Spokes

ACI  Stainless double-butted are excellent spokes - they are 20% Chromium, fit hub holes nicely with a smooth bend & nicely rolled  thread. Very few breakages over the years, they seem to bend in crashes too and we use Purple Extreme lube to combat corrosion from winter crud.

For lighter builds we use Sapim Laser and Sapim CX-Ray - the lightest available and very strong under tension - CX-Rays are forged flat versions of the Laser and are only 4.6g each.

Note that Sapim Lasers are not usually suited to use on the rear wheel where a lot of torques come into play - especially if you are heavier. Although they are the same weight as CX-Rays, they do not stand up to these dynamics well and are more suited to front use only. Ideally partnered to ACI spokes on the rear.

We have the new Sapim D-Light spokes which have an advanced butting method which results in a super strong and light spoke. They are much cheaper than CX-Ray, so if you don't require a flat bladed spoke, these are the answer.

There are now Taiwanese manufacturers using the same Sandvik steel and technology as the European spoke makers. One of these is Pillar. For years they have flooded the lower-end "fashion" market for factory-built wheels but now they are offering high-end spokes which rival, and in some cases beat Sapim for weight and strength. Times move on! We will be stocking the PSR X-TRA1420 spoke very soon.