Originally Posted by FastJake

Not working in automatic wheel building machines makes sense. Obviously I don't expect to see them on x-mart bikes, but they still seem more rare than they could be.



I read that article, but unfortunately it sounds like they interviewed a salesperson instead of an engineer. The responses include factual errors such as "The forging process allows the metal to be compressed into a denser package..." and dumbed-down explanations. Of course their j-bend and straight pull spokes will have similar ultimate tensile strength, if they're made with the same material and same manufacturing processes. But that doesn't predict the fatigue life, which also depends on the design.

I will agree that most spoke failures can be prevented through competent wheel building, but a weak point is still a weak point. And that's where I've seen almost every spoke break (the other location is the threads.)