HED Jet replacement spoke

ex-pat scot

Cycling to work this morning and stopped to sort out rear wheel rub.
Turns out I've a broken non-drive side spoke in my nice HED Jet Ironman triathlon rear wheel.
I've just resurrected a never-used TT machine, that I had built up in late 1994 (don't ask). Wheel has done <200 miles.
It's a deep section rim, but the carbon is a "fairing" style and there is a standard alloy box section rim underneath the carbon rim fairing.

My problem: finding a replacement spoke! And fitting it...
The UK HED importers don't go that far back. Can't contact US HED.
The spoke is a bladed central section, with nipple threads either end - hub and rim.

I guess I have 2 challenges:

1. finding a suitable spoke! I will dissemble the remains of the spoke tonight to check overall length, length of bladed section etc.

2. fitting the darn thing. The hub end nipple will need removing and replacing (it presently has the snapped threaded end of the spoke inside). I think / hope I can get the nipple out by disassembly of hub. I do have the special spoke tool (basically a long hex wrench) for the rim nipple.

Any suggestions / experience on either locating or disassembly of hub? I know some wheel mfrs can make their own custom spokes with thread cutter machines, so that might be one option. I guess I'd be happy to live with a non-matching spoke (eg round rather than bladed) if it meant saving the wheel.

If I can't, then I suspect my only remaining option is to rebuild with a new "normal" hub and spokes.

Monty Dog

Geting a suitable replacement might be your challenge - once you've fished yours out, may be worth talking to someone like Paul Hewitt to see if they can help? He'll probably have a spoke cutter/threader too. Also worth checking whether spoke threads ar LH or RH?

ex-pat scot

Cheers Monty. I hope to goodness the threads are RH at least....

ex-pat scot

Threads are RH.
Hub end nipple comes out by removing axle. It will be rather fiddly to get the new one back in again.
Spoke is steel, straight, flat bladed centre section and 300 mm long including threaded ends

Monty Dog

Some Easton wheels use twin-thread spokes - you might be very lucky that they use the same length? I found a related thread on Easton wheels and the suggestion was to use a suitable DT Aerolite spoke, chop-off the head and thread to the right length. For installation, use Loctite at the hub-end and install as a regular spoke.

maryka

Bump, what was the end result with the Hed spoke? I broke one of mine yesterday in the same way (front wheel, standard Jet 6 with Hed hub) and need to sort out the hows and wheres of replacing it. Did you need to replace the nipple at the hub too I guess?

ugo.santalucia

maryka wrote:

Bump, what was the end result with the Hed spoke? I broke one of mine yesterday in the same way (front wheel, standard Jet 6 with Hed hub) and need to sort out the hows and wheres of replacing it. Did you need to replace the nipple at the hub too I guess?

Nipple at the hub? Aren't these just normal straight pull CX Ray spokes at the front?

EDIT... twin threads... ahhhh.. good luck!