All of the spokes I build with are made of stainless steel. Rims and hub shells are made of aluminum. Given the properties of each metal, properly built wheels should never suffer from spoke breakage, because steel is able to flex much, much more than aluminum before breaking. Spokes that break are usually undertensioned, which causes them to flex excessively and eventually fail.  Neglecting to stress relieve spokes can also cause spoke breakage.  Stess relieving removes the stress in the spoke that results from cold forging the bend at the spoke head. If a wheel is built properly, the spokes will last and the wheel will remain true (it is possible even a well built wheel will need minor truing) until the hub flange cracks, the rim cracks, or the rim sidewall is worn too thin from use by the brake pads. I consider these three events to mark the lifetime of a wheel, and until you reach one, my lifetime guarantee will cover any truing or broken spokes.

If your wheel ever needs truing I’ll do it for free. If a spoke breaks and needs replacing I’ll do it for free. If multiple spokes break then I’ll conclude that something is wrong with the spokes–or wheelbuild–and rebuild the entire wheel with new spokes for free (this has never happened).

This guarantee does not cover spoke breakage or damage from crashes or wrecks–you’ll need to talk to your insurance agent about that.  It doesn’t cover overshifting and throwing your chain into your spokes, resulting in bent or otherwise damaged spokes.

With “approved components” means wheels suitable for the rider’s weight and intended use of the bicycle wheels.  If you weight 275 pounds and want 415 gram rims and 24 spoke wheels I’ll suggest something else.  I’ll build the wheels if you insist, but the wheels won’t be covered by my warranty.

The warranty covers parts and labor, but not shipping. So in a sense it isn’t much practical use to my out-of-town customers, but it does give you a good idea about what I expect from my wheels in terms of durability.