Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,178
Likes: 6,412
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Not all galvanized (zinc plated) spokes are crappy. DT used to make them, and they were as reliable and durable as stainless. They just don't look good for very long. I built a wheel set with them 30 years ago, and it's still good.
Nowadays, I think all good spokes are made of stainless steel. Aluminum spokes are a big no-no in my book. Aluminum isn't ductile enough. I don't even know if you can get these spokes any more.
You definitely want brass nipples, not steel or aluminum.
That was easy, wasn't it?