Originally Posted by
kingston
I have a set of VO touring hubs and CR18 rims that have been sitting in my basement for a while waiting for me to build them up. [MENTION=21724]cyccommute[/MENTION] already convinced me in another thread quite a while ago to use Alpine III's for those wheels. I didn't realize the recommendation was to use those spokes for ALL wheels.
The last time that you broke a spoke, where did it break? Most times it's right on the bend. Alpine III use a little more material on the bend.
If 14/15/14 spokes aren't breaking for you, the external material isn't going to do anything for you. Strong enough is strong enough. OTOH the cost and weight difference is trivial so, if you're not sure, why not use the Alpine III spokes.