Originally Posted by ericoseveins

Out of curiosity, it seems like more e-bike companies are using 13 gauge spokes on their wheels and I'm wondering what the motivation is there. A friend at the bike co-op who has a mobile repair business was telling me that they were finding it really difficult to source 13 gauge spokes for e-bike-riding customers, and I would have thought that a wheel with well-tensioned 14 gauge spokes would be more than adequate to handle the torque from a motor that's situated at the bottom bracket like a Bosch. Is there a spoke stress issue that's markedly more pronounced with motors located at the hub? Or maybe a liability-driven trend where the e-bike makers are anticipating their consumers won't be likely to commit to regular maintenance or something?