I know most are going to say they are far to expensive, but I'm curious has anyone used them and what do you think?

I'm looking at getting a set of wheels for my FujiCross bike, figure will get some built Record hubs and Mavic Open rims most likely..And looking at the different spokes available.

Hi,
a local LBS had some Ti spokes that had been laying around for years. No one wanted them. I did. I wanted to build a front wheel on my wifes bike with Ti spokes. Two LBS have discouraged me from buiolding the rear wheel with Ti spokes, despite the fact my wife weighs less than 120 pounds.
If you do, I would suggest, at a minimum, getting 32 spokes up front, and 36 in the rear.

How many spokes did they discourage you from using and why?

Brendon

Hi,
they didn't think Ti spokes would stand up over time. What they said was that they didn't think a rear wheel with Ti spokes was a good idea. This is just a guess, but 36 spokes might do the trick. Just don't expect it to last as long as
steel spokes would. I may yet do that for my wifes bike; but what she has is tie dyed Ti spokes; and they are $2.50 each. Multiply that by 36 and the result is ouch.

ti spokes are supposed to give you a stiff but resilient ride.... its like having a suspension integrated into your wheelset. my friend is gonna lend me his cane creek aerohead ti's so that i can see for myself what this feels like.

The main drawback I have heard is that the Ti spokes have to be under a higher tension otherwise they flex to much compared to steel. How is the front wheel holding up late compared to the back wheel.

I know $2.50 a piece is expensive..raise the cost of the wheels up by almost $100 for a set.. I normaly figure I can't buy new wheels every month, and I would rather save up for a extra month or two to get what I truly want then settle for something less.

Hi,
the front wheel is fine. The only reason I got the tie dye spokes was that they had been sitting in a drawer for a few years. My LBS let me have them for
a buck a piece; the same as plain Ti spokes. If you do build up a set of wheels, I think 36 spoke wheels would make a lot of sense. it really wouldn't change the weight or aerodynamics much. But I bet it would add a few years to the life of the wheel.

TI spokes according to my LBS have to be frequently adjusted due to the stretching nature of TI. But the biggest problem I see with TI spokes is the weight savings is not that real when compared to DT Revolution spokes. A set of 32 TI spokes weigh 145 grams while a set of Revolution weigh 157, so in other words your going to spend $1.50 more per spoke or $48 more per 32 spokes just to lose 12 grams? Thats a very expensive 12 grams if you ask me.

Ti spokes will stand the test of time, they will lay there in the box forever.
They are very springy, it is not so much that they stretch after building but they just don't ever quit being springy and come up to good tension.
You CAN NOT use alloy nipples with Ti spokes. Sometimes they will seize as thread them on with your fingers. Ti and aluminum do not get along. If you use brass nipples you lose most of the weight benefit of Ti and the best place to save weight on a wheel is at its outer edge, rotating mass and all that.
You need to use Ti prep if you build with Ti spokes so something like spoke freeze or spoke prep does not work very well.

I've built quite a few Zipp wheels with Ti spokes (bladed) and alloy nipples, and some conventional wheelsets with them as well. I dosed both the spokes and nipples' threads with liberal doses of Ti Prep and antisieze compound, and siezures were rare.

Due to the low mass of Ti, the tone of a Ti spoke will be higher at a given tension than a steel spoke, resulting in some pretty darn high pitches when a fully-tensioned wheel's spokes are plucked. *shrug* That's physics for you. If people are relying on tone, the Ti spokes could fool them into stopping early.

One factor I haven't seen mentioned here yet is the increase in frontal area (and therefore air drag) of a round 2.0mm Ti spoke. Butted 14/15 stainless in back and 15/16's up front might be worth a weight penalty if you cruise at high speeds a lot, since they'll have a lower frontal area. On a 'cross bike, that won't be so much of a factor perhaps. Something to think about, anyway.