Are ordinary galvanized spokes stronger than stainless?

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jazzkat

Fixed wheel fanatic.
Stainless steel comes in many forms. I know when I rebuilt a motorbike that stainless steel wasn't recommended for certain high stress uses. Wheel spindles and cylinder head bolts for example.
However there are stainless steels that will cope with those stresses. Parts made from the stuff are very expensive because it's so difficult to machine.
Spokes are forged, so I don't know if any of that is relevant really!
So basically, in answer to your question, I dunno!:wacko:

The general consensus among many wheel builders is to stick to 'a name' Sapim, and DT Swiss seem to be the names bandied about a lot. I doubt there's much between them tbh.
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
Early stainless spokes looked very shiny compared with the usual 'rustless' (as the galvanised ones were called), but snapped frequently.
Nowadays they're perfectly good as long as you buy from a decent manufacturer such as Sapim or DT.
The Alpine III referred to by I like Skol are strong mainly because the short 13g section at the hub fits tightly into the drilling. This does make them a bit of a pain to build with, but the result is bomb-proof.
 
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