[CR]When did DT start making bike spokes?

(Example: Framebuilders)

From: "Mark Bulgier" <mark@bulgier.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 00:30:14 -0700
Subject: [CR]When did DT start making bike spokes?

When did DT start making bike spokes? The DT-Swiss website says the company was formed in 1994 - from a company that had been making wire products since the 17th century. I don't think either date is the right answer to my question!

The reason I wonder is I saw this nice set of wheels on ebay, http://ebay.com/<blah>

The hubs are '71, the rims are right for a '71, and the seller says the wheels were built at the Mondia factory in '71 with DT spokes. Right country, but I thought DT started making bike spokes later than that. Anyone else remember an article that said something to the effect that DT, Drahtwerke Trefilerie or "Wireworks Wireworks" in German then French, was dragged kicking and screaming into the bike spoke market when Robergel stopped? That would make it more like late 70s, right?

Maybe I just didn't start noticing them in the US until they'd been around for a while.

Mark Bulgier
Seattle, Wa
USA