Broken Spoke

[Gl90265]

I just broke a spoke on the rear wheel of my 2020 Sport. Does anyone know if this is a repair I can do easily by myself? What is the correct replacement spoke? Does the wheel have to come off or can I just replace the one spoke and screw it into the existing nipple. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[PatriciaK]

I just broke a spoke on the rear wheel of my 2020 Sport. Does anyone know if this is a repair I can do easily by myself? What is the correct replacement spoke? Does the wheel have to come off or can I just replace the one spoke and screw it into the existing nipple. Any advice is appreciated.

Just wondering if you've reached out to Espin with those questions?

I'd be interested in their recommendations, in case I need them some day.

 

[Gl90265]

I sent them an email today. I don’t expect to hear back until Tuesday at the earliest. I’ll post their response if I get one.

 

[BigNerd]

There is a thread here about DIY broken spokes. I’ve done it twice on my Sport. It’s pretty easy as long as you have a spoke wrench. Didn’t need to remove the tire but make sure you don’t push the nipple into the rim.

 

[Gl90265]

Do you have the specs on the correct replacement spoke for the 2020 Sport? And what else do I need besides the spoke wrench?

 

[BigNerd]

I forgot to mention that Espin sent me replacement spokes. I was still within my year warranty.

 

[AHicks]

Count me in with a broken rear spoke as well. No mystery here regarding how it happened. I heard this huge crunch and the bike lurched a bit. I figured the rear wheel had just done battle with a stick as I was on a single track in the woods. It wasn't until later that I noticed the broken spoke.

Point being I doubt there was any defect regarding my spoke. I would just like to track down a replacement as quickly as possible.

Dimensions for a 2021 Sport for those following later without them, are 13 guage (2.27mm) and 210 mm long (or so). -Al

 

[john peck]

If you´re talking about a rear hub motor, you maybe able to replace a spoke without removing the
wheel provided it it can be inserted without removing the brake disc. Inserting a spoke into the nipple
of the one broken is not a good idea as both nipple & spoke maybe damaged. Both should be replaced.
To do this without dropping the wheel use tire levers to move tire & tube to one side of the rim near the
break. pull the rim strip to that side as well. insert spoke & ´very carefully´ lower the nipple onto it. A
magnetic screwdriver is the best way to do that. Screw in down, replace rim strip, tire & tube, reinflate.
This will not work if the brake disc interferes with placing or removing the spoke. Otherwise you may have
to remove the whl & the disc to get at it. (bummer) Many discs require a special bit for removal.

 

[AHicks]

John, I understand/am capable of dealing with a broken spoke. I'm looking for a place I can buy one (or maybe a few) that can/will ship quickly.

Thanks for the reply, -Al

 

[john peck]

John, I understand/am capable of dealing with a broken spoke. I'm looking for a place I can buy one (or maybe a few) that can/will ship quickly.

Thanks for the reply, -Al

Spokes can be found on ebay, even custom orders as long as you know the gauge & length.

 

[RunForTheHills]

John, I understand/am capable of dealing with a broken spoke. I'm looking for a place I can buy one (or maybe a few) that can/will ship quickly.

Thanks for the reply, -Al

If they are straight gauge or single butted, the quickest source is going to be a local bike shop with a spoke machine that can cut them to length and thread them. Other than that, you can buy spokes on eBay or Amazon.

 

[Bitmugger]

If they are straight gauge or single butted, the quickest source is going to be a local bike shop with a spoke machine that can cut them to length and thread them. Other than that, you can buy spokes on eBay or Amazon.

If they are 13g you might look long and hard to find a LBS that can supply them.

I ordered mine from Aliexpress and gave them the gauge and lengths I needed. I think John's suggestion is a good one to not re-use the nipple. Maybe my only exception to that advice is in the field if I can just swap the spoke without deflating the tire and get home I will probably do that and then replace the nipple at home.

 

[RunForTheHills]

If they are 13g you might look long and hard to find a LBS that can supply them.

I ordered mine from Aliexpress and gave them the gauge and lengths I needed. I think John's suggestion is a good one to not re-use the nipple. Maybe my only exception to that advice is in the field if I can just swap the spoke without deflating the tire and get home I will probably do that and then replace the nipple at home.

It is still worth a try. It just takes a phone call to find out. You can also order them from Grin. They are in Cananda, but the shipping is fast for small parts like that.

https://ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/spokes.html

 

[AHicks]

I spent an hour on Amazon. Plenty of sources for sure, but for the most part it sounded like they were a month out. I was hoping for something much quicker.

Bike shops in this area a mostly a joke. I did try one not too far from here. When he heard 13 gauge, that pretty much ended the conversation.

Grin. Right there under my nose and I hadn't even considered them. Spokes on order.

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. -Al

 

[AHicks]

Andy at Espin was nice enough to return my note regarding spoke availability - the same day I sent it. It's got some pretty relevant info, and a couple of files somebody with a 20 or 21 Sport/Flow with spoke issues might be able to use.

"You will need to purchase (10 minimum) spokes from this website: https://wheelbuilder.com/sapim-e-leader-straight-gauge-13g-spoke/

For your 2020 Flow, you will need 213mm length spokes for both sides of the rear wheel. For the 2021 models, those take 206 on the drive side and 208 on the non-drive side. I am attaching two screenshots showing all the correct selections you will need to make.

For the bike that got the broken spoke, please have the replacement spoke installed by your local bicycle mechanic and also have them re-tension all of the spokes on the rear wheel. Send us a picture of the receipt for this labor and we will reimburse you, as that is a warranty issue.

Note for your mechanic:
The spokes are 13G (2.3mm), so with the Park Tool tension meter the spokes should read about 27-28 on the drive side with the tire deflated.

Take care,
Andy
Espin Technical Support"

 

[AHicks]

Going into this, you need to know at 300lbs, I'm likely one of the bigger riders you're going to see riding a bike, especially as often as I do.
So to continue my story, I've broken a second spoke now, maybe 10 miles after the first one. That's replaced now, but I continue to hear the spokes popping/pinging like I have a loose spoke. I don't believe I have a loose spoke though.....

Espin (Andy), after reminding me their bikes are rated for just 275lbs, has been pretty good about some suggestions that may rid me of this issue - using a new wheel with beefed up spoke holes and a set of Sapim spokes. Another change, when lacing, he'd like to see the spoke heads facing toward the center vs. the way they come from the factory, which is facing out.

Grin (e-bikes.ca) has they're own plan as well. They suggest you alternate the spoke head direction, one facing in, the next out.....

Will update when I get something working.... quietly.

 

[AHicks]

New HD rim and spokes now in hand, so naturally it would figure that I was able to get the spoke popping issue resolved without them (so far). It's been about 60 miles of silence to date, so I thought I would leave an update. I purchased a spoke tension meter, and used that to even out the tension on all spokes. Most were actually high and they were brought into spec. Gave the tire a spin, and clearly setting the tension evenly was not going to be the answer. It was way out of wack.

Completely disenchanted with the tension gauge, patience hat on, and working a little at a time due to a sore back, I was able to bring the wheel back into alignment. Test drive showed it was still popping occasionally. Went to the tune by ear method, and after a couple of tries of tightening the "duds" 1/4 turn at a time, I ended up with a true running rim that ran silently - perfect!

I was told to use "28" on the spoke gauge for proper tension, and that does show near the center of the range of acceptable settings when looking at the charts. Early checks had some of the spokes set as high as 36. Final settings, the ones that will carry this 300 lb butt without constant complaining and breaking spokes, turned out to be 33-34. These are STILL acceptable on the charts I saw, though they are at the top of the "acceptable" range.

So my take away here, is that the spokes are going to need to be run a little tighter for the increased load I'm placing on them - AND - while tuning by ear sounds a bit crude to the uninitiated, it's actually a very effective way of adjusting spoke tension....

Silence IS golden!
Later, -Al

 

[fooferdoggie]

I spent an hour on Amazon. Plenty of sources for sure, but for the most part it sounded like they were a month out. I was hoping for something much quicker.

Bike shops in this area a mostly a joke. I did try one not too far from here. When he heard 13 gauge, that pretty much ended the conversation.

Grin. Right there under my nose and I hadn't even considered them. Spokes on order.

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. -Al

thats because there is no real need for them on a well built wheel. I went to several wheel smiths and found out 14 gauge is fine if you want stronger spokes you get double or better triple butted spokes such as sapim spokes. on our tandem where the combo weight is around 400 we have 14 gauge super strong sapim spokes and cliffhanger rims 32 spoke count.got these guys https://www.sapim.be/spokes/butted/strong

 

[AHicks]

We're set up with a set of 13g Sapim spokes and a 36 hole rim with stainless gommets reinforcing each spoke hole, so we're good to go from that perspective. I did ask several builders (none local unfortunately) about the heavier spokes available. The ones that are 13g with 12g ends. ALL said they were overkill. Could I get away with a lighter 14g setup? Maybe, but I have no intention of ever finding out. The wheel came from the manf. with 13g spokes, and I'll be staying with them.

 

[fooferdoggie]

We're set up with a set of 13g Sapim spokes and a 36 hole rim with stainless gommets reinforcing each spoke hole, so we're good to go from that perspective. I did ask several builders (none local unfortunately) about the heavier spokes available. The ones that are 13g with 12g ends. ALL said they were overkill. Could I get away with a lighter 14g setup? Maybe, but I have no intention of ever finding out. The wheel came from the manf. with 13g spokes, and I'll be staying with them.

yep and they broke.