Mrrabbit:

23 cent a piece cut to order in SJ? Cool! I'm game. No, I'm not a retailer. Just an enthusiast who donates a lot of time and personal money fixing bikes for bikes for local school kids, scouts, etc.

As for the visualization of 7.1mm coming out of a spoke hole and flexing, that would be an effect at the elbow point just where it exits the hole, and only if the stress and flex were plastic and not elastic. A properly tensioned wheel, neither too tight nor too loose, should never see fatigue stress because the deformation is all elastic. Yes, the bumps and thumps can shock it, but also it can relieve stress at the head. Which is why I say I agree with the premise that somewhere between 5.9 and 6.something is a good length for most spoke flanges. But think this is a second order effect. The cause of pre-mature spoke failure within, say a month or two of casual riding, and not after 2000km, is due more to cheap metal and the forging processes used by that company to bend the spokes that may be breaking the mushroom heads, which is where I'm seeing almost all my failures. I haven't seen any fail at the elbow on my wheels.

But don't get me wrong - if you know a supplier of 6.3mm offset spokes... I'm all for more ideal spokes at the same or lower costs!