Spoke replacement - not as easy as it looks

**Barry Johnson** · #1 21 Jun 2004

Hi all

I bought a full set of Yamaha rear wheel spokes for my 3AJ with the intention of replacing three bent and one broken ones, and keeping the rest as spares.

I found that for the 'inside' spokes (the ones that you feed into the centre of the hub from the outside) you need to loosen and swing down the corresponding spoke on the other side (as in left to right, not diagonally opposite) of the hub in order to gain enough clearance.

Q1: Do you have to do this or is there another way?
Q2: Many of the nipples/spokes are rusted together, is WD40 my only option short of getting out the hacksaw?

I had removed or swung down three spokes from around the same area on the wheel when I discovered that the fourth spoke will not come out of its little hole in the rim. A good few mm of the threaded end is in the hole, meaning I can't swing the spoke down in order to remove it.

You would think that the spokes on the (diagonally) opposite side (which I haven't touched) would pull to increase the gap between hub and rim on the opposite side. But this is not the case.

Q3: What the...??? What do I do now!?

I really, really hope that makes sense to those who have done this kind of thing before.

Thanks

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Barry
3AJ Tenere

**futronix** · #2 22 Jun 2004

i recently had a wheel builder rebuild my rims due to a a few broken spokes.
he told me if you want to replace a broken spoke you have to also disconect the surrounding spokes so you can swing your new one into its correct place and some times you may have to bend the spoke(thats what he told me) and restraighten it by tightning it back up to get it to fit...
im sorry i cant offer more help, it confused me aswell...phil.

**FredXTZ** · #3 22 Jun 2004

Replace them one by one by bending them so they can get into place. Don't undo any others. And do periodically put a drop of WD-40 or penetrating oil on all your spokes.

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Fred, XTZ660, Holland.

**Barry Johnson** · #4 23 Jun 2004

Ahhh, got it sorted.

Fred, you do need to undo and swing down (but not remove) one spoke on the opposite side (left to right, not diagonal) when replacing spokes that have their hub-end nipple on the outside of the hub. I tried bending one without doing this, and it ended up more bent that the spoke I was replacing!

Note to others who are doing this - don't forget the little collar that goes around the nipple in the rim. They are supplied by Yamaha loose in a bag with the nipples - I didn't see them until I was ready to put the tyre back on the rim - close call!

Fred, would you put some loctite blue on the spoke threads?

Now all I have to do is true the wheel...

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Barry
3AJ Tenere