Broken Spoke

[Crosstrailer]

Haven't ridden in a couple of months but set out the other day determined to resolve the issue. Unfortunately twelve miles in I was forced into a giant pothole by overtaking traffic and after hearing a clang, saw I had broken a spoke which has sheared off at the edge of the nipple.

I have stripped the tyre and tube off, removed the nipple but do not have a clue what size spoke I need to replace it. Every thing that goes wrong with my bikes I learn how to fix it myself to keep repair costs down (my own self imposed policy after getting worked over by a LBS), but having never had any wheel issues before this is a first for me.

The spoke calculators online need to know the brand of hub in order to give the correct spoke size, my rear hub just has a specialized graphic on it and I am totally stumped. I also have the data sheet for the bike but it does not give spoke length.

Is there any other way of calculating spoke length ?

Any help appreciated !!!

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

If you still have the broken spoke (and absent that measuring one from the same side of the wheel), it shouldn't be difficult to work out what length you need in conjunction with the pic below.

 

[lpretro1]

Remove another whole spoke and measure it. Or take an educated guess - if it is a modern road bike then it will likely be between 292-296. Drive side tends to be shorter measure than non-drive side. If modern mtb then possibly 262-264? If you have double -walled rim then a mm or two out won't really matter that much - as long as you have plenty of thread for the nipple.

 

[bicyclos]

As what the above poster has said plus I bought a spoke length ruler which was quite cheap but not necessary but handy. Take another spoke off your wheel and take it your local bike shop which should sort you out. Buy a few for spare....

 

[02GF74]

you don't need a spoke calculator - finda spoke that is in the same location and measure its length.

 

[Crosstrailer]

Thanks for the replies guys

Today I invested in a cassette tool & chain whip and had my local Evans store match the spoke length after I removed the old one and took it in. I have just completed the work and took the opportunity to give everything a good clean. I could have had them do it for me but I now know how to do it and have the tools if the problem arises again.

 

[02GF74]

sod's means that now you have the tools, you will never have the same problem!!!