Spoke Choice for New Wheels

Stevo C
Stevo C Posts: 132
edited October 2013 in Road buying advice
I'm about to try and build my first set of wheels - Shimano 105 hubs and Ambrosio Evolution rims (32H) and am after some advice regarding spokes, namely which ones to use - Sapim Race/Laser, DT Comp/Rev etc. I'm 80 kg and these wheels are intended for the commuter/winter bike.

thanks

Steve
cheers

Steve

Comments

  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    I'd go for DT Comps personally. Nice and strong yet still double butted.
    Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
    ABCC Cycling Coach
  • Wooliferkins
    Wooliferkins Posts: 2,060
    Sapim Race. DT hugely expensive, and same as the Lasers only come in boxes of 100. Race come in 50s
    Neil
    Help I'm Being Oppressed
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Wooliferkins wrote:
    Sapim Race. DT hugely expensive, and same as the Lasers only come in boxes of 100. Race come in 50s

    But he needs 64 so a box of 50 is no good anyway!

    Sapim Race similar price to DT Comp...

    It's all much of a muchness.
    Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
    ABCC Cycling Coach
  • huuregeil
    huuregeil Posts: 780
    Don't use Laser/Rev as your first build! Sapim or DT, nothing much in it, or ACI too (cheaper, just as good). These are the best deals, sold are singles so you can just buy what you need:

    http://www.cyclebasket.com/m9b87s454p0/ ... _-_Silver_
    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... b0s156p495
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    As above, ACI are excellent. If you want Dt swiss competition, get them from Rose Bikes, way cheaper than anywhere else
    left the forum March 2023
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    I'd go for ACI too ...
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    +1 ACI Double butted are cheap and problem free.
  • earth
    earth Posts: 934
    Has anyone used these?

    http://www.sapim.be/spokes/butted/super-spokes
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    earth wrote:
    Has anyone used these?

    http://www.sapim.be/spokes/butted/super-spokes
    please don't...
    left the forum March 2023
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Please don't use those spokes.

    Sapim race would be my choice. £0.45 each from most places spa cycles, me ....... Both of use will sell you the number you need in the lengths you want.

    Race spokes come in boxes of 100 or 500. Lasers come in boxes of 50 I should know I am a stockist.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    Just to expand on the negative responses to the Superspoke the usual criticism of the Sapim Lazer is that it winds up if you're not careful so they're best used by someone with either a lot of patience or experience. The Superspoke is a lot worse from what (admittedly little) I've heard as well as being immensely expensive and hard to find.

    Built correctly I'm sure they're an excellent spoke as the quality of Sapim spokes is noticeably better than everyone elses. They're just a bit of a specialist item though.
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    I cannot comment on other spokes but I have 2 sets of handbuilts: Open Pro with Veloce hubs and Ambrossio Excellight with Record. Both are really nice all rounders, look great (IMO) and have been trouble free (overlooking a persistent rattle at very low speed from the Ambrossio due to something stuck inside the rim). The spokes, as recommended by Ugo, were DT Comps and would be my natural first choice for a replacement wheelset. They do look slightly 'old school' though as they are a very traditional design (which suits me for the bikes in question).
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    racingcondor wrote:
    as the quality of Sapim spokes is noticeably better than everyone elses.

    Largely a myth... I've just had to completely rebuild a set of wheels built with Sapim D-light (by another builder) as they were breaking at a rate of one a week... the wheelset was relatively new..
    There is nothing special about Sapim spokes... they are as good as others, not better. The fact they are the spoke of choice in the UK is because of the distribution... you go to Germany or USA they use DT Swiss, for the same reason... I wouldn't say that the UK market is any wiser.
    If people at Alpina spoke English they would probably sell more of their excellent spokes
    left the forum March 2023
  • earth
    earth Posts: 934
    racingcondor wrote:
    Just to expand on the negative responses to the Superspoke the usual criticism of the Sapim Lazer is that it winds up if you're not careful so they're best used by someone with either a lot of patience or experience. The Superspoke is a lot worse from what (admittedly little) I've heard as well as being immensely expensive and hard to find.

    Built correctly I'm sure they're an excellent spoke as the quality of Sapim spokes is noticeably better than everyone elses. They're just a bit of a specialist item though.

    Ok, I no very little about wheel building. When you say the spokes wind up I assume you mean they twist. 1. Why does this happen? 2. Why does it happen more with these spokes? 3. What is it the wheel builder does to be careful it does not happen?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    earth wrote:
    racingcondor wrote:
    Just to expand on the negative responses to the Superspoke the usual criticism of the Sapim Lazer is that it winds up if you're not careful so they're best used by someone with either a lot of patience or experience. The Superspoke is a lot worse from what (admittedly little) I've heard as well as being immensely expensive and hard to find.

    Built correctly I'm sure they're an excellent spoke as the quality of Sapim spokes is noticeably better than everyone elses. They're just a bit of a specialist item though.

    Ok, I no very little about wheel building. When you say the spokes wind up I assume you mean they twist. 1. Why does this happen? 2. Why does it happen more with these spokes? 3. What is it the wheel builder does to be careful it does not happen?

    Basically you need a bit of experience to build with laser and a LOT of experience to build with superspoke...
    left the forum March 2023
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    I have found DT Swiss Competition to be very good.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    smidsy wrote:
    I have found DT Swiss Competition to be very good.

    Those were spaghetti De Cecco no. 5 Smidsy... :lol:
    left the forum March 2023
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Very nice too :-)
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    Laser do not wind up alot that is another myth put about by those who do not lubricate the threads properly or those who do not change the nipple if it gets a bit tight to turn. I build with Lasers alot and wind up is very rarely an issue. Some nipples bind on the threads to easily and that is half the problem.

    Sapim are not better than ACI or DT Swiss but shops will stock one brand and stick with it. For me it is Sapim, for wheelsmith it is ACI and for others it is DT Swiss.

    ACI do make a useful 2.0/1.7/2.0mm spoke. I should start using it.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • gingermagician
    gingermagician Posts: 326
    Do all of Sapim, DT and ACI supply their with standard brass nipples, or are there varying minimum quantities you need to buy (i.e. full boxes, rather than singles)?

    I'm also about to embark on my first build (grey 32-hole Archetypes, Ultegra 6800 hubs) and am trying to work out the most cost-effective way of acquiring the rest of what I need...
  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    If you buy ACIs from CycleBasket they come with as many brass nipples as you order spokes. My recollection of buying DTs from Rose is that they did not include nipples, but Rose sells nipples very cheaply anyway. If you buy boxes of Sapims in the UK they normally seem to come with brass nipples, but when I bought some singles from JRA they came with aluminium nipples.

    In summary, you normally get nipples, but it might be a good idea to check.

    I'm wondering how many times I can write the word "nipples" before this post get flagged as spam. Nipples.

    Nipples, nipples, nipples.
  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    Also, nipples.

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