"Joseph Kubera" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi, all.
>
> I need to have wheels built (my choice of parts) for the new bike, and
figured
> the local shop could do it since I'm asking them to build the bike anyway.
>
> So I requested butted SS spokes, say 14-15, because I have read that a lot
of
> nice wheels are built this way. The shop guy was surprised. He said they
cost
> twice as much and don't hold up as well, and didn't recommend them.
>
> Any thoughts on this? BTW, I was going to use 32 front and 36 rear
Torelli
> Masters. An all-around road bike. I weigh 180, if that matters.
>
> Thanks. Joe
In his article at URL
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html Sheldon Brown says: "Double-butted
spokes do more than save weight. The thick ends make them as strong in the highly-stressed areas as
straight-gauge spokes of the same thickness, but the thinner middle sections make the spokes
effectively more elastic. This allows them to stretch (temporarily) more than thicker spokes.
As a result, when the wheel is subjected to sharp localized stresses, the most heavily stressed
spokes can elongate enough to shift some of the stress to adjoining spokes. This is particularly
desirable when the limiting factor is how much stress the rim can withstand without cracking around
the spoke hole."
The points that Jobst Brandt makes are: "Butted spokes..... give more durable wheels. They are more
elastic than unbutted spokes because their thin mid-sections stretch more and they can be made just
as tight as unbutted spokes. Under load, they resist loosening better than straight spokes. Their
resilience helps the rim distribute loads over more spokes and reduces peak stress changes. Butted
spokes are lighter without giving up any strength." In the back of Jobst Brant's book under "SPOKE
STRENGTH" Jobst goes on to say: "The results show that there is little measurable difference in
strength among these spokes (DT unbutted, DT butted, Wheelsmith unbutted, and Wheelsmith butted) and
suggest that their differences, if any, lie in fatigue characteristics that depend on their alloy,
temper, butting, and how they are built into a wheel."
Jobst's last point "how they are built into a wheel" , in my opinion, makes the most significant
difference in the reliability of the wheel.
David Ornee, Western Springs, IL