Originally Posted by
Ghrumpy
What would be crazy about building with galvanized spokes? Not that I plan to at the moment, but I have before, for period-correct restorations. Stainless spokes just look out of place on an otherwise historically correct bike.
...Steel wire is great because even with a very small amount of fastening area, such as where the nipple holds the spoke at the rim, you can put quite a lot of tension on them without stripping the thread. Stainless steel is the ideal material as it has the right mix of high strength and low weight, while also being affordable.’
Stainless steel has been the metal of choice for spokes since the late 19th century because of its high tensile strength, which allows spokes to remain relatively thin and lightweight while coping with the forces placed on them. ‘Mild steel spokes would have to be twice as heavy and thick,’ says Chris Hornzee-Jones, director at structural engineers Aerotrope. He designed the ground-breaking Lotus carbon fibre mountain bike and worked on one of the largest tension-spoked wheels ever made – the 60m diameter structure suspended beneath the roof of the Millennium Dome, used as a platform for aerial performers. ‘By adding chromium and molybdenum into the iron and carbon of mild steel, the resulting stainless steel alloy is much more resistant to fatigue.’
The science behind spokes | Cyclist
...while it is true that you see a lot of galvanized spokes on older bicycles, this was primarily a cost saving measure.
Stainless spokes have been available at least since I started constructing my own wheels, in the 1970's.
I presume they were available prior to that time, based on what I've been able to find out researching the history.
I could be wrong.