You'd be hard pressed to find a wheelbuilder anywhere who doesn't also think the same way. But apparently this is a case of the market getting exactly what it asked for: color-based fashion with an extra helping of corrosion and weakness. I was talking with one of the engineers at Roval about silver spokes, and he said that even though stainless spokes are better for every application, it is currently an act of market suicide to spec them on bikes. Customers want their spokes black.
May 5, 2023, 7:51 a.m. - Mike Ferrentino
You'd be hard pressed to find a wheelbuilder anywhere who doesn't also think the same way. But apparently this is a case of the market getting exactly what it asked for: color-based fashion with an extra helping of corrosion and weakness. I was talking with one of the engineers at Roval about silver spokes, and he said that even though stainless spokes are better for every application, it is currently an act of market suicide to spec them on bikes. Customers want their spokes black.