I am considering building a set of wheels using DT RR 1.1 rims, Campagnolo Record hubs and DT Aerolite spokes. Compared to DT Double butted 14/15 guage spokes (213g./32) they are lighter at 139g./32 and are oval shaped in the center section.

Just wondering if anybody out there has ridden wheels built with them. Are they durable enough for a 185 lb. rider ?

They are the same as CX-Rays, and I think you'll be fine with 32 of them.

are your so sure??? Kind of like saying the Honda Accord is the same as a Toyota Camery.
I would be leary of making such a blanket statement.

Personally I have owned wheelsets using both spokes and would choose the CX-Rays over DT's.

MLK

They are the same as CX-Rays, and I think you'll be fine with 32 of them.

are your so sure??? Kind of like saying the Honda Accord is the same as a Toyota Camery.
I would be leary of making such a blanket statement.

Personally I have owned wheelsets using both spokes and would choose the CX-Rays over DT's.

MLK

I'd love to know why. A car has thousands of components. The two spokes in question start off with 2.0/1.5/2.0 round spokes and the thin section is forged into the blade. Not much to differentiate here.

I've built wheels with both and if your telling me you can tell the difference between the two, I'm the one that's leery,

-Eric

I'd love to know why. A car has thousands of components. The two spokes in question start off with 2.0/1.5/2.0 round spokes and the thin section is forged into the blade. Not much to differentiate here.

I've built wheels with both and if your telling me you can tell the difference between the two, I'm the one that's leery,

-Eric

as I posted in the same thread in the components section, the main difference I can tell is that (for a retail buyer) Sapim CX rays seem to be cheaper than the Aerolites.

it used to be that Wheelsmith's XE14 was cheaper still, but Mike Garcia's old site said they'd been discontinued. have a couple of wheels with those spokes and am happy with them. Wheelsmith's site seems to be offline, too. did they go out of business completely?

Wheelsmith's site seems to be offline, too. did they go out of business completely?

Wheelsmith was bought by Hayes a couple of years ago. You can still get the spokes, but I'm surprised that they quit doing XE14s.

The Aerolites and CX-Rays have identical dimensions and weights. The CX-Rays cost less and they've been out longer, so they are more popular. The XE14s are similar, but the aero part has a different shape... a center bulge that tapers to a point on the edges... rather than an oval. This makes them a little wider and not as aero IMO.

I have the Aerolites on my DT 1450 wheelset (28H front and rear). They roll just fine.

You would NEVER notice the difference between comparable spokes from DT or Sapim (or Wheelsmith for that matter). Go with whatever you can find for less or your favorite dealer has in stock.

Thanks for input . Where can I buy some CX Rays? I found a lot of sites with pre-built wheels using them but not the spokes separately. I'll try again. Feel free to direct me though.

Thanks for input . Where can I buy some CX Rays? I found a lot of sites with pre-built wheels using them but not the spokes separately. I'll try again. Feel free to direct me though.


Thorusa.com (Thor also runs KHS) is the US distributor and you can buy them from them. But if you didn't find any other places, you couldn't have been looking very hard:

http://www.google.com/search?q=sapim+spokes