This is a continuation of the CX Sprint discussion from the other day (→here).
I said I had no intention of investigating cases other than the 310mm black straight,
but I ended up sourcing the complete range and testing them all.
From top to bottom in the image: CX Sprint
butted/silver/310mm
straight/silver/310mm
butted/black/310mm
butted/silver/270mm
straight/silver/270mm
butted/black/270mm
straight/black/270mm
—seven variants in total.
The straight/black/310mm was already verified last time,
so I've omitted it from this round.
Regarding the plain section length on the threading end,
it appears to follow a basic design of
"the stated cutting limit plus 15mm."
As I noted previously, though, many individual spokes
have a plain section about 1mm shorter than this.
When you cut to the stated maximum, you're left with
15mm of plain section. However, if you cut spokes so that
when the wheel is finished the spoke end is flush with the nipple face,
and if the spokes come with an included nipple
(CX Sprint is sold without nipples),
a 14mm nipple would be attached. This means
the butted section won't interfere with the nipple.
I build wheels using DT's 12mm-length nipples, so
as I mentioned before, I sometimes cut to
2mm short of the stated maximum.
On a 310mm spoke, I set the caliper scale to
55mm—the stated maximum plus 15mm.
If the caliper's measuring point is near where the butting begins, that's okay.
If it clearly enters the butted section, that's not okay.
Butted/silver—not okay.
Straight/silver—not okay.
Butted/black—not okay.
All the 310mm variants failed the test.
For items like the 310mm silver straight,
new stock is arriving while old stock hasn't completely sold through,
so there's a possibility I could receive old-batch material that can be cut down to 270mm.
However, within the bundle I sourced, there were no variations
in the butted section length.
Next, on a 270mm spoke, I set the caliper to
45mm—the stated maximum plus 15mm.
All the 270mm variants passed the test.
This means that until this issue is resolved,
when cutting 270–280mm lengths, I need to be careful
to use only the old-batch 310mm stock.
↑This is a CX-RAY semi-finished spoke (the flattening step was skipped)
that was mixed in with a CX-RAY shipment the other day—
equivalent to Sapim's Laser spoke.
I have several of these in stock, but
I've maintained all along that this isn't a Laser that accidentally got mixed in,
but rather a CX-RAY that didn't finish properly.
While not definitive proof, when I was researching DT spokes recently,
I found information about the Aerolite stating:
"The central section is cold-forged to approximately 1.5mm and butted,
then blade-worked afterward.
This process further enhances material strength～"
At least with DT's Aerolite, it's explicitly stated that
they first go through the round-butted spoke form
(equivalent to Sapim's Laser), then flatten it.
This is speculation on my part—something I mentioned in the previous post—but
I suspect CX Sprint may also start with a round-butted spoke
(gravity ratio approximately 78%) that's then flattened,
and during that flattening process,
they may have set the round-butted section length to remain at
45mm for both the 310mm and 270mm blanks.
Bonus Note
While researching the Aerolite, I discovered
a new spoke called the Revolite.
The butted section is flattened, and the smooth transition shape
between the butt and the main section carries a patent.
The blade section features refined machining as their proprietary method,
and it's stated to exceed MTB spokes in the same class
in terms of durability—so it appears to be aimed at the MTB market.
Calculating DT's Aerolite gravity ratio from published specs:
264mm, 64 spokes, 278g total, so
278÷64÷264÷0.0257＝
0.6402178…, which is roughly 64%.
With the Revolite:
264mm, 64 spokes, 285g total, so
285÷64÷264÷0.0257＝
0.6563384…, which comes to about 65–66%.
I said I had no intention of investigating cases other than the 310mm black straight,
but I ended up sourcing the complete range and testing them all.
From top to bottom in the image: CX Sprint
butted/silver/310mm
straight/silver/310mm
butted/black/310mm
butted/silver/270mm
straight/silver/270mm
butted/black/270mm
straight/black/270mm
—seven variants in total.
The straight/black/310mm was already verified last time,
so I've omitted it from this round.
Regarding the plain section length on the threading end,
it appears to follow a basic design of
"the stated cutting limit plus 15mm."
As I noted previously, though, many individual spokes
have a plain section about 1mm shorter than this.
When you cut to the stated maximum, you're left with
15mm of plain section. However, if you cut spokes so that
when the wheel is finished the spoke end is flush with the nipple face,
and if the spokes come with an included nipple
(CX Sprint is sold without nipples),
a 14mm nipple would be attached. This means
the butted section won't interfere with the nipple.
I build wheels using DT's 12mm-length nipples, so
as I mentioned before, I sometimes cut to
2mm short of the stated maximum.
On a 310mm spoke, I set the caliper scale to
55mm—the stated maximum plus 15mm.
If the caliper's measuring point is near where the butting begins, that's okay.
If it clearly enters the butted section, that's not okay.
Butted/silver—not okay.
Straight/silver—not okay.
Butted/black—not okay.
All the 310mm variants failed the test.
For items like the 310mm silver straight,
new stock is arriving while old stock hasn't completely sold through,
so there's a possibility I could receive old-batch material that can be cut down to 270mm.
However, within the bundle I sourced, there were no variations
in the butted section length.
Next, on a 270mm spoke, I set the caliper to
45mm—the stated maximum plus 15mm.
All the 270mm variants passed the test.
This means that until this issue is resolved,
when cutting 270–280mm lengths, I need to be careful
to use only the old-batch 310mm stock.
↑This is a CX-RAY semi-finished spoke (the flattening step was skipped)
that was mixed in with a CX-RAY shipment the other day—
equivalent to Sapim's Laser spoke.
I have several of these in stock, but
I've maintained all along that this isn't a Laser that accidentally got mixed in,
but rather a CX-RAY that didn't finish properly.
While not definitive proof, when I was researching DT spokes recently,
I found information about the Aerolite stating:
"The central section is cold-forged to approximately 1.5mm and butted,
then blade-worked afterward.
This process further enhances material strength～"
At least with DT's Aerolite, it's explicitly stated that
they first go through the round-butted spoke form
(equivalent to Sapim's Laser), then flatten it.
This is speculation on my part—something I mentioned in the previous post—but
I suspect CX Sprint may also start with a round-butted spoke
(gravity ratio approximately 78%) that's then flattened,
and during that flattening process,
they may have set the round-butted section length to remain at
45mm for both the 310mm and 270mm blanks.
Bonus Note
While researching the Aerolite, I discovered
a new spoke called the Revolite.
The butted section is flattened, and the smooth transition shape
between the butt and the main section carries a patent.
The blade section features refined machining as their proprietary method,
and it's stated to exceed MTB spokes in the same class
in terms of durability—so it appears to be aimed at the MTB market.
Calculating DT's Aerolite gravity ratio from published specs:
264mm, 64 spokes, 278g total, so
278÷64÷264÷0.0257＝
0.6402178…, which is roughly 64%.
With the Revolite:
264mm, 64 spokes, 285g total, so
285÷64÷264÷0.0257＝
0.6563384…, which comes to about 65–66%.