Awesome, thank you! I commute hundreds of miles/year on pot holed Chicago streets and usually break a spoke every other year, even though I ride on true wheels. No more bike shop $30 spokes thanks to this vid! #kudos
I replaced a broken spoke on my rear wheel successfully after watching this video. Truing was the most tedious part and I don't think the wheel is yet perfect (I don't have a truing stand) but it's a lot better than it was and clears the brake shoes again now. I will watch your other videos and maybe try to improve it next time, but for now, it seems more than good enough. Thanks!
Joe Enoch I bought my truing stand used for a little over $100. Love it. It is possible to do simple truing without a stand: ua-cam.com/video/f1SHmFBihKM/v-deo.html
I would have bent a spoke trying to get it around spokes in the way before seeing this video and realising I need to remove the spokes in the way to position the replacement spoke. Great work!
RJ! Could you please, please do a "how to lace a 36 inch bicycle wheel" video? I'm wanting to take all my spokes off and dip them in Evaporust and repaint the hub's on both the front and rear wheels but am a little reluctant to do so. I enjoy your videos and am a big fan of your channel. I trust your knowledge on bikes more than anyone else! Keep up the great work my friend! It is greatly appreciated! Best Regards!
+SolarReturn I am not planning a video on that anytime soon. I do recommend this video: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004H1UA9Y/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
By chainring, I assume you mean freewheel/cassette. Depending on what you have, the special tool only costs about $10. And I have videos on how to remove a freewheels and cassettes.
Few things: 1) Was the tire tape reusable? Also, was it actually required to remove it completely? If not reusable what is that called so I know what to buy. 2) If you don't have one of the level thingies could I just put the tire back on the bike and place one or two pieces of tape or zip ties to the frame and cut them such that they barely touch the side of the rim... then rotate to get the balance based on the ties? 3) What was the pinging sound when you were tightening it? Just curious.
rj hi have a rear wheel need to true the spokes i need to tighten are at end of threads so unable to pull it over any i loosened the others but no better any help please
Is there any particular trick to manipulating the new spoke past the cassette? Seem like it makes the angle that the spoke is entering the hub at very tight, Looked like it took you some time in this video but I wondered if there's anything more to doing it than just brute force?
You can do a radial spoke pattern. It's different from 2-cross lacing patterns and 3 cross lacing patterns. You have 9 spokes; leave 1 space for each spoke.
RJ Do you know what spoke key to use on a canonndale, the nipples are on the opposite end of the spokes and difficult to adjust. The spokes are poking through the nipples so carnt use a screwdriver
RJ or others, I just noticed on the second hand bike I have that two spokes go "under" where they should go over…i just did a fairly good non-truing-stand truing, but will the effort to get these two spokes into the correct over/under pattern be worth the effort?
+Michael LaBua Sounds like someone replaced some spoke and incorrectly laced them. I would correct them. They are laced crossing and touching so that that share stress with other spokes. If they are not laced correctly they probably won't be sharing the load as well.
rookie question: I have a pre-built wheel-set (with back hub). I ordered the same rim and now have to build it. Do spokes on the front hub have to be the same length as spokes on the back hub? I need to buy a front hub so wondering if they have to match. My plan was to remove a spoke from the existing back wheel-set then find spokes that match to build my front hub. I suppose I would need a front hub of the same diameter as the back but is if I do so I'm going to hit up some bike shops today
how do spokes brake ? I bought my bike on line last year and a few months after having it I notice that there was 2 broken spokes so I thought it was shipped to me that way it was to late to return and it would cost me more, but I took to bike shop to fix after it was fixed I checked all the spokes they where ok and know I noticed there is three broken spokes know I just don't understand how they brake so easy I really don't ride that much, so I thought maybe you know the answer to this question,. thanks
I'm not exactly an expert bike mechanic, but I think what's happened is this: It's quite common when you a buy a bike - online especially - that the wheels aren't all that well "trued" when they arrive (seem to remember hearing that this can happen during transit, and isn't necessarily a sign of poor quality or negligence from the seller). As you started riding it with uneven pressure on the spokes, that starts to cause a lot more strain and spokes end up breaking fairly quickly. So, ideally you'd have adjusted the tension of spokes on the wheel ("trued" the wheel) when you first got it (or got someone more mechanically inclined to do it for you).
I have an eBike motor on a 26-inch wheel. (I got it for a good price!). But my bike is 700c. I'm thinking of removing the motor from the 26-inch wheel and putting it onto the 700c wheel. Of course, that would mean new spokes. Assuming I can find spokes the correct length (and quantity), could I true the wheel using the brake pads while the wheel is mounted on the front fork? seems like you are just looking for relative movement while the wheel rotates about its axis.
Building a wheel a somewhat difficult. Using an actual truing stand is better. And a dishing tool. And a spoke tension gauge. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004H1UA9Y/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
+Lenny Corrigan Not really. I buy tools as I need them. And different tools are required for different bikes. In general some general use metric tools are good, like allen wrenches, sockets, combo wrenches will generally com in handy on most modern bikes.
I bought a brandnew bike recently but no manual or instruction leaflet came with it about how to do spokes, adjust brakes etc, so I'm having to surf youtube vids to find out, thanks
When my spokes break, they always break at the head (not the nipple). So if I want to replace the spokes, I do not need to remove the nipple, right? Removing the rim tape and tube seems like it would be unnecessary.
You can still ride in an emergency, but the wheel be wobbling back and forth. You will have to release the brakes for that wheel, otherwise the wheel rub against them every time that part of the wheel comes around. So if you broke a spoke on a long ride, you could probably ride home. But you wouldn't want to continue to ride the bike like that.
You can take it to your local bike shop and have them match the spokes. Or you can measure one of the spokes. Park tool makes spoke gauge:www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000OZBK82/ref=nosim/youtube25-20 Or with a regular ruler, place the ruler against the J Bend and measure to the tip. Spokes are measured in millimeters. You will also want to match the thickness of the spoke.
My friend has an Electra Townie that keeps popping spokes on both wheels. She is average size, in her 60's, and only rides on roads and paved bike paths....The Dealer fixed for free the first time, She had to pay the second time, and now it done it again...both wheels. She is frustrated to say the least....She used to live beachside, but the bike was kept in the garage and is in brand new condition...I have heard salt air, pool chemicals, chlorine fumes, acid fumes, etc can cause this...Care to weigh in, and should we completely relace? Bike was around $400..She's hesitant about fixing...
I found out that the spokes were very cheap, I took it to the bike shop, and they told me that and can't handle my Waite on the bake wheel , I bought this bike online so I couldn't look at spokes before buying, so there are some good and bad about buying things online
Anthony Steele Sounds like the spoke and/or nipple is stripped. Or if you are replacing a spoke, you got one that is too short and is not connecting into the threads of the nipple.
I need to do this on a ebike have to remove cassette BUT its not moving at all!! I got the remover park tool a chain whip (rigged up) but it will not turn at all!!
No maybe im wrong it says cassette in replace part list for the bike it self but i think it is a freewheel. Still cant get it off to replace spokes. The otherside is a single for the motor a 4 notch no tool for that but broken spokes are on the other side anyway.
The terms cassette and freewheel are often incorrectly interchanged. If it's a freewheel, you can remove it like this: ua-cam.com/video/KVCOjZ4wCgA/v-deo.html If you need a chainwhip to keep it from turning, it's probably a cassette. You may just need more force.
RJ The Bike Guy yes torque was key putting it up against the wall was a great idea got it right off put all the new spokes in. THANK YOU! Now i didnt give it a spin after putting everything back in just started mounting it and now its not spinning right slow with resistance and sounds like metal grinding. Taking it back apart soon guessing i put something to tight or not right.
You need ONE special tool which can be usually be gotten for under $10, and is usually not difficult. If this your attitude, maybe you should just be taking your bike to the bike shop and let mechanics do the work. It doesn't sound like you are up to it.
anyone can replace a spoke on the outside of the rear wheel. show us how to replace a spoke on the Drive side behind the freewheel and put it all back together again.
no no no, u do not do it correct!... I want you to replace a spoke from the chainring side! But I do not want you to have any special tool to remove the chainring!
Why would you remove the wheel from the bike, tire with camera, rim tape just to replace one spoke? Just pop the broken head out, unscrew broken spoke out of its rim nipple, insert new spoke and screw it into the existing nipple from the old spoke by rotating the nipple. Do you know that spoke tension could be adjusted with the pliers or a simple tool? Would you remove the wheel to adjust the tension on the spokes? Am I the only one who thinks this is retarded?
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Awesome, thank you! I commute hundreds of miles/year on pot holed Chicago streets and usually break a spoke every other year, even though I ride on true wheels. No more bike shop $30 spokes thanks to this vid! #kudos
This guy knows his bikes very well very well presented video
I replaced a broken spoke on my rear wheel successfully after watching this video. Truing was the most tedious part and I don't think the wheel is yet perfect (I don't have a truing stand) but it's a lot better than it was and clears the brake shoes again now. I will watch your other videos and maybe try to improve it next time, but for now, it seems more than good enough. Thanks!
Agent24 I did a video of how to true a wheel without a stand: ua-cam.com/video/f1SHmFBihKM/v-deo.html
Wish the dudes at my local bike shop were half as knowledgeable as this guy. Also wish I had a Truing stand :( Thanks for sharing!
Joe Enoch I bought my truing stand used for a little over $100. Love it. It is possible to do simple truing without a stand: ua-cam.com/video/f1SHmFBihKM/v-deo.html
+Joe Enoch yea i`m thinking guys at my local shop arent that great too, they didnt notice i had broken spokes on my back wheel.ffs
You do have a truing stand. Your forks....
I would have bent a spoke trying to get it around spokes in the way before seeing this video and realising I need to remove the spokes in the way to position the replacement spoke. Great work!
Very informative video. Also, nice to see some of your truing process. Thanks.
Once again you've got me out of a pickle, thanks Shy.
Yes. If you don't know how to remove the cassette/freewheel, I have several videos on how to remove them.
well done mate. keep up the good work. Thanks
Useful video. Who else thinks that he sounds like Leonard from Big Bang Theory?!
Thanks this helped 🙏
Goodjob.👍👍👍
RJ! Could you please, please do a "how to lace a 36 inch bicycle wheel" video? I'm wanting to take all my spokes off and dip them in Evaporust and repaint the hub's on both the front and rear wheels but am a little reluctant to do so. I enjoy your videos and am a big fan of your channel. I trust your knowledge on bikes more than anyone else! Keep up the great work my friend! It is greatly appreciated! Best Regards!
+SolarReturn I am not planning a video on that anytime soon. I do recommend this video: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004H1UA9Y/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
+RJ The Bike Guy Appreciate the recommendation my friend!
RJ The Bike Guy FYI, just to clarify, I meant 36 spoke wheel, NOT a 36 inch wheel! Dern auto correct typo. Thanks RJ!
Thanks for your video, it is very interesting.
what should we pay attetion to when buying the new spoke? i have an old gazelle populair bike and a spoke on the rear wheel is broken.
Thanks, Good video!!!, I am doing this tomorrow!
RJ, can I take spokes out one at a time to give the whole wheel a good clean, one spoke at a time?
Probably. Sounds like a total PITA.
RJ The Bike Guy cleaning the corrosion off them while they’re laced in is a pita as well, so smh.
By chainring, I assume you mean freewheel/cassette. Depending on what you have, the special tool only costs about $10. And I have videos on how to remove a freewheels and cassettes.
Good bit of hop in that old wheel.
Few things:
1) Was the tire tape reusable? Also, was it actually required to remove it completely? If not reusable what is that called so I know what to buy.
2) If you don't have one of the level thingies could I just put the tire back on the bike and place one or two pieces of tape or zip ties to the frame and cut them such that they barely touch the side of the rim... then rotate to get the balance based on the ties?
3) What was the pinging sound when you were tightening it? Just curious.
rj hi have a rear wheel need to true the spokes i need to tighten are at end of threads so unable to pull it over any i loosened the others but no better any help please
Then apparently the spokes you have are too long.
Is there any particular trick to manipulating the new spoke past the cassette? Seem like it makes the angle that the spoke is entering the hub at very tight, Looked like it took you some time in this video but I wondered if there's anything more to doing it than just brute force?
Nope. You just to figure out how to get in. Sometimes you have remove an adjacent spoke.
Excellent!
How did the bike shop match the spoke while it is on your rim? I have been given faulty measurements on mine.
I removed a spoke and measured it.
@@RJTheBikeGuy OK. It seems that's the only way.
@@BeeRich33 Yep.
my broken spoke is on the other side where the cassette is. would i need to remove the cassette to put the spoke in
Helpful but I also need to know the length. Your approach was just go to bike shop. Could you tell how to measure spoke length? 😊
ua-cam.com/video/J2z2vWQx3p4/v-deo.html
thank u man thats good idea
You can do a radial spoke pattern. It's different from 2-cross lacing patterns and 3 cross lacing patterns. You have 9 spokes; leave 1 space for each spoke.
RJ Do you know what spoke key to use on a canonndale, the nipples are on the opposite end of the spokes and difficult to adjust. The spokes are poking through the nipples so carnt use a screwdriver
No I don't. Get something this maybe. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00QVOUEB4/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
RJ or others, I just noticed on the second hand bike I have that two spokes go "under" where they should go over…i just did a fairly good non-truing-stand truing, but will the effort to get these two spokes into the correct over/under pattern be worth the effort?
+Michael LaBua Sounds like someone replaced some spoke and incorrectly laced them. I would correct them. They are laced crossing and touching so that that share stress with other spokes. If they are not laced correctly they probably won't be sharing the load as well.
thanks, seemed a bit complicated at first, but think I can do it now :-)
Great thank you!
rookie question: I have a pre-built wheel-set (with back hub). I ordered the same rim and now have to build it. Do spokes on the front hub have to be the same length as spokes on the back hub?
I need to buy a front hub so wondering if they have to match. My plan was to remove a spoke from the existing back wheel-set then find spokes that match to build my front hub. I suppose I would need a front hub of the same diameter as the back but is if I do so
I'm going to hit up some bike shops today
how do spokes brake ? I bought my bike on line last year and a few months after having it I notice that there was 2 broken spokes so I thought it was shipped to me that way it was to late to return and it would cost me more, but I took to bike shop to fix after it was fixed I checked all the spokes they where ok and know I noticed there is three broken spokes know I just don't understand how they brake so easy I really don't ride that much, so I thought maybe you know the answer to this question,. thanks
I'm not exactly an expert bike mechanic, but I think what's happened is this: It's quite common when you a buy a bike - online especially - that the wheels aren't all that well "trued" when they arrive (seem to remember hearing that this can happen during transit, and isn't necessarily a sign of poor quality or negligence from the seller). As you started riding it with uneven pressure on the spokes, that starts to cause a lot more strain and spokes end up breaking fairly quickly. So, ideally you'd have adjusted the tension of spokes on the wheel ("trued" the wheel) when you first got it (or got someone more mechanically inclined to do it for you).
you could've hit it by accident
I have an eBike motor on a 26-inch wheel. (I got it for a good price!). But my bike is 700c. I'm thinking of removing the motor from the 26-inch wheel and putting it onto the 700c wheel. Of course, that would mean new spokes. Assuming I can find spokes the correct length (and quantity), could I true the wheel using the brake pads while the wheel is mounted on the front fork? seems like you are just looking for relative movement while the wheel rotates about its axis.
Building a wheel a somewhat difficult. Using an actual truing stand is better. And a dishing tool. And a spoke tension gauge. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004H1UA9Y/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
Hey RJ, Can you recommend a good starter kit for bike repair? Thanks for the Vid bud!
+Lenny Corrigan Not really. I buy tools as I need them. And different tools are required for different bikes. In general some general use metric tools are good, like allen wrenches, sockets, combo wrenches will generally com in handy on most modern bikes.
Thanks RJ The Bike Guy
I have stripped spoke nipples all over my rear wheel, should I just replace all the spokes?
I bought a brandnew bike recently but no manual or instruction leaflet came with it about how to do spokes, adjust brakes etc, so I'm having to surf youtube vids to find out, thanks
Have you a video on a complete wheel build. Some videos have crap music distraction your videos are much better no music
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004H1UA9Y/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
When my spokes break, they always break at the head (not the nipple). So if I want to replace the spokes, I do not need to remove the nipple, right? Removing the rim tape and tube seems like it would be unnecessary.
Generally new spokes come with new nipples. Might as well replace the nipples as well. They might even be different threading anyway.
Can you still ride with no problems if your missing just one spoke?
You can still ride in an emergency, but the wheel be wobbling back and forth. You will have to release the brakes for that wheel, otherwise the wheel rub against them every time that part of the wheel comes around. So if you broke a spoke on a long ride, you could probably ride home. But you wouldn't want to continue to ride the bike like that.
Replacing the spoke near the gears?
Need a 72 spoke wheel lacing video
How do i no what size spokes to buy my wheel is a 26 inch please help thanks
You can take it to your local bike shop and have them match the spokes. Or you can measure one of the spokes. Park tool makes spoke gauge:www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000OZBK82/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
Or with a regular ruler, place the ruler against the J Bend and measure to the tip. Spokes are measured in millimeters. You will also want to match the thickness of the spoke.
My friend has an Electra Townie that keeps popping spokes on both wheels. She is average size, in her 60's, and only rides on roads and paved bike paths....The Dealer fixed for free the first time, She had to pay the second time, and now it done it again...both wheels.
She is frustrated to say the least....She used to live beachside, but the bike was kept in the garage and is in brand new condition...I have heard salt air, pool chemicals, chlorine fumes, acid fumes, etc can cause this...Care to weigh in, and should we completely relace? Bike was around $400..She's hesitant about fixing...
Wheels may have been built with the spokes tensioned too tight. My guess.
RJ The Bike Guy Wow, that was fast. Thanks RJ
2:58 You cut out how you did the only thing that really needs explaining, just cross-faded right past it. Why?
So, a hub having 32 flanges can be equipped with a 36 hole rim.
I found out that the spokes were very cheap, I took it to the bike shop, and they told me that and can't handle my Waite on the bake wheel , I bought this bike online so I couldn't look at spokes before buying, so there are some good and bad about buying things online
my spoke doesn't tighten it just spins in the hole...
Anthony Steele Sounds like the spoke and/or nipple is stripped. Or if you are replacing a spoke, you got one that is too short and is not connecting into the threads of the nipple.
You said nipple, LOL
that's what it's called...
I need to do this on a ebike have to remove cassette BUT its not moving at all!! I got the remover park tool a chain whip (rigged up) but it will not turn at all!!
Are you sure it's a cassette and not a freewheel? ua-cam.com/video/qcgz3-XyNkI/v-deo.html
Nope its a 7gear cassette. I found a bike shop that said they will do it for $5 still have to get it there dont drive no bus so still trying to fix it
No maybe im wrong it says cassette in replace part list for the bike it self but i think it is a freewheel. Still cant get it off to replace spokes. The otherside is a single for the motor a 4 notch no tool for that but broken spokes are on the other side anyway.
The terms cassette and freewheel are often incorrectly interchanged. If it's a freewheel, you can remove it like this: ua-cam.com/video/KVCOjZ4wCgA/v-deo.html
If you need a chainwhip to keep it from turning, it's probably a cassette. You may just need more force.
RJ The Bike Guy yes torque was key putting it up against the wall was a great idea got it right off put all the new spokes in. THANK YOU!
Now i didnt give it a spin after putting everything back in just started mounting it and now its not spinning right slow with resistance and sounds like metal grinding. Taking it back apart soon guessing i put something to tight or not right.
This is how to replace a spoke on the easy side. When you have the spoke broken on the crank side, it´s a different story.
Same exact thing except you have to remove the freewheel/cassette.
Which is a hundred times more difficult and you need to have different tools.
You need ONE special tool which can be usually be gotten for under $10, and is usually not difficult. If this your attitude, maybe you should just be taking your bike to the bike shop and let mechanics do the work. It doesn't sound like you are up to it.
When I true my wheel it ended up being the shape of a pear 😳
anyone can replace a spoke on the outside of the rear wheel. show us how to replace a spoke on the Drive side behind the freewheel and put it all back together again.
give me the link, I want to see if you do it by the same way with me :)
Removing the tire seems a waste of time, just reuse the nipple with the new spoke.
no no no, u do not do it correct!... I want you to replace a spoke from the chainring side! But I do not want you to have any special tool to remove the chainring!
Why would you remove the wheel from the bike, tire with camera, rim tape just to replace one spoke? Just pop the broken head out, unscrew broken spoke out of its rim nipple, insert new spoke and screw it into the existing nipple from the old spoke by rotating the nipple. Do you know that spoke tension could be adjusted with the pliers or a simple tool? Would you remove the wheel to adjust the tension on the spokes? Am I the only one who thinks this is retarded?