Comments on: Ep 9: New spokes on an old wheel

By: grfields

grfields — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:57:54 +0000

I guess I’m a little late to the party but better late than never. After watching your video ( a few times…) I decided to give it a try. I have an 2003 rim, 2004 front hub for a kx500 and a set of spokes on order.

I know Trent makes this stuff look easy, but I’m hoping with a little patients and a little luck it will work out.

Thanks guys. Keep up the great work!

Fork swap is coming next.

By: Trent

Trent — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:23:10 +0000

Hiya Billy Bob,

Unfortunately we don't have a diagram - I would take the parts diagram picture with a pinch of salt - they are not really accurate enough as a reassembly diagram. A service manual would be a better option.

We happen to have an AT (RD04) in the garage at the moment, so I had a quick look at the wheel.
The L/H side (Chain side) has a "Cross 2" pattern and the R/H side has a "Cross 1" pattern - Cross 1 is a bit strange for a bike of that size...

To check the pattern, start at the head of a spoke and count how many other spokes it "crosses" on the way to the rim.

The R/H side heads are very close and kinda cross each other, but don't count that - only count the spokes that actually cross.

It sounds like you may be either using the wrong pattern (most likely if the new spokes are the same as the old ones), or have the wrong length spokes in the wrong holes.

Insert all the inside spokes first and mate them with the correct nipples - Hold a nipple in the hole in the rim and it should point straight at the spoke it needs to mate with - If the wrong length spoke is in the wrong hole or you're using the wrong pattern, you'll get exactly the problem you've described.
You can then insert the outer spokes while paying attention to the "cross" pattern and match up the rest of the nipples.

If you still end up with long and short spokes when the offset is approx correct, try swapping them around if it's possible.

Hope that helps...

By: Waz

Waz — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:51:56 +0000

Hey Billy Bob,
I will ask the other garage nighters what they think.
One thing I would mention though: sometimes aftermarket replacements will differ from the original spokes. A wheel guy at Hagon explained it like this to me: Bike wheels are usually laced up in the factory by a machine, and the spokes may have certain bends because that's what is needed for them to fit into the wheel-making machine.
Usually when you get aftermarket spokes they will be more uniform. My wheel's original spokes seemed to have two or three different bends - but the replacements from Hagon all had the same bend, same length, and worked fine.
Something you might need to take into account when assembling your wheel.
Also, OFFSET. I gather that a rear wheel hub is more likely to be offset from one side to the other than a front wheel humb. You need to know the original offset and reproduce it on your wheel.

By: Bunkmuffin

Bunkmuffin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:07:10 +0000

Question!!
I have a 92 Africa twin, I am in the process of lacing the rear wheel with new spokes from Central Wheel. There are 3 different lengths of spokes in this wheel.
I do have a parts catalogue which provides the correct length of each spoke and I kept the original spokes that were removed and am using samples to measure new spoke lengths against. I also have photos of the wheel berfore dismantling. All is good so far.
I have been placing the spokes in locations which appear to correspond to that provided in the same catalogues (diagram) locations on the rim and hub. This is where everything falls off the rails. The diagram provided is confusing, not clear or just outright wrong. Every time I think I have it right I am unable to true the wheel because the nipples run out of threads on the spokes before there is sufficient tension on them or the nipples do not cover the spokethreads because they are in the wrong location. I am also paying close attention to the rim offset.

Does anyone have the CORRECT spoke lacing diagram or locations so that I can get on with my little project, Please?

Thanks in advance from a cranky and frustrated old kodger who should be able to figure this simple task but for reasons unknown continues to suffer from brain farts or Old Timers Disease.
Billy Bob Hamilton
The Bunkmuffin (so my girlfriend calls me)

By: Ger Mc Quarrie

Ger Mc Quarrie — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:13:58 +0000

Alright lads,

Fantastic site, some great info and video too, any chance yez could do a night on valves and balancing carbs .. keep up the brilliant work …. CHEERS ..GER.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:16:34 +0000

Hi guys,
Just found your site! It’s a great show, keep up the fantastic work.
Looking forward to the next episode!

By: Waz

Waz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:55:48 +0000

Hey there Sam. We’re still here – we’ve just been taking a break for Christmas/New Year. Episode 10 is just about to go into production, so stick with us!

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:28:51 +0000

Where have you gone guys? Looking forward to the next episode!

By: Hondanut

Hondanut — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:56:33 +0000

Thanks a lot! You all really helped me out! A+

By: Waz

Waz — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:04:27 +0000

Hey Brian, that’s good advice. One thing about cutting spokes with boltcutters is that you should make sure the nipple end of the spoke is pointing away from you or anything you don’t want to break/kill. The tension can make them shoot out ‘like bullets’, according to Richard in a previous episode.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:04:20 +0000

Great stuff! Some additional thoughts. Use bolt cutters to remove old spokes. If you’re using a laser cut spoke wrench, consider grinding the back side into a spoon shape, so that sharp edges don’t dig into the rim when tightening spokes. And wrap the handle with tape to protect your hands (it will also force you to use the correct end of the wrench). Be *very* careful when using a torch on an aluminum structural member. Keep the temperature well below 400 F to avoid weakening the metal. Use an oven or boiling water bath to avoid overheating.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:59:05 +0000

Hey guys,

Thanks for the new episode. Great job as usual explaining the complicated to the clueless! Not ready to pull out the angle grinder myself yet but glad to see how it can be done.