RGMN

I was out for a ride today and talked to a rider who had wheels with what looked like weaved line for spokes. Talked to the guy and he said they are Berd poly spokes.

He said they are basically Dyneema or Spectra line with a stainless end that allows them to use standard nipples. And are about 90g/wheel lighter than standard stainless spokes. They look interesting, but at $8/spoke I'm not sure I'm ready to try them.

BobFishell

$8 per spoke for 90g? I think I would pass, too. I've never built a wheel with anything but DT double butted stainless spokes. You don't get the same 90g you would get on the rims, since the center of mass would be at 1/2 the length of the spoke.

mixteup

I think there might also be a UV degradation factor with Spectra line, but I don't actually know how long it takes to break down.
It's strong, for sure, and some people use it (in larger sizes) for standing rigging on sailboats,
but they also talk about a 5-8 year life span for that use, vs. double that for SS wire.
I guess on a bike that wasn't ridden all that much, it'd be OK, but I know I'll never find out, at that price.

Also, I wonder how long it would hold tension -
I've read some articles, that say that rigging made with the stuff has to be periodically re-tensioned, due to "creep"......

Also, I think it's ugly (for a spoke material) to start with, and I know for a fact (having seen and handled some), that it gets kind of fuzzy-looking after a while.