Measuring a spoke that’s already in a wheel

Asked by: Ali Williams

If you wanted to just measure the built wheel to get an ideal spoke length, use a tape measure, piece of string, etc to get the most accurate measurement you can from the inside of the J (the actual point of contact with the hub flange) to the point where the spoke inside its nipple intersects the inside surface of the …

How do I know the size of my spokes?

Pull both spoke heads inward towards the center to seat the nipples. Using the narrow tips of the caliper jaws, measure from inside to inside of each J-bend. Record this measurement to the nearest tenth of a millimeter. In our example, each spoke measured 266 mm, with the J-bend-to-J-bend at 35.7 mm.

How do you measure for a replacement spoke?

Quote from video: And clip them together so now you have your overall rim diameter then you're gonna take your little tape measure. And you're gonna measure in between these little silver pieces.

How do you check a spoke on a wheel?

Quote from video: On your rear wheel just grab yourself a small spanner. This is a 10 mil spanner. And have the wheel jacked up so that you can just tap each of the spokes. And you're making sure that they all ring.

What size are my bike spokes?

Quote from video: The way we do that is by screwing a spoke on each end of a nipple threading. It through opposite sides and then you can take the measurement of the difference in length.

Does spoke length have to be exact?

No. A millimeter too long is fine, if the effective rim diameter (ERD) is measured very accurately (but it may not be measured accurately enough).

How do you use a spoke ruler?

Quote from video: Real easy like plastic rulers work fine too you just have to make sure that you can hang that hook end of the spoke add the zero of the ruler these spokes are under pretty high tension on this wheel.

What size spoke for 29er?

Spoke for rear wheel – 28-29 inch, 13G*225mm, Silver.

What kind of spokes do I need?

When it comes time to ordering your hubs, rims, and spokes, you want to be sure that both the hubs and the rims use the same number of spokes. A majority of mountain bike wheels use either 24, 28, or 32 spokes per wheel depending on their intended use.

Can you true a wheel with the tire on?

As long as there are no loose spokes and the wheel is reasonably straight (the rim and tire mustn’t rub on the brake pads), it will ride nicely and hold up fine.

Can you tighten spokes without a spoke wrench?

To make them able to be tightened by mere fingers, you need to release the tension on them so the nipples will spin easily. That’s as simply as pulling the wheel as far to the right as possible, which is very easy by grabbing the wheel and chainstay and squeezing them together.

How do you true a wheel at home?

Quote from video: You want to take the the nipple. Here with your little wrench. And to tighten it I want to turn this counterclockwise. And when adjusting spokes you want to do it in very small increments.

Does 1mm make a difference in spoke length?

One of the reason is that if the spoke is 1mm longer than it needs to be, then the builder may not be able to get the proper tension on the spoke, because they run out of threads on the spoke since you have to turn the nipple in further to make up for the extra length.

Can you cut spokes to length?

Quote from video: You cannot simply cut the spoke because you will mess up the threads.

What is the size of spokes for 27.5 wheel?

Common Spoke Lengths

How many spokes does a 26 inch wheel have?

BICYCLE WHEEL SPOKES FOR STANDARD 26″ WHEEL SCHWINN BIKES AND OTHERS 10 – 5/8″ THIS IS A COMPLETE SET OF SPOKES FOR 26″ TIRE SIZE / WHEELS. THEY WILL FIT MANY WHEELS OF MANY BRANDS, YOU GET ALL 36 SPOKES WITH NIPPLES, THEY ARE SIZE 10 – 5/8″ LONG.

What size spoke for 29er?

Spoke for rear wheel – 28-29 inch, 13G*225mm, Silver.

How are MTB spokes measured?

Quote from video: Sometimes people go from the top and the bottom. But you ideally want to measure from the center of both of those holes. So when you're measuring those those hub flanges.

How are BMX spokes measured?

An easy way to measure this is to measure from the cone nut to the centre of your flange, and then take that and subtract it from 55. (Standard cone to cone with on a hub is 110mm) If your hub has two different size flanges, you need this measurement for each side.

What size are BMX spokes?

Spoke

How many spokes are in a 20 inch BMX?

24 spokes

20 inch/406 rim, 24 spokes, disc brake/rim brake/V brake, for 20*1.0-1.75 tires.