J-Bend vs Straight Bike Wheel Spokes

Straight pull spokes were invented to eliminate weak point at the bend in a traditional spoke and to make wheel building faster. A drawback is that not all shops will carry straight pull spokes. They can also spin sometimes in the hub flange, which makes it difficult to get the spoke to a high tension or to loosen a frozen spoke nipple.

Bladed Straight Pull Spoke

If the spoke is bladed, you can easily stop the spoke from spinning in the hub by using a bladed spoke tool. A third drawback is that they are difficult to use when building custom wheels because there are no universal straight pull spoke calculators due to the differences in various straight pull hub designs. Lastly, the wheel builder only has one option when it comes to the spoke lacing pattern.

J Bend Spokes

A good wheel build with high quality j-bend spokes is just as durable as a wheel with straight pull spokes. These are recommended.