Sapim Leader Straight Pull 14G OR 2.0mm Spokes
The Sapim Leader is the plain 2.0mm straight-gauge spoke, and it is the honest choice for a wheel that has to work rather than impress. There is no butting and no blade; the Leader is 14 gauge from end to end, cold-forged in Belgium from Sapim's 18/8 stainless with rolled threads.
This page covers the straight-pull Sapim Leader Straight Pull 14G OR 2.0mm Spokes, the version with no elbow for straight-pull hubs. We sell Leader spokes only as part of a wheel we build, cut to length; choose your rim, hub and nipples in the configurator and the wheel ships from Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
A straight-gauge spoke is 2.0mm from the elbow to the thread. Compared with a double-butted spoke like the Sapim Race, the Leader is a little heavier and a little stiffer, and it gives up nothing in strength; a 2.0mm middle simply has more steel in it than a 1.8mm one. The head and elbow are cold-forged, which work-hardens the steel exactly where a spoke usually fails, and the rolled thread mates cleanly with any 14-gauge brass or alloy nipple.
How it rides
A Leader wheel feels solid and stays solid. The stiffness of a straight-gauge spoke is small compared with a butted one, but on a loaded commuter or a cargo bike it adds up to a wheel that tracks straight and does not go out of true. On a lightweight road or cross-country wheel we would suggest the Race or Laser instead; the Leader is the spoke for wheels that carry weight, take abuse and get locked outside.
On a commuter with a dynamo hub and a rack, a 36-spoke Leader wheel on a Velocity Chukker or Dyad is close to the ideal: it will not be light, and it will not need attention for years. The stiffness of a straight-gauge spoke also makes the wheel a little more precise under a heavy load, which riders notice as a bike that tracks straight with panniers on.
Specifications
| Gauge | 14G |
|---|---|
| Profile | Straight gauge |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Spoke head | Sp14 |
| Finishes | silver, black |
Which version this is
What this listing covers: the 14g straight gauge Leader in the straight-pull pattern. A straight-pull spoke has no elbow: it leaves the hub in a straight line and the flange holds the head directly. That removes the bend that J-bend spokes break at, and it keeps the spoke loaded purely in tension. It only fits hubs built for it, and it is not interchangeable with J-bend - so check the hub before ordering, because a straight-pull spoke will not go into a drilled flange at all.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Sapim Leader Straight Pull 14G OR 2.0mm Spokes is cut to length for your build; the configurator reads the rim's ERD and the hub's straight-pull flange dimensions and works out the length. Straight-pull Leaders fit straight-pull hubs only; pick a straight-pull hub and the configurator offers them.
We pair straight-pull Leader spokes with brass Sapim Polyax nipples.
Sapim spokes, and how we choose them
Sapim has been drawing spoke wire in Belgium since 1918, and the range is built around one idea: the same wire and the same head, drawn to different middles. A Leader is 2.0 mm all the way through. A Race is 2.0 mm at the ends and 1.8 mm in the middle. A Laser takes the middle down to 1.5 mm. A CX-Ray is a Laser that has then been flat-forged into a blade, which is why it is light and aerodynamic without being a fragile spoke. Every one of them keeps a full-diameter head and thread, because those are the two places a spoke actually fails.
Treat it as what it is. One test, five pulls per spoke, measuring yield load on a straight pull in a machine rather than a laced wheel under a rider - and it does not capture fatigue life, which is what actually ends most spokes in service. It is also not new; it predates Snyder closing. But it is a real measurement, on real samples, by someone with nothing to sell, and it is part of why Sapim is what we reach for.
These are the spokes we build with day in, day out. We stock the whole working range in both J-bend and straight-pull, in the lengths our builds actually call for, so a wheel is not waiting on a spoke order. If you are not sure which model your build wants, tell us the rim, the hub and roughly what you weigh and we will tell you which one we would use.
An independent spoke strength test
The manufacturing detail above comes from the maker. The choice of spoke for a given build is ours, and we will explain it if you ask.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Sapim makes the Leader in Belgium; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. A straight-gauge spoke is one of the easiest to build well because it barely winds up under the nipple; we still cut Leaders from the measured ERD of the rim in hand, bring the wheel up in stages with a gauge, stress-relieve it and true it before it ships.
The configurator recommends a spoke gauge and count from your bike type and weight, and only shows spokes that fit the hub you choose.
Tension is the last thing we do and the thing we spend longest on. Every wheel comes up in three or four rounds, with a tensiometer reading on every spoke at each round, and is stress-relieved between rounds so the spokes bed into the flange and the nipples seat before the final true. It is why a wheel built here holds tension for years rather than needing a tweak after the first ride.
Warranty
Manufacturer's warranty. Sapim Spokes warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship. The duration, conditions and claim process are set by Sapim Spokes and can change without notice, so ask us and we will confirm the current terms before you buy.
ProWheelBuilder. Our one-year wheel warranty applies to any wheel we build around this part, alongside whatever the manufacturer offers. Inside that year, broken spokes are replaced no matter how they broke, and the wheel labor is ours - truing, re-tensioning or a full rebuild. A rim or hub failure that the maker covers, we claim for you and see through; one the maker declines, we answer with an eligible replacement at 25% off current retail. Shipping both ways is yours, and components you supply yourself fall outside this cover.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Leader Straight Pull 14G OR 2.0mm Spokes questions
Will this straight-pull spoke fit my hub?
Only if the hub was built for straight-pull spokes - the flange holds the head directly and there is no drilled hole for an elbow to sit in. It is not a preference, it is a fit: a straight-pull spoke cannot be made to work in a J-bend flange. Check the hub, or send us the make and model and we will tell you which pattern it takes. The same Leader is listed separately in J-bend.
Leader or Race?
Leader for commuter, touring, cargo and utility wheels where price and stiffness matter; Race for road, gravel and mountain wheels where a little less weight and a little more compliance is welcome.
Is the Leader weaker than a butted spoke?
No. A straight 2.0mm spoke has more steel in the middle than a butted one; butting saves weight, not strength.
Sapim Leader or DT Swiss Champion?
The same spec, a 2.0mm straight-gauge stainless spoke, and we build with both. Choose by color and availability.
What is the 12-gauge Leader?
A 2.6mm straight spoke for the heaviest cargo, wheelchair and industrial wheels; it needs 12-gauge nipples and matching rim drilling.
Which nipples go with Leader spokes?
Brass, almost always. The wheels a Leader belongs in see salt, rain and years of use, and brass nipples do not corrode or round off the way alloy nipples can.
Do I choose the spoke length?
No. The configurator calculates the length from the rim's ERD and the hub's flange geometry; we cut and thread the spokes here.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
