Originally Posted by
Abe_Froman
You're correct in general, but not in this specific example. Spokes do not fail due to inadequate strength ...
So, what you ACTUALLY want, is a thinner spoke in the middle, which allows the spoke to stretch slightly more for a given wheel tension. This allows the spoke to take up more slack at the bottom of the wheel rotation without becoming fully untensioned. If a spoke does not ever become untensioned in a wheel, it should last indefinitely. So don't look at butting the spokes as removing strength. Look at it as ADDING material at the ends, at the nipple and elbow where it is needed.
I'm glad you pointed this out. From experience I've only seen spokes break at the hub. But that's on old wheels I come across, not spokes I break (because I'm a tour de france level featherweight with a corresponding lack of power). My son on the other hand ...
I have many times wished I had at least some mechanical eng education/experience. And btw, one mechanical engineering prof used to have his students explain how a bicycle works for their final exam!
Let me run this by you. On a thread in the mechanics sub-forum here, someone posted that 2.0/1.5/2.0 spokes are stronger than 18/16/18 (and that it should be common knowledge based by now). Agree?