My spoke inventory has been refreshed and most sizes are back in stock. I keep DT Swiss Competition and Revolution butted spokes on hand in both silver and black. I also keep a small stock of straight gauge spokes from DT, Sapim and Wheelsmith but these are mostly for repairs. As usual aero spokes and the gamut of colored spokes and nipples are available by special order.

Deciding what sizes to stock involves tough compromises for the precision-minded. It feels really expensive to keep 1mm increments on hand when that kind of error is tolerable (and industry standard). For that matter some spoke types are only produced in 2mm increments.

To mitigate this issue I’ve installed a Morizumi spoke cutting tool in my workshop. This is a precision machine, made in Japan, and a beauty to behold. It cuts and rolls spoke threads using the exact processes found in spoke manufacturing. It carries a substantial pricetag but seems worth it for the ability to deliver spoke lengths on demand.