Stokid A child stoker, particularly one using a kidback tandem. I coined this term in November, 1995. Straight gauge Not butted , i.e., a tube which has the same wall thickness from end to end, or a spoke which has the same thickness fron end to end. Straight Spokes Originally, spokes didn't have the elbow, and they were straight from one end to the other. This required a special type of hub, which was harder to manufacture than conventional hubs.
Straight spokes are also harder to lace up, and tend to revolve when the nipple is turned.
Since no bicycle technology ever disappears entirely, straight spokes get re-invented from time to time, but have not met with commercial success in the last hundred years. Relieving New spokes have residual stresses manufactured into them when they are bent at the elbow. It is impossible to build a reliable wheel without neutralizing these stresses. This is accomplished by bending or otherwise applying extra tension to the spokes. For more detail on this see the stress relieving section of my Wheelbuilding article .