Spoke/tyre wheel questions.

[Nicoll]

I have a touring bike bought in the 70's, which I like. I haven't done much cycling over the past
few years but recently started again. I'd appreciate any advice on the following:

Yesterday at the top of a hill I heard a ping and found a spoke had broken on the rear wheel on the
freewheel side.

Today I went to the shed to change the spoke, I'd bought a spare from my local bike shop a year or
so ago when I last broke a spoke.

The new spoke is 300mm, I've compared it with the broken spoke and it seems to be slightly shorter
looking at the neck of the bend of the broken spoke. Also I noticed that there is a few turns of
thread protruding from the nipple on the spoke I'd changed before. I think my spokes are 302mm not
300mm.

On taking the wheel off the bike I saw two spokes had broken not one.

The original spokes are not stainless steel, they may be galvanised and several show signs of
corrosion and a couple have odd spots of rust.

I was considering replacing all the spokes on the rear wheel. Does this sound sensible? Can anyone
recommend a online/mail order supplier for boxes of spokes as I don't want to use by local shop
again (at 80p each).

The wheel is 27"x1 1/4" and I wondered if it is easier to get a new wheel but I don't particularly
want to have two different sizes of wheels on the bike. What is a metric equivalent to 27" x 1 1/4"?

Finally are 27"x1 1/4" tyres and tubes readily available? I checked www.settlecycles.co.uk and found
tyres but not tubes, I don't want to rebuild the wheel if getting tyres/tubes is going to be
difficult.

Thanks for any help.

Ian

 

[Pete Biggs]

nicoll wrote:
> The new spoke is 300mm, I've compared it with the broken spoke and it seems to be slightly
> shorter looking at the neck of the bend of the broken spoke. Also I noticed that there is a few
> turns of thread protruding from the nipple on the spoke I'd changed before. I think my spokes are
> 302mm not 300mm.

The old spokes were slightly too long but you can sometimes get away with plus or minus one or two
mm from the ideal length. It's best to either take a shop's advice on spoke lengths or find out what
the correct length is by using a spoke calculator (detials of rim & hub are required).

> On taking the wheel off the bike I saw two spokes had broken not one.
>
> The original spokes are not stainless steel, they may be galvanised and several show signs of
> corrosion and a couple have odd spots of rust.
>
> I was considering replacing all the spokes on the rear wheel. Does this sound sensible?

It won't be strictly necessary but I might consider replacing all of them (or getting a new wheel)
in this case if it were mine.

> Can anyone recommend a online/mail order supplier for boxes of spokes as I don't want to use by
> local shop again

www.parker-international.co.uk/wheels.htm - ACI stainless double butted (for good "normal" db
spokes) @ 20p. Other types like DT Apline III from SJSC will be worth considering if you want extra
strength & reliability, and others again if you fancy ultralight - but none of these should cost
more than 50p each.

> (at 80p each).

Blimey!

> The wheel is 27"x1 1/4" and I wondered if it is easier to get a new wheel

Might be a good idea - but your existing wheel should be worth fixing if the rim and hub is any good
or if budget is very tight.

> but I don't particularly want to have two different sizes of wheels on the bike.

Won't matter if sizes are very similar......

> What is a metric equivalent to 27" x 1 1/4"?

There isn't a direct equivalent but 700c is close - 8mm smaller in diameter (hardly enough to notice
by eye and not different enough to feel). Only issue is that brake blocks will need lowering by 4mm.
If lucky, that won't require any modification, but caliper arm slots can be filed a little if you
need just 1 or 2mm more room, otherwise brakes will have to be changed.

Width: Your bike (and future tyres) will be able to take a range of widths. 15 to 20mm would
probably be good, depending on required strength and weight and fit in bike and fit/width of
tyres, etc.

> Finally are 27"x1 1/4" tyres and tubes readily available?

There are not many good 27" tyres around anymore - which is one big reason to modernise to 700c.

> I checked www.settlecycles.co.uk and found tyres but not tubes, I don't want to rebuild the wheel
> if getting tyres/tubes is going to be difficult.

Tubes are not so critical. I think most 700c tubes will fit 27" as they stretch enough. Many tubes
are actually marked with both metrica and imperial sizes.

> Ian

Oh :-( Where's Nicoll?

~PB

 

[Zog The Undenia]

nicoll wrote:

> The wheel is 27"x1 1/4" and I wondered if it is easier to get a new wheel but I don't
> particularly want to have two different sizes of wheels on the bike. What is a metric equivalent
> to 27" x 1 1/4"?
>
> Finally are 27"x1 1/4" tyres and tubes readily available? I checked www.settlecycles.co.uk and
> found tyres but not tubes, I don't want to rebuild the wheel if getting tyres/tubes is going to be
> difficult.
>
> Thanks for any help.

27" tyres are available. 700c tubes will fit 27" as well (there's only 8mm difference in diameter,
which is nothing). 27" rims are difficult. If you're really stuck, I have an unused pair of Alesa (I
think) eyeletted rims laid down for posterity, and two pairs of Conti Supersport tyres.

Putting 700c wheels on the bike instead may make it look wrong, but more importantly, your
brakes may not reach - if they're deep drop and the shoes are already near the bottom, you're
stuck with 27".

 

[Eatmorepies]

> I was considering replacing all the spokes on the rear wheel. Does this sound sensible? Can anyone
> recommend a online/mail order supplier for
boxes
> of spokes as I don't want to use by local shop again (at 80p each).
>
> The wheel is 27"x1 1/4" and I wondered if it is easier to get a new wheel but I don't
> particularly want to have two different sizes of wheels on the bike. What is a metric equivalent
> to 27" x 1 1/4"?

I have found Merlin to be good for MTB, I think they do road bikes. Tell them the hub and rim and
the right spokes arrive. I pay £5.5 a wheel plus some postage.

John