Originally Posted by
well biked
Speaking of lightweight spokes, I've had great luck building wheels with DT Aerolites on a couple of wheelsets. I'd have to check the weight, but they are indeed light, the lightest offered by DT I believe. But they're expensive, relatively speaking.......like with most things bicycle-related, the main question is "are you willing to spend $x to save y weight. That's true even with the original example of DT straight gauge vs DT 2.0/1.8/2.0. 62 grams of weight savings on a wheelset costs $x more. And in that example, there is the issue of the double butted spoke having another advantage as well.
The statement by the friend in the OP, "double butted spokes save a lot of weight" is probably a little misinformed and over the top, but I have to admit I've done some pretty expensive things on bikes over the years to save 60 grams here, 60 grams there.
Aerolites are the same weight as Revolutions, but the claim is that due to the forging process to make them aero, the Aerolites are actually a stronger spoke. If you desire a little more stiffness from the wheel, DT also makes the Aero Comp spoke, which is an aero version of the Competition. The Aero Comp is still dimensionally able to fit through standard holes on hubs, unlike many larger aero spokes like DT's New Aero.