Continious broken spoke problems

Continuous breaking spoke problems is what happens with general tweaking wheels without any real bicycle wheel engineering knowledge.

You can use any wheel as a model to help understand wheel mechanic principles. New bikes are ideal, but any untouched wheel will be as good a model. Inspecting the spoke arrangement of new bike is a ideal way to learn what your replacement spoke should be. You will see by default spokes are entangled in a zigzag under and over paten pressing on each in turn the circumference of the wheel.

The entangled criss crossing suspend the whole bike from the central hub flange. looking closely at the flange detail you will observe alternating in and out spoke heads. One head inward and the one next to it outward the next one inward and the next one outward round the entire circumference both flange sides.

Observing the details of a good wheel (or a brand new bike or wheel) you will observe how every spoke head sits perfectly square in every flange hole is an ideal model how the head of your replacement spoke should site properly.

If the spoke head doesn't sit flush in the concave of the hub flange hole properly our peddling motion twist/bend flexes the spoke head in the hole eventually snapping off at the head.

If you have a spare spoke looking at one with the head intact (a brand new spoke is ideal) you will observe a wood screw like head concave to the head. If you have a spare hub flange observing the hub flange details of each hole you will observe a reciprocal concave hole in the hub flange in every spoke hole.

Replacing a spoke ignoring the pattern details of the wheel the potential  of creating gap when supposed to cross allowing the twisting forces transferred to the head at the hub flange leading to less than a kilometer fatigue, finally breaking off at the head. Following a new ( any or a good wheel ), pattern as a guide, specially rebuilding wheels, will go a long way in solving constant breaking spoke problems once and for all.

In replacing a broken spoke make sure the replacement sits exactly in line with the rest of the wheel and exactly as a new bike wheel will show.

Studying spoke arrangements of brand new bikes shows a perfect mathematically symmetrical. The entangled crossing over and under each other paten helps with an aniti-twisting on every spoke round the entire circumference. New bikes show as the spoke heads are seated properly as the wheel rotates each spoke crossing each other holds fast each other in a precise symmetry. The flow of spokes round the whole wheel support every and each spoke in turn.

Each spoke can't flex because of each overlapping neighboring spoke holding each other fast. The twisting forces in our peddling is not absorbed by each neighboring spoke in each turn of the wheel. The zigzagging crisscross is what makes bike wheels so sturdy.

Radial spoke patterns are only suitable for front wheel pursuit racing bikes, not strong for off road sport, let alone rear wheel rider support.

Salvaged donor parts will save money of course. Changing donor components, modifying and adding accessories to enhance personal customization, comfort, performance and appearance requires some bicycle engineering knowledge specially when it comes to rebuilding wheels.

Tire size is wheel size. It is written on the side of the tire wall. ( The x is the width across them ). Tape measures have imperial inches one side and metric on the flop side. The two different measuring systems on the same tape makes it easy to measure check both systems.

Measuring the tire will measurer the whole wheel in imperial inches and the flipside metric millimeters. Mountain and commuter city bikes are commonalty 26 imperil inches or the metric 700mm, expressed as 700C. Comparing a metric tire against an imperial inch tire will be little smaller.

It is an important piece of information because the length of 700c spokes are shorter than the imperil inch wheel equivalent. Counting the number of spokes round the circumference of any wheel will guide you how many spokes are common.

You will find road pursuit racing wheels less than 30 spokes scientifically interlaced crossed balance and weight ratio. Common commuter and mountain bikes are 32 to 36. Cargo carrying capacity can be as many as 40.

Tracing the spokes you will observe ( front and back wheels the same ) the gear cluster ( or the chain side ) and opposite sides. In other words the left and right sides of the wheel.

Note the pattern is a perfectly balance in a mathematically symmetry. The lesson leant here. overlapping entanglement pressing each spoke, is the key to preventing broken spokes.

Observing the hub flange, trace an inward head of a spoke to the rim. You can use the gear cluster or opposite side perspective if you like. It doesn't matter because everything is perfectly symmetrical.

Count five spokes along. Tracing the fifth spoke to the hub flange you will observe it is an outward head. All spokes are a perfect repeating symmetry paten round the entire circumference of the rim both sides of the wheel.

Observing the hub flange, again this time tracing an inward head to the rim.

Count 11 spokes along. Tracing the 11th spoke to the hub flange you will observe it is the next inward head. All spokes are this perfect repeating symmetry paten round the entire circumference of the rim both sides of the wheel. The same with every outward heard.

A closer look at the spokes crossing each other the first cross is across the the head of the neighboring spoke on hub flange.

Observe crossing the next spoke presses on the next spoke. Every spoke is a symmetrical repeat. each spoke crosses over the next one. Standard mountain and commuter bikes are 3 cross, and strong cargo carrying capability wheels can be up to 4.

It is important to observe how flush every spoke head in every hub flange hole appear to be. It should be the goal of replacing spokes.

In the secondary detail  the entangled over and under each spoke like symmetry holds each other from twisting off the head at hub flanges. The spokes keep each other rigid. If these details are ignored when replacing a spoke ,is what causes this frequent breaking.

Once you have studied a wheel you will have an idea of replacing broken spokes following the wheel paten specially rebuilding any wheel from scratch.

We all have phones. Using the camera we can take a photo and enhancing image in a image editor program highlight the points with key words and arrows for our personal reference.

An important piece of information is the heads of the spokes. Examining a spare spoke head you will observe j shape with the head concaved. Comparing the spoke holes in the hub flange you will see a mirror image inverted concave.

If they don't fit properly the j shape will site out encouraging flexing. The concave of the spoke head has to sit in the inverted concave in the hub flange properly. Examining any wheel you may be able to see evidence of this. If not sitting property evidence the hub flange is to thin, a give away badly worm from tweaking attempts, the wrong hub design for the spokes, or the wrong spokes for the hub respectively.

A trick is to add a washer between the concave of the spoke head and hub flange to help take up the slack.

If you haven't removed the spoke let it find the hole in the flange by lining it up to locate the spoke hole in the hub flange. Carefully note the the characteristics described.

If you have already removed the spoke, search both sides of the flange locating the missing spoke hole. You will either find it behind the gear cluster, or the opposite side.

One broken spoke is pretty well straight forward. But there are problems if there is more than one you are replacing. If you are not watching what you are doing you can have all sorts of problems with a spoke either to shot or to long that ends up distorting the rim.

Make sure you recognize if to long or two short means differences between imperil, metric and the wrong spoke hole apart in the rim symmetry.

Make sure you recognize warps in the rim will be caused by any incorrect distance apart one or couple of spokes in the rim. This can cause either far to short or poking out of the rim hole far to far.

It causes uneven pull with stubborn wheel wobble no matter how much time you spend straightening it out. And the wheel won't hold. At first riding may seem as smooth as ice but in less than a kilometer will start to feel a bad wobble getting worse all the time. Then an alarming clunk of a breaking spoke again.

Make sure if a neighboring in head on the head flange installed just as the other wheel you pattern observed relative to the neighboring spoke heads, the spokes correctly distanced in the rim, the alternating in out head paten, the spoke crosses, the in and out entangled firm against each spoke. If in doubt you can always refer to the wheel's spoke paten.

Broken the gear cluster side, obviously the cluster has to be removed. Old bikes up to the 1908's commuter bikes tend to be the old screw on that require the appropriate old fashioned gear cluster removing tool. Internal gear hubs are held on by the sprocket itself in turn held on by a clip. Modern multi gear cluster wheels use bundle sprocket cassette types.

The smallest sprockets acts as the fastener ( or nut if you like ) for the main body. A proper bicycle cassette spline tool fits in the smallest sprocket. Remember when peddling, the thread direction tightens the sprocket a right hand thread. An easy way to remember undoing is in the direction of the reverse freewheeling of the cranks a left hand thread. When undoing think reverse freewheeling direction. And of course reassembly the thread is the direction of peddling.

The main body slides off the hub spline.

After you have removed the broken spoke note which side of the wheel, the gear cluster or opposite side is being replaced.

If an older generation external gear classic bike, the out dated multi cluster has two lugs that fit in the slots in the gear cluster where the axial goes though. There is no need to remove the axel as you can fit the tool directly over it the axle protrudes neatly out the tool hole. The undoing is the direction of peddling.

During the life of the wheel, your peddling torque was constantly tightened on the hub, so don't be suppressed if it is on so tight will never seem to be able to come off any other way without the tool.

Bicycle reaper shops have the tool resources and a vice. If you have, good. Do what they do. The tool is anchored in the jaws of the vice. When the wheel is removed the wheel itself is placed in the matching lugs of the tool clamped in the vice. There is lots of room for powerful grappling torque pulling the wheel round like a huge steering wheel. Remember in the direction of the revere freewheeling to unlock. That helps gets tight ones undone. The only alternative is oil treatment round the thread where you can get at.

You can get a way with a jerry-rig tube spanner that fits neatly the sprocket's spline. An advantage you can use a ring spanner as a leverage for tight ones.

Removing the wheel is simple. If the rear wheel the rear wheel gear derailleur will stay on the bike when you remove the wheel

Threading the new spoke make sure it is in or out according to the rest of the head paten, crosses the spoke head on the flange neatly like the rest of the flange. Cross the next spoke making sure it is pressed hard on it and the next spoke in the same uniform pattern the rest of the wheel round the circumference of the hub flange.

With the bike upside down resting on the seat and handle bars set the gear levers so the chain is engaged with the smallest front Chain wheel and smallest rear sprocket. 

Undo the wheel nuts enough the wheel is only loose in the drop outs. Or if one of those quick release wheels undo the lever so that the wheel is only lose. These parts can stay on the axel when you lift out the wheel so they don't get lost.

If your bike has rim brakes the brake pads will inevitably catch on the inflated wall of the tire preventing the wheel from coming out. Problem solved anyway, when you have to take off the tire to get at the spoke nipples in the rim. Deflate the tire vacuum flat. Vacuum flat tire walls clears the break pads.

Depending on whether your left or right handed use your handed side instinct to position yourself lifting the wheel up and forwards  with one hand and with the other hand clear the chain from the gear cluster. You can lift out the wheel. The gear changer remains in place. The same procedure with your hand side position in reverse when replacing the wheel.

The next step is removing the tire.

If the spoke needs to be replaced on the gear cluster side, after removing the gear cluster replace the bare rim back into the drop out and finger tight the wheel nuts.

Copy the neighboring spokes head paten insetting the spoke thought the flange making sure it the same paten the entire circumference of the flange. Make sure the cross according the head pattern in the hub flange is uniform with the rest of the spokes too. Fit the thread of the spoke though spoke rim hole threading the spoke nipple on to the thread of the new spoke.

Don't wrench the new nipple with the spoke tool. Only finger tight. It is important to remember you will be pulling a bow this part of the rim. Uniform cross the entire circumference of the wheel avoids creating bumps in the rim but pulls to one side.

Rotate the wheel freely observing a side any side wobble between the brake pads. Don't wrench tight the new spoke any more than have too. You will great a one side wobble that needs undoing Reset back to were it was.

Don't wrench the new spoke several turns or you will start the process of creating get rid side to side whole. Just to a point they are firm.

Provided you have a well uniformed spoke cross round the whole wheel you should have a rim that runs straight and true though the brake rubbers.

All that needs to be done now is to remove the wheel and reassemble the tire. Don't inflate because the brake pads catching on the expanded tire wall will prevent you from fitting the wheel. The tire can be pumped up in the bike. Or alternatively release the brake cable to expand the brake arms clearing the fully inflated tire. The disadvantage of this you have to rest the brake setting.