Bicycle Mechanics - Opinions on Phil Wood spokes?

My LBS is trying to talk me in to using phil wood spokes in the road wheels I am going to relace. He has the phil wood spoke cutting/threading machine and so he buys uncut phil spokes and makes them to order. The wheels I have now were laced by this shop with straight 15g phil spokes, and they seem to have stretched a bit, which is one reason I want to relace them myself with DT butted spokes. Anyone ever have issues with phil spokes?

The wheels I have now were laced by this shop with straight 15g phil spokes, and they seem to have stretched a bit, which is one reason I want to relace them myself with DT butted spokes. Anyone ever have issues with phil spokes?

I'm not sure what happened to your wheel but I've never heard of spokes "stretching" in use. They hold their length until they fail by suddenly fracturing from fatigue. Either the spokes were spec'ed too long to begin with or the nipples have loosened from inadequate tension when the wheel was first built.

BTW, how many miles on the current wheel?

I'm not sure what happened to your wheel but I've never heard of spokes "stretching" in use. They hold their length until they fail by suddenly fracturing from fatigue. Either the spokes were spec'ed too long to begin with or the nipples have loosened from inadequate tension when the wheel was first built.

BTW, how many miles on the current wheel?

They may have been too long to begin with. Either way, on a number of spokes, the nipples have bottomed out, which makes tensioning and truing impossible. Spokes certainly stretch, especially straight 15g spokes, laced by a novice, but not much, and usually a small enough amount that they still can be retensioned.

I bought these wheels with a used bike from this lbs, from one of the employees. The wheels were built by another employee there using the hand cut/threaded phil wood spokes. The owner wants to cut me more of the same spokes so I can relace the wheels. I think I am just going to order some dt butted spokes instead.

Spokes certainly stretch, especially straight 15g spokes, laced by a novice, but not much, and usually a small enough amount that they still can be retensioned.

Spokes (of any gauge) get longer under load as the wheel is tensioned but they don't get any longer over time after that. Conclusion: They were spec'ed too long to begin with.


I bought these wheels with a used bike from this lbs, from one of the employees. The wheels were built by another employee there using the hand cut/threaded phil wood spokes. The owner wants to cut me more of the same spokes so I can relace the wheels. I think I am just going to order some dt butted spokes instead.

If the problem is the nipples have bottomed out, just have the LBS thread these same spokes a bit further down and cut off the excess few milimeters. I seems the shop has a Phil Wood spoke machine so this should be easy.

I think I am just going to order some dt butted spokes instead.
Just go with this plan. You will save a lot of time and hassle over any plan to salvage the original spokes.

I'd prefer Phil Metal spokes. Hate splinters.

sorry, I just couldn't help that....