My understanding is that wheels built with butted spokes are less prone to breakage over the long haul because the spokes can absorb more of the stress. This is not a concern for professional racers who have many wheels at their disposal. For them, I would think that stiffness is more of a concern than spoke breakage.
Kevin Ko Eugene, OR USA
http://www.cyclingnews.com/
>
> These look like straight gauge spokes to me. If
> butted spokes are stronger, as some have claimed,
> wouldn't these wheels have butted?
>
> Wes Oishi
> SoundCycles