Originally Posted by
kingston
I don't think it makes much difference for a guy like me. I got a new touring bike a few years ago that I use for randonneuring. It came with straight gauge spokes, and I've probably got close to ten thousand miles on those wheels. On the other hand the price difference is pretty small in the grand scheme of things so I'll probably just get the alpine III's for the new wheels if they'll work.
It's probably academic for a lot of us. I haven't broken a spoke yet in 27,000 miles of riding, and that's with anything from 2.0mm straight-gauge spokes to 1.8/1.6/1.8 spokes on my newest wheelset. Spoke metallurgy is pretty good these days.