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going to try and build a wheel , have found are DT Swiss Competition Race Spokes in the size I need.
Are these a good choice of spoke?
also I have some halo nipples, can these be used or do I need to get some dt swiss ones
I was recommended the DT Swiss comps for my first wheel builds, seem good value and well regarded.
Nipples as long as they're the right size (e.g. 1.8mm or 2mm thread) they should be fine I'd have thought. They all have the same thread pitch as far as I'm aware.
Very much looking forward to building my first set, just waiting on hubs to arrive!
I built up my last set with some ACI double butted spokes which sit in between the standard competition and the competition races spokes, with a 1.7 mm butted section. Can get them at much lower prices than most of the DT Swiss spokes from cycle basket:
https://www.cyclebasket.com/m9b0s454p979/ACI_Alpina_Stainless_Steel_DB_Spokes_Silver_Singles_
DT Comps are pretty much the go to for most from DT, similar to Sapim Race, which is the ones i tend to use as i struggle to get DTs in the sizes every time i build or repair a wheel.
Comp Race ought to be a great spoke but unfortunately it's really hard to google for. Seriously, I think the model's pretty much failed to break through for that reason.
Comps and Sapim Races are probably close to the default choice for mtb? It's what I use for anything harder use, they're a great balance of weight strength and cost.
Halo nipples are fine, used them quite often.
I'd probably avoid them for a first build, and go for comps instead. Whilst there's nothing wrong with Races, the thinner section allows them to wind up more when tightening, requiring much more feel for what's happening, and on a first time build you won't have developed that feeling. You'll still be able to build a good wheel with them, but it'll be a bit harder to acheive.
If in doubt go Comps, they're kinda the industry standard and for good reason.