plain gauge spokes like DT swiss champion should be good.

The Roger Musson/Wheelpro e-book says that all things being equal and wheel being properly tensioned etc, good quality double butted spokes will build a more robust wheel than the same brand plain gauge: IIRC it was something to do with what they do as a collection of spokes under stress rather than a simple “thick stronger than thin”. I’d have to dig the pdf out to tell you more than that though. Other wheel gurus may say different though.

I use Sapim Race spokes for most builds. They are not that expensive and Sapims nipples are strong and do not distort at proper tension unlike some cheaper nipples. Also good qulaity sopkes are stainless steel so you do not get corrosion issues with the nipples as quickly as you would with cheap ones. Not all spokes are created equal as with all things bike.

Lighter weight spokes which are usually more expensive are generally weaker due to being thinner

better materials and more flexible so less likely to break.

Sapim Race is a good spoke.

Butted are meant to be stronger than plain gauge as view flex in the middle.

Thinner butted spokes…prob not.

Any decent spoke like DT, sapim, ACI will come with decent nipples – i. e. brass.

OP any decent stainless butted spoke like DT competition will be fine.

can you tell me what the difference is between butted, double butted and plain gauge?

Butted means more than one thickness (gauge).

Double butted means thick then thin then thick again.

PLain gauge means same thickness all the way along.

thicker at the nipple and the flange[hub] for double butted which are meant to be the best though I forget why

thanks for that. Just curious!

nipples – never fit anodised! Spokes, IME, no. As long as you aren’t a ‘big’ rider standard gauge spokes are more than suitable.

What about aero/bladed spokes that they use on the dark side (and some xc race wheels) Does that make a noticeable difference to anything?

No, minute aero benefit, and good fatigue life, but not worth the epic cost off road.

ohhh but they look good!

ohhh but they look good!

Let me get this right, in that pic you have a purple hub built onto a white rim with a green skewer and you are commenting about them looking good!
I am almost surprised you didn’t go for pink disk bolts for the full eye bleach effect.

😀

ohhh but they look good!

No they don’t. They look exactly like normal spokes unless you’re very close to them.

I’ve had 3 sets of wheels with CX-Rays and a set with Aerolites, but they are totally pointless! I used to find nipples snapped in stead of spokes, which has a similar end result! May as well save a fortune and just use Revolutions which perform identically!

There is a significant weight saving with thin spokes such as DT Super Comp (triple butted) or even thinner DT Revolution. Weights range from 444 (straight) to 283g (rev) for 64 DT spokes.

As a lightish trail rider, personally I would rather have a full set of traditional spokes but use thinner ones, than pay silly £ for a custom wheelset with far fewer spokes and questionable serviceability. I use Super Comp spokes at the moment, they let me use a slightly heavier rim than the 717’s I used to run but still have a lighter overall weight.

I’ve known plenty of people who are quick to suggest anything thinner than double butted is a potential hazard, but then they go and buy a custom wheelset with hardly any spokes in it, that has to go back to the OEM for repairs. An old v-brake set of 517’s/XTR hubs/DT rev wheels lasted me well over a decade of regular use including trips to the Pyrenees and other similar places with no maintenance at all – probably my best ever wheels, shame they were V-only…

I’ve known plenty of people who are quick to suggest anything thinner than double butted is a potential hazard,

They’re idiots, all triple butted refers to is the fact they are 3 different diamters. They could be 3.5/3.4/3.3mm, they’d be bloody thick, and triple butted.

Although hard to track, Revolutions can be had in a 1.8/1.5mm diameter, they are bloody thin, but still double butted.

I’d always use double butted, personally wouldn’t bother with Super Comps, too expensive for little benefit, Revs of Comps for me!

njee20 – Member

ohhh but they look good!

No they don’t. They look exactly like normal spokes unless you’re very close to them.

I’ve had 3 sets of wheels with CX-Rays and a set with Aerolites, but they are totally pointless! I used to find nipples snapped in stead of spokes, which has a similar end result! May as well save a fortune and just use Revolutions which perform identically! well here’s some aero spokes that match at least,for reference these spokes are 2.2/.95/2.0

Those spokes are worth more than the hubs. Nicely anodised though.