Originally Posted by tejanotrackie

yes, i have had several sets of wheels built for road and track bikes with bladed or oval shape spokes, and also have purchased modern wheels with deep section rims and bladed spokes. They are definitely faster in that they have significantly less wind resistance, and this has been demonstrated in numerous laboratory tests. I would suggest that if you go to the expense of using bladed spokes, then also get a v section rim as well. Also, the less spokes you use the better, and you can used a radial lacing pattern in the front to further reduce wind resistance.