Why use stainless steel spokes when you had really good carbon steel spokes?
Other than solving the rust problem, stainless is not a good candidate material for spokes because many stainless steels are subject to stress corrosion cracking . Stress corrosion cracking in a tensioned structure like wheels occurs pretty much regardless of how much you use the wheels. So the upshot is you start breaking spokes after several years no matter what. Robergel Trois Etoiles were a severe example. DTs are better, but in my opinion there is still a problem.
Chrome plated carbon steel is not a good idea because of hydrogen embrittlement. Chrome plated Unions anyone. Yuk!
Good nickel plated carbon steel spokes as available in the past were a much better choice. If you work with old spokes, it is amazing how good they were. The appearance may suffer over time, but the reliability does not, unlike stainless spokes.
To turn back to Peter's question, the Trois Etoiles were the first stainless steel spokes I encountered and I came to regard them as very poor spokes.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
On another nostalgic tirade
> I wrote a few weeks ago looking for a supplier of
> 15/17 Guage stainless steel spokes, and received quite
> a few replies, but now I've another question.
> I know in the 40s and 50s there were adds for rustless
> spokes, but according to Keith Helon these were not
> stainless steel. So my question is, were stainless
> steel spokes available on Pre-war bikes, and if not
> when did they first appear ?
>
> Peter Naiman
> Shorewood, WI
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> Peter Naiman
> 4420 North Ardmore Avenue
> Shorewood, WI 53211
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