I hope you're not suggesting that a spoke can actually work in compression?

By the way I read the other thread about this and read the analysis that was linked to the other thread here: http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/wheel/. The analysis appears sound right up to the point where the conclusions are drawn. IMO this is an example of getting a computer to a very impressive analysis to come up with some suspect conclusions.

IMO a first order geometrically linear analysis without pre stress is not appropriate to draw some of those conclusions. It may be that a more robust analysis would get the same answer, but on its own I dont think that particular analysis is worth much.