Sapim Race J Bend Double Butted 14|15|14g - 2.0|1.8|2.0mm Spokes
The Sapim Race is the spoke we build more wheels with than any other. It is a 2.0/1.8/2.0mm double-butted stainless spoke, cold-forged in Belgium, and it hits the balance of strength, elasticity and weight that suits road, gravel, mountain and touring wheels alike. At about 362 grams per 64 it is a little heavier than a Laser and a good deal stronger, and it is the round spoke the factory itself points most riders to.
This page covers the J-bend Sapim Race J Bend Double Butted 14|15|14g - 2.0|1.8|2.0mm Spokes. Cut to length for your rim and hub and built into a finished wheel in Georgia: that is the only way these spokes leave the shop.
Design and construction
Butting a spoke moves the strength to where it is needed. The elbow and the thread carry the stress concentrations, so the Race keeps them at 2.0mm; the middle of the spoke sees only tension, so it is drawn to 1.8mm. The thinner middle also stretches a little more under load, which lets the spoke share shock with its neighbors instead of the nipple or the rim taking it, and it winds up less during building than a 1.5mm Laser.
The factory cold-forges the head and elbow from its 18/8 stainless, rolls the threads so the grain stays intact, and makes the Race in black or silver, J-bend and straight-pull, in every length we need. It is the same spec as the DT Swiss Competition, and we build with both.
It is made in lengths from about 130 to 310mm in even millimeters, which is why it fits everything from a 20in folding-bike wheel to a 36-spoke 29er, and it takes any standard 14-gauge nipple. The 1.8mm middle is thick enough that the Race resists wind-up during building far better than a Laser, which is one reason builders love it: the wheel comes up true quickly and stays true.
How it rides
A Race wheel is the reference point most riders know without realizing it. It is lighter than a straight-gauge wheel, a touch more compliant over rough surfaces, and it holds tension for years. We use the Race on road, gravel, cross-country, trail and enduro wheels, commuters and touring bikes; it is the all-purpose spoke.
For the lightest wheels the Laser and CX-Ray are lighter; for loaded touring, e-bikes and tandems the Strong is stiffer at the elbow.
A good test of a spoke is how the wheel looks after a year, and a Race wheel built to even tension usually needs nothing at its first check. We have customers on Race spokes with fifty thousand miles on the same wheel.
Specifications
| Gauge | 14/15/14G |
|---|---|
| Profile | Double-butted |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Spoke head | Jb14|15|14 |
| Finishes | silver, black, blue, bluebaby, bluecandy, blueceleste, coppercandy, goldcandy, greenantifreeze, greenkawasaki, orange, orangecandy, pinkflorescent, purplecandy, red, redcandy, turquoisecandy, turquoiseyeti, white, yellowcardinal, yellowflorescent |
This listing
This is the J-bend Sapim Race spokes, a 14/15/14g butted section. A J-bend spoke has the elbow formed into the head and drops through a drilled flange, which is the older and far more common pattern. It fits almost any hub, replacements can be found in any decent shop anywhere in the world, and the elbow is the part that eventually fails - which is why it is seated properly and the wheel stress-relieved before it leaves us. If your hub has drilled flanges, this is the one you want.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Sapim Race J Bend Double Butted 14|15|14g - 2.0|1.8|2.0mm Spokes is cut to length for your build; the configurator reads the rim's ERD and the hub's flange dimensions and works out the length. J-bend Race spokes fit any standard J-bend hub in the catalog.
We pair Race spokes with brass Polyax nipples on trail, gravel, touring and carbon-rim wheels and alloy Polyax nipples on lighter road builds; the configurator offers both.
What goes into a Sapim spoke
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.
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.
The butted middle is not about saving weight so much as giving the spoke somewhere to stretch. A thinner mid-section elongates more for the same tension, so it holds that tension through pot-holes and hard corners instead of going slack and loosening the nipple. That is why a well-built wheel on Laser or Race spokes often stays true longer than the same wheel built with plain-gauge spokes, and it is why we reach for a butted spoke on almost every build where the rider's weight allows it.
An independent spoke strength test
ProWheelBuilder's part is picking the right spoke for the wheel and lacing it, and we will tell you honestly which one we would use.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
The Race is made in Belgium; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. We cut Race spokes from the measured ERD of the rim in hand, lace the wheel by hand, bring it up in stages with a tension 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.
Spoke length is where most wheel problems start, so we do not trust a catalog ERD. Every rim is measured in the shop before spokes are cut, the hub's flange diameter and center-to-flange are checked against our own database, and the two are run through the same calculator we publish on this site. A spoke that is a millimeter short pulls the nipple threads; a millimeter long pokes through the rim bed. We cut to the half millimeter.
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. Wheels we build around this part are covered by our own one-year warranty alongside the maker's. Within the year: broken spokes replaced regardless of cause, and the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning or a complete rebuild - included. A manufacturer-covered rim or hub failure is a claim we make and manage for you; one they will not cover is answered with an eligible replacement at 25% off retail. Shipping each way is yours. Parts you supply yourself fall outside it.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Race J Bend Double Butted 14|15|14g - 2.0|1.8|2.0mm Spokes questions
Should I take this in J-bend or straight-pull?
Whichever your hub takes - it is decided by the hub, not by preference. A J-bend spoke drops through a drilled flange and is what the large majority of hubs use, which also makes a replacement easy to find anywhere. If your hub holds the spoke head directly with no drilling, you need the straight-pull Sapim Race spokes, which is a separate listing.
Race or Laser?
Race for most riders and most wheels; Laser for the lightest build on a lighter rider. The Race is stronger and easier to keep true.
Race or DT Swiss Competition?
They are the same spec, 2.0/1.8/2.0mm double-butted stainless, and we build with both. Choose by color and availability; the wheel will ride the same.
Is the Race strong enough for e-bikes?
For lighter e-bikes, yes, with brass nipples. For heavy e-MTBs, cargo bikes and tandems we recommend the Strong or E-Strong.
Silver or black?
Cosmetic only; both are the same 18/8 stainless steel.
Which nipples go with Race spokes?
Brass Polyax for trail, gravel, touring and carbon rims; alloy Polyax where the last few grams matter and the wheel is kept clean.
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.
