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I'm building a bike for XC races and I'd like it to be reasonably light. I
thought of using butted spokes (my frand told me taht u can save as much as
100grams per wheel). My questions a

1) does it make any sense to use butted spokes at all?
2) is yes, is there any big difference in their durability (for instance
standard 2.0 stainless steel spokes vs 2.0 - 1.5 - 2.0 spokes) ?
3) what spokes would you reccomend (thickness) and why ?

Now some data: I weight around 170 lbs, the rim I want to use is mavic 317
DISC, DT hubs, hydro disc brakes, the bike is a hardtail.

Thx in advance for any help.



I found spokes swaged to as thin as 1.6 mm are recommended by manufacturers
to NOT be used in disc brake wheels; presumably this restrictions has
something to do with the forces exerted through spokes with the use of hub
disc brakes. (2.0 x 1.8 swaged spokes are Ok and may be optimal; however,
there are spokes available with ends greater than 2.0 that are marketed for
some hub disc brake applications.) Disc brake wheels I've used for road
application came with 2.0 mm x 1.8 mm "Race" spokes manufactured by Sapim.
http://www.sapim.be/

Best information source for the rest of your questions regarding use of
swaged (aka "butted") spokes, IMO, is "The Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt.
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools/wheel.html#books

--
Mykal Crooks
Seattle, WA