Can't say I blame you regarding the spare parts. That's never fun, especially when it comes to spokes. There's also the fact that you need a wrench to hold the spoke, then one to turn the nipple, when it comes time to true the wheels. Mavic does supply a pair of wrenches for that purpose, but it adds a step, for sure. Then again, should a spoke need to be replaced (provided you have spares), being able to do so with the wheel in place, without having to remove cassette or rotor, is pretty damn nice. Not up to me to prognosticate where to go with that info. I have always built wheels with j-bend spokes, and am still bummed out that stainless steel spokes are getting hard to find since the whole world has decided that black spokes are preferable...
July 5, 2024, 7:12 p.m. - Mike Ferrentino
Can't say I blame you regarding the spare parts. That's never fun, especially when it comes to spokes. There's also the fact that you need a wrench to hold the spoke, then one to turn the nipple, when it comes time to true the wheels. Mavic does supply a pair of wrenches for that purpose, but it adds a step, for sure. Then again, should a spoke need to be replaced (provided you have spares), being able to do so with the wheel in place, without having to remove cassette or rotor, is pretty damn nice. Not up to me to prognosticate where to go with that info. I have always built wheels with j-bend spokes, and am still bummed out that stainless steel spokes are getting hard to find since the whole world has decided that black spokes are preferable...