Originally Posted by
NWS Alpine
My understanding of the Supers is that they are meant only for lightweight builds. They are very flexy and require higher tension. Sapim even recommends buying them shorter as they stretch more than others. I think they are also very expensive too. I would stick with CX Ray or even laser.
Good choice of not getting the Enves. You will be wanting a set of the Enve SMART 3.4 or 6.7 shortly after getting the older 45s. It will never end.
Yes, Sapim says the Supers and Super X-Rays require more tension, but the minimum values they give are still well below the normal range for modern well built wheels. My point is that they would normally be tightened to the same tensions as for C X-Rays and other even beefier spokes so saying requires more tension doesn't really mean anything in most cases. Where it does mean something is on the non-drive side. Sapim is basically saying don't pick a hub design and lacing pattern that will leave the non-drive side anywhere close to slack.
As for stiffness, well I had to stub my toe on that issue big time before brighter guys convinced me that higher tension does not contribute significantly to higher stiffness. But I finally realized that the stress-strain curve for stainless steel in the normal wheel building stress region is pretty close to a straight line (constant slope = constant modulus) so tightening the spokes more won't make the wheel stiffer.
All pretty much as Staggerwing already asserted.