Spoke advice for wheel build

[Chadvdw67]

My Lyne wheels are looking rather worse for wear, so I have bought some new rims, DT EX511, and want to build them onto my existing Lyne hubs, but my question is, what spokes should I go for?

 

DT competition are the "obvious" choice, but they are quite expensive compared to the Alpina double butted spokes from Rapide, but I dont want to cheap out on spokes after splurging on the rims, however I also dont want to "waste" cash unnecessarily. 

 

Would the Alpina spokes be nearly as strong and reliable as the DT spokes for less than half the price?

Edited May 25, 2022 by Chadvdw67
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[Eddy Gordo]

I have wheels on my hardtail built with the alpina spokes. I weigh 105kg. The wheels are holding up now for about 4 years and no problems. Another friend of mine has a set of carbon wheels built with the same spokes on an enduro bike. 

They are slightly thinner, but they work.

[Chadvdw67]

37 minutes ago, Eddy Gordo said:

I have wheels on my hardtail built with the alpina spokes. I weigh 105kg. The wheels are holding up now for about 4 years and no problems. Another friend of mine has a set of carbon wheels built with the same spokes on an enduro bike. 

They are slightly thinner, but they work.

Great news, the reviews on Rapides sight are all positive, but you just never know, so wanting some extra input, thanks for your input 👍

[droo]

Nothing wrong with Alpina spokes, as long as you get the double butted ones and use a decent wheel builder.

[PhilipV]

A great wheel  builder trumps spoke quality. 

[TheoG]

Also got the Alpina Straight Pull Bladed Spokes from Rapide on my Tigré.  I'm a fatty and they are holding up perfectly.

They are also lighter than DT Competition, if you want to save a few grams ...   

Edited May 26, 2022 by TheoG

[herrowpreeze]

21 minutes ago, PhilipV said:

A great wheel  builder trumps spoke quality. 

Agreed, but having nice spokes doesnt hurt

 

DT Swiss tripple butted with brass nipples IMO

[Chadvdw67]

14 hours ago, droo said:

Nothing wrong with Alpina spokes, as long as you get the double butted ones and use a decent wheel builder.

If I get the spokes through Wayne, I will probably just ask him to do the build as well, any thoughts on his wheel building skill?

[Jewbacca]

I have built MANY wheels using Wayne's spokes. 

I have not encountered any issues and the 2mm/1.8mm/2mm is magic. 

I have had one or two spokes arrive with a slightly wonky thread entry but I cleaned it up easily enough with a file.

I do recommend getting good brass nipples. To future proof the wheels and make them easier for the LBS to work on, the nipples with the square back end are awesome. 

A special drill bit means you can use the battery drill to get all the nipples to exactly the same point on the thread without any fiddling, which in turn makes for an easier, more even wheel build.

 

[TheoG]

45 minutes ago, Chadvdw67 said:

If I get the spokes through Wayne, I will probably just ask him to do the build as well, any thoughts on his wheel building skill?

He built mine perfectly with Rapidé rims.

Edited May 26, 2022 by TheoG

[Smartie]

37 minutes ago, Chadvdw67 said:

If I get the spokes through Wayne, I will probably just ask him to do the build as well, any thoughts on his wheel building skill?

I have a set of Rapide wheels - which I would assume were built by Wayne. Excellent, never had an issue with the build. Still running true today after quite a bit of gravel grinding.

[droo]

1 hour ago, Chadvdw67 said:

If I get the spokes through Wayne, I will probably just ask him to do the build as well, any thoughts on his wheel building skill?

Never used him to build a wheel so I couldn't comment - more than one good review on this page though, and he's definitely built more than a few sets.

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

The Alpine double butted spokes are fine, perhaps not as slick a finish as DT or Pillar, but quality-wise they're fine.

As mentioned above - the care exercised in the build process is far more important than the choice of componentry.