I know it's hard for some people to believe, but Jobst Brandt isn't always right about wheel building ... in fact, I am quite certain that if he were to think about ONE comment he wrote which I recall was printed in
Buycycling (as someone referred to it) several years ago, well, it was just so illogical that everything else necessarily comes into question. Brandt's contributions were so infrequently (one?) that it should be easy enough for one of you to find -- look for it ... think about it ... if you can agree with Brandts' analysis then keep drinking the Kool-Aid!
Oh sure, Brandt has a Stanford engineering degree ...
What if I said that I was at the commencement exercise a CalTech in 1969?!?
Yeah ... you guessed it ...
I was a
visitor!
Degrees don't matter ... you mentioned Peter White ... I don't know what degree(s) he has, but he does (rightly) disdain the notion of being DT Certified ... that is NOT to equate DT Certification with an engineering degree from Stanford, BTW.
You do know that if you rummage around long enough, you will see that Sheldon Brown has some minor errors on his site -- undoubtedly, inevitable since there is so much information there.
If I hadn't been lacing wheels for decades before reading what Sheldon Brown wrote, I am sure I might be inclined to embrace Brown's notion of wheel building, too!
I suppose some might suggest that I might failure to embrace the urban myth of double butted spokes being better qualifies me as a Luddite!
Straight gauge vs. double butted? Just grab a pair of crossed spokes on a wheel laced with straight gauge AND on one with double butted spokes (presuming the wheels are properly laced & tensioned, of course) ... give them a squeeze and see how much the respective rim deflects. The rim on the wheel laced with double butted spokes (all other things being
equal) will deflect more. If that's what you want ... well, good for you!
If you want to lace with double butted spokes, please do so ... DT, Sapin, Wheelsmith, and whomever are all the happier!
Schraner ... did
he originate the myth(s)?!?
Now, Peter White undoubtedly builds a great set of wheels ... he knows what customers want & what works AND what he can guarantee; but, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best wheel he can build ...
Nothing really to argue about, IMO ... you can choose DB spokes ... as noted, I have several sets of wheels which I've laced with double butted spokes (heck, as recently as this past Spring!), but if I were offering MY preference and recommendation, I would almost always recommend straight gauge spokes.
BTW. You do know that
GRAPE Kool-Aid doesn't provide any anti-oxidants, don't you?