Changing rear spoke

Hi can this be done with out removing the rear wheel , it’s a oxygen s cross mtb or does the rear wheel have to come off plus tyre and inner tube . Is there any thing else I may need to remove ie rear disc thanks first time ever had to replace a broken spoke

You don't have to remove the wheel, although you may find it easier if this is your first time, likewise the tyre tube and rim tape.

 

With the disc brake it depends on which side the spoke has gone and if the disc brake obscures the hole you need to thread the spoke through.

 

I used to, with the wheel on the bike, deflate the inner tube, pop just a section of the tire off (or flex out of the way), lift the rim tape with a spoke lever underneath to hold it up, and then bend the spoke through the hole in the hub and rim -so it can be done without taking anything off the bike.

I would speak to Oxygen, who are good, and get a few probably about 20, they are cheap, replacement spokes of the right type. You may find that spokes on one side of the wheel differ slightly from the other side, Oxygen will explain.

 

I have two old Oxygen Emate city bikes from circa 2011 and have had spokes break in the rear motor wheels in both.

 

Now I am a bit of a bodger so you may wish to ignore the following advise.

 

Interestingly one rear motor wheel was a doddle to change a spoke and I could do it without removing the wheel or doing anything with the tyre at all. That was because the motor was narrow enough to remove a spoke and replace it screwing the replacement spoke into the old nipple and using a spoke spanner to adjust the tension without doing more than bend it slightly around the rotor of the brake.

 

The other motor wheel was a complete bugger, the motor was wider and I had to remove the wheel, tyre, brake rotor, and inner tube, and lever the rim tape aside to get at/replace the spoke nipple.

 

Not to depress you but you often find if one spoke breaks you might be in for a period of replacing spokes before you reach a point where they stop. However I have always managed to get to the stopped, or wheel stable point.

 

Wheel truing is a dark art and I take a simplistic approach. First assuming your wheel was reasonable true before the spoke broke, check them all and tighten any loose ones and generally and carefully increase by about a quarter to half a turn all the spokes on the wheel and then replace the broken one.

 

To get the spokes at roughly the same tension comparatively to each other as they were throughout the wheel I tend to tap them with a screw driver to get the tone of the spokes as a guide to their starting tension and increase each one by the same amount.

 

This is a pragmatic approach, has worked for me and enabled me to mend my own wheels but some more sophisticated advise may be along soon.

Edited June 3, 20205 yr by georgehenry

It can be done on the disc side without removing the wheel. I have done it, but be prepared to seriously bend the new spoke to a 'c' shape when putting in through the spoke hole without putting kinks in it. Then straighten it as best you can when screwing it in at the rim. It will straighten out fully when tension is put on it.

Thanks for help , I’ve got replacements spokes from oxygen just need to fit it it’s the opp side to all the gears

Replacements arrived from oxygen but the sales guy sent the wrong ones too thick with no nipples that I asked for as well , they should have been 14 gauge 2mm 230mm length but received 2.79mm thick so the bike shop couldn’t replace it