Spoke Replacement

[Jimmy Welch]

I'm fitting a new spoke on my works /gravel bike , the nut screws perfectly into the thread of the spoke but once the nut is housed in the wheel rim it just won't catch , Im at a complete loss the nut is seated ok

 

[si_c]

I'm fitting a new spoke on my works /gravel bike , the nut screws perfectly into the thread of the spoke but once the nut is housed in the wheel rim it just won't catch , Im at a complete loss the nut is seated ok

Are you sure the spoke nipple is long enough or the spoke for that matter? If you don't have the original spoke and nipple then take out an adjacent spoke on the same side and check the length of both.

 

[Jimmy Welch]

Hi Yes it's the original spoke , screws down tight when not inside the rim , put it in the rim and spins like a top

 

[si_c]

Hi Yes it's the original spoke , screws down tight when not inside the rim , put it in the rim and spins like a top

In that case I'd guess that the threads have stripped on the lower part of the nipple so it's not engaging properly, if so a replacement should sort the problem out, they're not expensive, usually about 50p.

 

[Jimmy Welch]

No it's not that because if I just screw it down away from the wheel it screws down properly tight

 

[si_c]

No it's not that because if I just screw it down away from the wheel it screws down properly tight

I'm thinking if the lower part of the threads are stripped when it's in the hub it won't have enough give to reach where the threads are in the nipple, so it just spins and never engages. It only needs the lower couple of threads to be out for this to be the case. Out of the rim you'll have the slack to push the spoke past the stripped threads to where it's good so it catches properly.

 

[si_c]

I'm thinking if the lower part of the threads are stripped when it's in the hub it won't have enough give to reach where the threads are in the nipple, so it just spins and never engages. It only needs the lower couple of threads to be out for this to be the case. Out of the rim you'll have the slack to push the spoke past the stripped threads to where it's good so it catches properly.

Just to add - if that's not the case, replace both.

 

[IaninSheffield]

As @si_c said above, but just to add, might it be that the spokes on the opposite side of the wheel are still in tension, so when trying to screw in the nipple in situ, you can't get past those first few worn threads? If so, and you're confident you can retrue the wheel, release the tension in the opposite side of the wheel first, then try adding the nipple.
Also, you could substitute a nipple from an adjacent spoke to identify whether the original one is at fault. If the replacement works fine, then replacing the worn one would make sense.