Originally Posted by
kingston
So should I just use straight gauge spokes if I don't care about the weight?
No, it's outright wrong. The DB spokes do help with durability. Thinning the middle down does help relieve the elbows.
As for the additional benefit of even thicker elbows (i.e. 2.3-1.8.2.0 spokes) - some experienced forum members swear by those spokes - though I'm not sure there's much benefit compared to 2.0-1.8-2.0, but there's definitely no harm either.