15 gauge spokes vs 14/15?

[shinomaster]

What is the difference in ride quality and strength in a wheel made with all 15 gauge spokes vs. one constructed with double butted 14/15? A wheel builder recommended the all 15 vs 14/15 for me. Just curious!

Many thanks!

Shino

[stevep]

get the butted.
most/ many shops dont even stock or use the 15 straight. db stronger and youll never find nipples for 15 straight.
why is he recommending 15 stg? cheaper? lighter?

[gdw]

and haven't had any problems. They are lighter and cheaper than 14 butted spokes - http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=22518&page=DT+CHAMPION+STRAIGHT+1.8+SILVER+SPOKE - and the nipples are actually easy to find - brass, http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=15105&page=DT+STANDARD+BRASS+NIPPLES
alloy, http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=28282&page=DT+STANDARD+ALUMINUM+NIPPLE

I have a set on my town/loaner bike which have seen over 10,000 miles of use and only needed truing once. Santa Cruz used them on the wheels they provided with their factory build kits for a number of years and they had a good reputation for being light and strong.

[J.Greene]

why is he recommending 15 stg? cheaper? lighter?

because he has them I'm guessing.

JG

[raven]

Not sure how to define quality, but I doubt I could tell a difference between the two while riding. On paper and experience, 14/15 double butted builds a more durable wheel.

Say no go to the 15g. The spoke holes in the majority of hubs (especially if they've been laced before/used) are drilled to a diameter that is closer to the 14g or 2.0mm. The 15g spoke or 1.8mm would be a "looser" fit- not good. With this tiny bit of play between the spoke elbow and the hole + millions of load changes = spoke failure waiting to happen. But if there is no play, this shouldn't be a problem.

If you go the 15g route, be sure to have them built with brass washers.
Not sure of the rim your are using, but if its a light weight rim (say a Mavic GEL280), double butted is "mandatory".

[Steve-O]

I've used the hard to find Wheelsmith AE15 for 5 - 6 builts with no issues. Come to think of it I raced a crit last night on Aeroheads build 28/32H with AE15's (XE14 DS) and no issues with my 190# body torquing away...

[Peter P.]

I've built tons of wheels, and my experience has been the differences between straight 15's and 14/15 double butted spokes could be debated all day but they're nit picky differences.
F
rom an academic standpoint there is a difference. In practical application, you're not likely to notice any difference.

Straight 15's are lighter and cheaper. Yes; they will have a bit more slop in the hub hole as another poster pointed out but in real world terms, I don't think you'll notice any decrease in longevity.

14/15 double butted spokes are thicker at the ends, where virtually all spokes fail. So in theory, the extra diameter will make for a longer lasting wheel. You could also view 14/15's as LIGHTER than straight 14's if you were to compare the two, in which case the double butted spokes win here but like I said, it's nit picky.

Now, if you want to throw 15/16's or 14/16's into the mix, you could have a brawl...

It's the quality of construction which is of paramount importance, not the parts. Geez; this is beginning to sound like one of e-Richie's rants.

[chrisroph]

get the 14-15 rear drive with brass nips for sure.

compromise by letting him go front revo and even rear non-drive revo (x2 if you go x3 drive) with alloy nips if you want to go ww but that'll cost a bit more.

the weight difference will be so significant it will be almost noticeable.

[Jeff N.]

14-15-14.

[cmg]

get the double butted. go to even lighter spokes on the non-drive side rear and build a great set of wheels.

[pdxmech13]

shino listen to what they are saying here....especially that steve p character.

[shinomaster]

shino listen to what they are saying here....especially that steve p character.


But SteveP is trying to sabotage my wheels...I just know it!