Hunt XC Spoke repair
- Thread starter Emanresu
- Start date
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I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Looks like you only need a new nipple. Also looks like it is aluminium, which imo is not the best material for the job and prone to fatigue failure as you have found. I would replace with a standard brass nipple, but you are likely to experience further failures from the other nipples in the future.
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
Easy enough to do yourself. Just remove the broken one after taking off the tyre/tube and tension the new one . Simples.
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
As Skol said, it is only the nipple and it is an easy home fix. You'll need a 3.2mm nipple spanner, a bit of oil and a piece of tape. The latter is to wrap a little flag around the spoke so you can see if it rotates whilst tightening. Oil the threads and screw on the new nipple from underneath the rim tape. Now tighten the nipple on the spoke, keeping an eye on the flag.
Since it is al disc brake wheel, absolute trueness is not essential. True the wheel in the (upside down) bike. Your aim is to have the spoke make a similar sound when plucked, to others on the same side of the wheel. Then it is tight enough.
Whilst tightening, keep an eye on the flag if it turns, overshoot your intended number of turns a bit and back off until the flag is back to its original position. There should be no residual twist in the spoke when you're finished.
The one disadvantage you have is that the wheel has very few spokes and therefore the tension is high, which is slightly more difficult to do. Nevertheless, give it a go. Use brass nipples and expect more to pop in the near future.
Since it is al disc brake wheel, absolute trueness is not essential. True the wheel in the (upside down) bike. Your aim is to have the spoke make a similar sound when plucked, to others on the same side of the wheel. Then it is tight enough.
Whilst tightening, keep an eye on the flag if it turns, overshoot your intended number of turns a bit and back off until the flag is back to its original position. There should be no residual twist in the spoke when you're finished.
The one disadvantage you have is that the wheel has very few spokes and therefore the tension is high, which is slightly more difficult to do. Nevertheless, give it a go. Use brass nipples and expect more to pop in the near future.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
I would check the rim as well , if the spoke nipple has snapped it might have caused damage to the hole in the rim .
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
And don't forget to try and fish the broken bit of nipple out of the rim.
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
Naaah, leave it there. The irritating rattle will remind you just how rubbish aluminium nipples are.
Big John
Guru
Looks like it's 'tubeless ready' and has rim tape instead of a metal band. You lucky devil 👍
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Take the wheel off. Remove tyre and rim tape, remove broken head of nipple, unscrew remains of nipple still screwed on spoke, measure to determine how long a nipple you need, visit LBS ( I suppose Hal fords may have a single nipple) to buy one (brass), insert nipple in hole and screw onto spoke using screwdriver (see @Yellow Saddle comment above for gory detail), get tension the same (pluck note) as its peers, refit rim tape and tyre, inflate, reinstall and ride.For bonus points: replace all the other fragile Al nipples with brass ones.
You're welcome.
Last edited:
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
Isn't Hunt supposed to be a premium make?
Does make you wonder why a brass nipple isn't fitted in the first place if the aluminum ones are prone to failure. The difference in cost must be small. I guess it's because they use or order so many thousand at a time and the aluminum nipples are x pence cheaper they use those. A very poor business decision when you think how this could hurt their reputation.
Does make you wonder why a brass nipple isn't fitted in the first place if the aluminum ones are prone to failure. The difference in cost must be small. I guess it's because they use or order so many thousand at a time and the aluminum nipples are x pence cheaper they use those. A very poor business decision when you think how this could hurt their reputation.
OP
OP
Emanresu
Senior Member
That was my view but the bike builder (it was someone else's custom job) built it for lightness. It's only about 9kg in total. Have ordered a pack of spares and will check each one to see if some might need replaced prematurely. I use this bike for long distance touring so having spokes break in the middle of nowhere is not a fun idea.
