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Old 05-28-20, 09:01 AM
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WizardOfBoz
Generally bewildered
 
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Location: Eastern PA, USA
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Bikes: 2014 Trek Domane 6.9, 1999 LeMond Zurich, 1978 Schwinn Superior

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I haven't noticed much difference between mfrs. And I'm sure that there are some Asian suppliers that have highly polished spokes of not-so-good steel. There's an aphorism in machining to the effect "You can't polish a dog t__d.". So I'd go for higher quality spokes from a mfr of good reputation. But someone here may know of spokes that are good, AND shiney.

Keep in mind, the spokes will start shiney but will be dulled after you ride the bike in the rain, or dust. You'll need to clean and repolish those spokes regularly or they'll look just like regular plebeian spokes.

Initially, you could polish spokes using a buffing wheel. You'd need a good way to hold the spokes or the wheel will shoot them into the wall. Putting them in a vibratory polisher is another path, but that might result in bent spokes. After installation, you could put a small buffing wheel on a Dremel tool and dress the wheel with polishing compound. Make sure you clean the polish off, though.

If you are willing to put in the time, one very good polishing product is called Simichrome. I've heard of people using a shoe lace with Simichrome (or aluminum polish) to polish spokes.
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