I broke a NDS rear spoke this morning. It's 295 mm, 15/16ga with 14ga threads. I'm having a hard time finding exactly this size. I'm not sure if this one is right, but I think so. I'm definitely not sure if the bike shop will have a close match. They might not want to, either, because they come in boxes of 72 for a hundred bucks and they're not likely to ever use many of them.

The last time I broke a spoke on this wheelset, due to an accident, the bike shop replaced it with a straight spoke that they had handy, helped out by a super long nipple. But that was on the front, which I'm not too worried about.

Does it matter if they use a long nipple, and must it be the same butting?

Not sure where you came up with that combination.
On a triple butted spokes I've seen, the elbow is the thickest, then the threads and then the middle in decreasing thickness.

Do you have a caliper/micrometer to get real decimal numbers?

You are aware the threads are rolled, not cut? That causes the major diameter of the threads to be larger than the original diameter of the spoke.

More likely you have 15/16 double butted like I use on my fronts and NDS.
AKA DT Swiss Competition.
Look for their logo on the end of the J bend.

https://www.coloradocyclist.com/dt-sw...6-gauge-spokes

What I'd do is replace the one spoke with whatever you can get and ride it for a couple months. IF you break spoke number 2, replace all of them on that side (at least) or both sides.

LBS has a thread rolling die, to make up for not having the same spoke when a touring cyclist comes in .

measurement Zero is the inside of the J hook end, to standard methods..

AFAIK, only DT Alpine is 3 gages 13 on the hook 14 on the thread end and thinner in the center.. 15 I think.

nipples break if the spoke does not fill the threaded length of it.

In fact I do have a caliper.

Middle .064 (16)
Ends .072 (15)
Threads I measured at .080. I thought that made them 14? Or does it still count as 15 because they were rolled out of 15 stock?

The spokes are from 1976. I'll check for a mark later when I can take a photo and enlarge it.

That's good to know. Maybe the one they put on the front does go all the way into the nipple.

I just measured an old 14 gauge straight and the threads are 'about" .090"

SO- You have 15/16 DB spokes.

No, you don't need an exact match. You just need there to be enough threads engaging the nipple, and you need the spoke not to protrude through the top so as to puncture your inner tube.

Note it really helps if the nipple takes the same size spoke wrench as everything else on the wheel. It's a real b**** when you have to pull out two spoke wrenches and figure out which one fits THAT nipple!

DT Swiss 14, 15, 14/15DB & 15/16DB all take the same wrench. Park RED.