ebike spokes & wheel lacing - A PITA

[@ahaveland]

Great info Tony. I'm getting through one or two spokes a month on the magic pie, and still have a couple of spoke nipples rattling around inside the rim. I'll fish them out soon, but it's tedious. I should get some stronger ones. Finally got some torque arms after dropouts failed and my back wheel fell off, skidding to a halt. Switched frames and good to go. Only problem was that the torque arms were for 12mm spindle and I needed 14 mm (both 10mm across the flat). I thought, oh, I'll just ream it out with a dremel, easy... Bought dremel. Took two hours to do one with a diamond dust bit and wore out two of them. That metal was from another planet, never encountered anything like it! So, to do the other one I bought a tungsten carbide toolbit and used a 1kW drill and that went much better. Another tip to anyone ordering torque arms - order the right size - those things are really tough!

[@Vortecks]

I had the same problem with a torque arm. It took 2 hours to Dremel it out but then, it was loose. I use it as a spacer now :-)

[@ahaveland]

Hehe! Glad I wasn't the only one! At least I managed to keep the 10mm flat intact. Apparently made from 316 stainless steel which contains a high level of chromium and molybdenum. Got from e-bikeparts on ebay - well recommended.

[@RobB_VK6ES]

Tony, spokes should never be thread cut. They are thread rolled, a cold forming process where metal is displaced from the root into the crest of the thread which accounts for the larger diameter of the thread compared to the shank. Cylinder head bolts are made the same way for the same reason, reduction of stress risers at the thread to shank position. Another little tid bit of info. Rear hubs have an offset on the drive side hub flange in order to keep the rim centred and allow room for the sprocket. On a typical 9,10 or 11 speed cluster the induced tension of the drive side spokes can be twice that of the non drive side caused by the shallower spoke angle and the fact they need greater lead angle in order to resist the torque. Back in the day when I raced bikes I used a Belgian brand of spokes called Sapim. Generally acknowledge as one of the best mass produced spokes. So brush up your French and Dutch a take a ride over to Belgium:) do a search for spoke calculator to make the math calculating the lengths painless.

[@errolkim1334]

That's a great response. Everybody has to learn somewhere so please tell me how I could get started with cutting my own spokes and building my own wheels. CHEERS.

[@mikerhodes9198]

What a pain on the spokes. It is never simple is it? Not a bloody thing will ever give you a break. Keep the good fight going. Just found your posts and love following your projects.

[@Vortecks]

Yeah, they are. I'm learning new things every day and nothing is ever simple!

[@errolkim1334]

@@Vortecks I'm in the same bucket as you. Just labouring with a MAC motor at present. I email local shops and ask about wheels and spokes and rims and dishing and thrfy ain't got a fucking scoobie. And they care less. Too busy making coin from rich people who need tubes replaced.

[@cspower7259]

Yea, they have a special spoke cutting tool. Its like multiple wheel cutters. Most out of the box are cut on a capstan lathe. Its a right pain because a box of spokes aint cheap.

[@Vortecks]

You ain't kidding! I watched some proper ones being made and they're rolled threads. I did buy a thread roller but I soon found out that it didn't come with the tools I needed and the diameter I wanted wasn't available..... I sent it back.

[@sagarevstore4524]

hello sir my wheel size is of 26x2.125... please tell me which size of spokes should i buy for my 36v 500w hub motor?? the diameter of my hub motor is 133mm

[@shitina.bucket9699]

200mm ?

[@0utcastAussie]

Really struggling with this at the minute. My rim sidewall separated from the wheel (Where the brake blocks would rub) causing punctures in the rear. Can you imagine how long it took to actually suss what was causing the punctures ? So... New rim purchased. NATURALLY I couldn't get the exact same design. OEM rim was V shaped and new one is more rounded. Obviously the spokes wouldn't reach so I ordered a set of custom spokes 5mm longer. Herein starts the issues. Because I've ordered replacement spokes from this place before (Warwick cycles on ebay) and they sent humongous nipples that wouldn't even fit through the holes in the rim (although they are 12g spokes) I asked if they could be supplied with nipples to fit a size 12 spoke spanner ? He replied that spoke key sizes are meaningless ! There are 2 sizes. 6mm or 5mm So I chose the 5mm (Which is slightly too large for a 12 key. Adjustable spanner time) !! Here's the fun part. Following wheel lacing tutorials on here I attempted to re-lace. Nope... Not working out ! Fortunately I took photos of the wheel both sides and followed my pix That was a mission in itself because I had to remove spokes umpteen times because I'd have to bend them over each other to install. (getting the insertion order right) (Clue... INSIDES FIRST) Yay... Wheel all laced up. I bought an el cheapo truing stand... Aaaaand here we go. No issues with side to side truing but can I get the damned hub in the centre ? (Up & Down) And here we are 3 days later and I swear I'm going to ........... Take the bastard to a bike shop and ask them to true it (It's only £15 ) !! FFS how hard can it be ? Oh.. Those 5mm nipples ? They are so damned perfect in the holes that there's no sideways leeway movement so I have to kind of bend the spokes to align them up with the threads

[@cibie01]

Tony reinvents the wheel look out world lol.

[@Vortecks]

More like "Tony breaks a perfectly good wheel" mate :-)

[@PhlaymzTV]

Any idea what size spokes fit on a super 73 S2?

[@felonebike9859]

What rim type and tire do you use on the front?

[@EnglishTurbines]

Hi Tony....The German "M3" Spokes have a 2.5mm diameter, but when the thread is put on the ends, its Rolled on, not cut.....So, where they are threaded the diameter swells to 3mm. Thread rolling is superior to cut threads in this application as they generally fit tighter and the rolling of the material work hardens the surface of the thread making them stronger. But, the material grade has to be correct to achieve this. So, never buy Chinese spokes is my advice.....Not ever.

[@Vortecks]

I should have added m8...... the thread is 2.7mm diameter and the spoke is 2.6mm - there's 0.1mm difference. I know it's a rolled thread but I just don't understand why an M3 isn't "Metric 3mm".

[@EnglishTurbines]

M3 (or 3 mm) is the nominal "major diameter" of the thread. On all external threads, this diameter is always slightly smaller than the nominal diameter. This provides working clearance. So, for example, an M3 might measure 2.70mm diameter.....and an M8 may measure 7.85mm diameter. This rather depends on the class of fit of the thread, and the Major diameter of the thread is of secondary importance when compared to the effective working diameter, which is what really matters when talking class of fit. Confusing..?....not really, it's all about tolerances and having standard items always fitting together come assembly time.

[@davidward1274]

Now you`ve gone and put a spoke in it.

[@paulvalley2125]

Yes some of us read that crap! Sharpfocus

[@paulvalley2125]

And thanks for sharing Tony, shit happens not everybody has everything work the right way the first time that's how we all learn and that's how we learn through you. Not that I'll ever build one of these bikes I'm too old but I really enjoy your posts. Keep taking us on your journey. At least I get to live doing what I'd like to do vicariously through you. Sharpfocus

[@kitts1234]

Mag wheels?

[@Vortecks]

The thought has repeatedly crossed my mind but it's not really possible :-(