I am a stupid shite (broken spoke)

Mr.Duck

So my wheels where not exactly perfectly straight. I later realized they could be made true with a spoke wrench, but still I did nothing. So I hear this troubling noise while pedaling along. I check it out, and the found the wheel would get stuck against the break pad, stopping it from turning freely. I just disconnected the rear break to continue on my way. When I got home I found one of the spokes had snapped (rear wheel drive side, naturally). I'm guessing too much load went through the one spoke because the other ones were loose or something like that. But now I need to learn how to fix it.

- So first of all, where do you even buy a spoke from? Halfords seem to sell rims, but no spokes??
- Can I just try and true the wheel and ride it with a spoke missing for now?
- Before I buy a spoke wrench tool, is it possible to adjust the spokes some other way like with pliers or vice grips?
- I'm really confused at what tool I would need to take the cassette off. I have a Shimano 6 speed. This is the cheapest cassette tool from Wiggle. Is it suitable? I have no idea. It says bottom bracket too, can that be right? I looked at YouTube cassette removal and some need a chainwhip and some don't. I can't explain why.

I will appreciate any explainations and help, and I am ready to absorb new knowledge

thistle_

I've bought spokes from Halfords in the past. My local shop had quite a limited range and I was lucky. If you're not sure how to measure them, just take your wheel in and they should be able to measure it. Your LBS will be able to do the same and might have a bigger selection of spokes to get a better match.

You can ride with a spoke missing but it will put more force into the other spokes and you might still end up with a bit of wobble in it.

You could use pliers, mole grips etc. to turn the nipples but you risk rounding off the sides which will make it impossible to turn. You can get a really cheap spoke key here http://www.xtools.co.uk/silverline-spok ... tAodgw0A9g (almost the same price as a spoke...)

If you need a cassette tool and a spoke key, have you seen the Aldi/Lidl tool kits? If it's a Shimano cassette (not a freewheel) then you need one that looks like this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cyclus-shimano- ... g-remover/

If you're going to a shop to buy a spoke, you may as well buy the spoke key and cassette tool at the same time. The cassette tool is only 76p more in Halfords than at Wiggle..

supersonic

First off you don't have a cassette - you have a freewheel. They are similar but subtley different. Freewheels do not require a chainwhip as they screw onto the hub, so you need a freewheel tool/remover.

I personally would not ride with a broken spoke. Your wheel will be very unbalanced (as well as out of true), possibly causing further problems.

The Rookie

Replacing a spoke is very easy, cassette or freewheel off, tyre tube and rim tape off, remove old spoke and then noting carefully how it's fitted fit new one, you may have to bend it GENTLY to slide it through, don't bend in one spot just guide the tip.

Attach nipple and do up, once it's tensioned the wheel will be about as true as it was before the spoke failed. My rear wheel (bought used and done over 3000miles since) is now about 50% replacement spokes, I'd pension it off but it's a decent hub and good rim and like for like would cost me about £50 to replace while I happen to have an old front wheel with knackered hub and the right length spokes to 'borrow'!

Mr.Duck

Thanks for the replies.

That spoke wench looks good. Delivery isn't free though. So I found it for £1.69 on Amazon. There are ones that look the same from Chinese eBay sellers for £0.99. Do you think they would be exactly the same or a lower grade knock off? There is this BBB BTL-15 Turner II Spoke Wrench for £3.56 too. It says it is CroMo, so it might be more hard wearing. What do you think?

I had a go at truing the front wheel with the mole grips (pliers were a non starter). Some of the nipples look marred up and damaged when I was done, I couldn't get the wheel perfectly straight (is it meant to look perfect?), but otherwise I would call it a success. How tight do the spokes have to be? I started off tightening them up until they felt quite stiff and in tension.

How do you know I have a freewheel? So I woud need this? http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_242558

Another think that's not clear is that once I take the wheel off, I will have the axle sticking out. I don't see how that tool is going to fit. Does that make sense?

supersonic

6 speed cassettes do not exist, all are freehweels. That tool should do fine - will be hollow all the way through.

Mr.Duck

OK, thanks. I think you are right. So I'm confident I need either that Halfords freewheel tool, or a Park Tool FR-1, which will be equivalent. (The Park Tool FR-5 would be needed for removing a cassette, which I don't need, but if I did then that would be the tool).

So I've ordered that Silverline Spoke Key too. I found it is different to the cheap chineese eBay ones. The Silverline one has the 14 and 15 gauge duplicated for extended life. Once I'm sure which size I need then maybe I will get one of these Lifeline spoke wrenches from Wiggle (depending on how good the Silverline one is). The LifeLine wenches look like they will work really well and last.

I've also got an awful old mountain bike I can practice taking apart and harvest it's spokes. Maybe even harvest the freewheel from it. All the bearings like in the axle are completely shot, leaking grease, difficult to turn by hand, really shocking for a 'working' bike. Even the pedals feel like they are grinding up grit as they turn. But the freewheel on it is a Shimano 6 speed, and that should be salvageable, right?

montyburns56

supersonic wrote:

6 speed cassettes do not exist, all are freehweels.

They do, they just don't make them anymore.

Mr.Duck

montyburns56 wrote:

supersonic wrote:

6 speed cassettes do not exist, all are freehweels.

They do, they just don't make them anymore.

And if it's 8/9/10 speed, then it's always going to be a cassette? Or with few exceptions?

My Silverline Spoke Key arrived. It's quite heavy, tough looking. I had to use a flat bladed screwdriver to file out this large metal burr out of one of the holes. It's not made to a very high precision. For example there are 2 seperate holes marked size 14 (14 gauge?), one of them would be too tight to fit, but the other one would fit on the same spoke nipple. Do you know how that size 14 translates into 3.2mm/3.3mm/3.5mm on other spoke wenches? It's not as obvious as I assumed it would be.

As for my snapped spoke, I've trued up the wheel as is for now. Rear breaks are back on and working even better than before. One thing that caused me some concern when truing another wheel with all spokes intact (which was pretty wonky when I started), was the spokes that needed tightning to bring the rim over were already clearly tight, and the corresponding spokes for the other side of the hub were already really quite loose. Has that happened to anyone?

The Rookie

Mr.Duck wrote:

was the spokes that needed tightning to bring the rim over were already clearly tight, and the corresponding spokes for the other side of the hub were already really quite loose. Has that happened to anyone?

Yes, you can get that if the spokes are overtightened all roud, the wheel buckles slightly to try and reduce the diameter....sometimes it is then adviseable to loosen the spokes slightly......cheap shite rim though I suspect....

supersonic

And if it's 8/9/10 speed, then it's always going to be a cassette? Or with few exceptions?

Being pedantic, there are some 8 speed freewheels.