Spoke Wrench Sizes

On 2006-11-06, Rex Kerr <[email hidden]> wrote:

<SNIP>

Quoted message said:

Problem is, the drive side spokes protrude through the
nipples such that I cannot turn them with a screwdriver anymore. I'm
willing to risk the spokes sticking out a bit too far (I'll use two
layers of cloth tape if I have to)

<SNIP>

Not the answer you're after I know, but buy a file and file down the
protruding length of spoke until its flush with the head of the nipple
this won't help your current problem, but it will stop you getting an
awful lot of flat tyres in the future.

Cheers

Joel

Quoted message said:

Not the answer you're after I know, but buy a file and file down the
protruding length of spoke until its flush with the head of the nipple
this won't help your current problem, but it will stop you getting an
awful lot of flat tyres in the future.

Currently nothing protruding, but if I manage to tighten those spokes
and they do I'll definitely consider your advice -- though probably
with a dremel rather than by hand! :-)

Rex Kerr said:

I bought a rear wheel a while back from a local bike co-op. At the
time we believed that it might be a 126 spacing, but it turned out to
be a 130 spacing. Rather than "make it fit" I decided to respace it.
I removed the axle and found a 4mm spacer which I removed, cut the
axle, and reassembled the wheel. I then started to redish the wheel
using a screwdriver from the inside of the wheel. It's now true and
centered, though the spoke tension is too low -- they probably need one
more turn. Problem is, the drive side spokes protrude through the
nipples such that I cannot turn them with a screwdriver anymore. I'm
willing to risk the spokes sticking out a bit too far (I'll use two
layers of cloth tape if I have to), but unfortunately none of my three
spoke wrenches (Park red, green, black) fit it! I've taken the wheel
to two different LBS, neither of which could tell me which size wrench
would fit (nor did they sell any other sizes).

I was considering a multi-sized tool, such as:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7142278381&category=36144

but the sizes are in different units. How would I know if this might
work? Any other sources that people could point me towards?

Thanks!
-Rex

Dear Rex,

You buy a variety of spoke wrenches, many with sizes indicated, here:

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=149384536758&nr=21&b=&c=Tools&sc=Wheel-and-Rim&tc=Spoke-Wrenches&q=&s=
or http://tinyurl.com/yzsjkq

If your spoke nipples are too big for the black, green, and red Park
wrenches, there's a fair chance that you need the larger blue sw-3
wrench at 0.156 inches:

SW-0 (Black) 80 ga./.127” nipple/3.23mm
SW-1 (Green) 80 ga./.130” nipple/3.30mm
SW-2 (Red) 80 ga./.136” nipple/3.45mm
SW-3 (Blue) 105 ga./.156” nipple/3.96mm

http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=16&item=SW%2D3

Ask a shop to measure the spokes with a dial or digital caliper, or
spend a $8 at Harbor Freight and get one for yourself:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93293

Here's an index of such stores in the US:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/retail_stores.taf

Sorry if you live in Massachusetts or the handful of other benighted
states without a cheap tool outlet.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

"Rex Kerr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not the answer you're after I know, but buy a file and file down the
protruding length of spoke until its flush with the head of the nipple
this won't help your current problem, but it will stop you getting an
awful lot of flat tyres in the future.

Currently nothing protruding, but if I manage to tighten those spokes
and they do I'll definitely consider your advice -- though probably
with a dremel rather than by hand! :-)

After building a wheel once, a certain number of spokes were a bit too long
(not all just a few), I simply used a dremel tool and a cutoff wheel to
carefully grind down the offending spokes.
Do you have a small jeweler's file, you can carefully file one of your spoke
wrenches to fit. Then buy a new spoke wrench to replace the one you filed
oversize.
You could also replace the spke nipples with more convential sized nipples
too.

Rex Kerr said:

Quoted message said:

Not the answer you're after I know, but buy a file and file down the
protruding length of spoke until its flush with the head of the nipple
this won't help your current problem, but it will stop you getting an
awful lot of flat tyres in the future.

Currently nothing protruding, but if I manage to tighten those spokes
and they do I'll definitely consider your advice -- though probably
with a dremel rather than by hand! :-)

If you've got a dremel (or better yet a proper angle grinder with a thin
disk) you could try cutting slots in an old headset nut, there generally
made of quite good steel and make reasonable tools

Cheers

Joel

Rex Kerr said:

I bought a rear wheel a while back from a local bike co-op. At the
time we believed that it might be a 126 spacing, but it turned out to
be a 130 spacing. Rather than "make it fit" I decided to respace it.
I removed the axle and found a 4mm spacer which I removed, cut the
axle, and reassembled the wheel. I then started to redish the wheel
using a screwdriver from the inside of the wheel. It's now true and
centered, though the spoke tension is too low -- they probably need one
more turn. Problem is, the drive side spokes protrude through the
nipples such that I cannot turn them with a screwdriver anymore. I'm
willing to risk the spokes sticking out a bit too far (I'll use two
layers of cloth tape if I have to), but unfortunately none of my three
spoke wrenches (Park red, green, black) fit it! I've taken the wheel
to two different LBS, neither of which could tell me which size wrench
would fit (nor did they sell any other sizes).

I was considering a multi-sized tool, such as:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7142278381&category=36144

but the sizes are in different units. How would I know if this might
work? Any other sources that people could point me towards?

Thanks!
-Rex

The one pictures will work, one of those slots will be right. pedros
makes a nice multi spoke wrench as well.

http://www.pedros.com/frame.aspx?url=http://store.yahoo.com/pedrosusa/spokandtirto.html?trunk

Joel Mayes said:

On 2006-11-06, Rex Kerr <[email hidden]> wrote:

<SNIP>

Quoted message said:

Problem is, the drive side spokes protrude through the
nipples such that I cannot turn them with a screwdriver anymore. I'm
willing to risk the spokes sticking out a bit too far (I'll use two
layers of cloth tape if I have to)

<SNIP>

Not the answer you're after I know, but buy a file and file down the
protruding length of spoke until its flush with the head of the nipple
this won't help your current problem, but it will stop you getting an
awful lot of flat tyres in the future.

Cheers

Not his problem, he's trying to true the wheel using the slot on the
outside of the nipple, with a screw driver, and the slot is going away
as the nipple gets tightened

Quoted message said:

Joel

Rex Kerr said:

I bought a rear wheel a while back from a local bike co-op. At the
time we believed that it might be a 126 spacing, but it turned out to
be a 130 spacing. Rather than "make it fit" I decided to respace it.
I removed the axle and found a 4mm spacer which I removed, cut the
axle, and reassembled the wheel. I then started to redish the wheel
using a screwdriver from the inside of the wheel. It's now true and
centered, though the spoke tension is too low -- they probably need one
more turn. Problem is, the drive side spokes protrude through the
nipples such that I cannot turn them with a screwdriver anymore. I'm
willing to risk the spokes sticking out a bit too far (I'll use two
layers of cloth tape if I have to), but unfortunately none of my three
spoke wrenches (Park red, green, black) fit it! I've taken the wheel
to two different LBS, neither of which could tell me which size wrench
would fit (nor did they sell any other sizes).

I was considering a multi-sized tool, such as:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7142278381&category=36144

but the sizes are in different units. How would I know if this might
work? Any other sources that people could point me towards?

Thanks!
-Rex

Park Tool SW-10 adjustable spoke wrench!
Lew

Rex Kerr said:

I bought a rear wheel a while back from a local bike co-op. At the
time we believed that it might be a 126 spacing, but it turned out to
be a 130 spacing. Rather than "make it fit" I decided to respace it.
I removed the axle and found a 4mm spacer which I removed, cut the
axle, and reassembled the wheel. I then started to redish the wheel
using a screwdriver from the inside of the wheel. It's now true and
centered, though the spoke tension is too low -- they probably need one
more turn. Problem is, the drive side spokes protrude through the
nipples such that I cannot turn them with a screwdriver anymore. I'm
willing to risk the spokes sticking out a bit too far (I'll use two
layers of cloth tape if I have to), but unfortunately none of my three
spoke wrenches (Park red, green, black) fit it! I've taken the wheel
to two different LBS, neither of which could tell me which size wrench
would fit (nor did they sell any other sizes).

I was considering a multi-sized tool, such as:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7142278381&category=36144

but the sizes are in different units. How would I know if this might
work? Any other sources that people could point me towards?

Thanks!
-Rex

Park Tool SW-10 adjustable spoke wrench!
Lew

Quoted message said:

Park Tool SW-10 adjustable spoke wrench!

Wow, that's great! Just a bit more than I'd hoped to pay! I'll have
to consider it though. Have you used one? How hard is it to use for
general purpose use? Or would you only use it on stubborn or oddly
sized nipples?

Rex Kerr said:

Quoted message said:

Park Tool SW-10 adjustable spoke wrench!

Wow, that's great! Just a bit more than I'd hoped to pay! I'll have
to consider it though. Have you used one? How hard is it to use for
general purpose use? Or would you only use it on stubborn or oddly
sized nipples?

Rex, sorry, I haven't used one. I would think a good quality standard
spoke wrench would be easier to use on cooperative nipples. The problem
nipples you should replace anyway, so why not just use a small
vise-grips? Good luck.