Hi all,
Here is what I have heard about the pulling spokes on the drive side:
When you crank down on the pedal, the pulling spoke is tensioned. This tension will cause the pulling spoke to straighten out and "pull" the spoke that it crosses away from the rear derailleur. For all you riders in the peleton, this could is an issue as you sprint for the line.
However, the rest of us, on occasion, will overshift the rear derailleur. I lace all my rear wheels with the pulling spoke on the drive side from the inside (head facing in). This way, if the rear derailleur overshifts, the spoke rotation will tend to spit the chain out, rather than suck it in. I rarely generate enough power to cause the spoke to go into the rear derailler when the pulling spoke is tensioned.
I have also heard discussion about spoke breakage and which direction the spoke will "shoot" when it breaks.
Dennis Stover
Arleta, CA