Mechanics and Fixing Any Questions Answered

I haven't, but my friend Rohan, who is a home-based professional mechanic, uses these guys a lot and is very happy with the fixes to that exact issue that they've done for him.

I'd very happily recommend Target Composites for anything carbon, and have sent and asked them various things.

Thanks. I'm familiar with CBR but not Target. I should fire over a quote as the damage is very minimal but I want to mitigate the issue. Any idea how much it might cost for a 'minor' repair like that @snottyotter?

No idea, but they've always been extremely helpful whenever I've asked them anything.

Think so.

But spoke washers aren't fitted at the mo, so will have to take the wheels apart to get the right answers to the spokes that are used and to go to thicker spokes and add some washers as why not.

I think breaking at the head/bend suggests movement and 'fretting'.

The only time I've used spoke head washers has been when building coaster brake hubs as they have really large spoke holes. Done a couple and given them dogs abuse and never had any breakages.

I just used the same spokes I normally would (Alpina, Sapim race, that kind of thing. Cheap, butted spokes). I probably just didn't think of using thicker spokes but my ack of issues would suggest they aren't really needed.

Butted spokes are probably all you need; the extra elasticity should prevent the fatigue failures.

99% of spoke breakage is caused by the loosest spokes losing all tension as they pass by the road.

+lynx most if not all hub motors spoke holes are 2.3 or 2.6mm IIRC so you'll require the washers.

Would have gone for 13 or 12 gauge spokes but that'll be a custom order which will be spendy, so washers it is.

Without spoke head washers the heads sit all pissed in the larger holes which introduces movement/fatigue.

You can probably build a wheel without them and get away with it, for a while at least, but they’re neither expensive, hard to get or difficult to use so why take the risk?

Customcutspokes and spokesfromryan do fat spokes with suitable nipples to match the rim for a reasonable price, I've used both and I think I prefer Ryan but couldn't tell you why.

most if not all hub motors spoke holes are 2.3 or 2.6mm

So, just like most normal hubs then🙂

I'd probably use DT Alpine III or the like for anything load bearing, they're 2.3mm at the head/bend, which is about a third more cross sectional area than 2mm spokes.

Without spoke head washers the heads sit all pissed in the larger holes which introduces movement/fatigue.

The tension, and stress relieving step, will pull the heads to a position they won't move from. From there, the only reason a head can move is if the spoke loses tension. Unless it's a steel flange, washers probably do more to protect the flange than the spoke, once you've employed a sufficiently tensioned and stress relieved butted spoke.

Yup but to order a box of 100 just for 32 spokes is not really that economical for a shop.

Spoke cutter and 14mm plain gauge and washers it is then.

I do love the Alpines though, never ever had one snap at the bend on my 48h polo wheel!

Customcutspokes and spokesfromryan also do trade accounts and no need to order boxes.

The tension, and stress relieving step, will pull the heads to a position they won't move from.

Not in my experience.

Spoke cutter and 14mm plain gauge and washers it is then.

If you have a Phil or something, it’s child’s play. Measuring, cutting, filing, and rolling with a Cyclo or similar machine will take the better part of half an hour. Ordering a batch online is so much easier.

Indeed, would have rather buy them and was not my call to get the spoke cutter.

Yeah, proper cutter mounted on a work bench.

Couple of secs to cut, couple of secs to roll.

How are these bars wrapped? Looks like they start from the bottom of the drops but then the top is so clean with no tape. Are they glued in place?

Looks like they are wrapped top to bottom to the lever, them bottom to top to the lever with the join under the hoods. That’s how I’ll be doing my aero bars, when I finally fit them.

Looking again they are just wrapped bottom to top with a smear of superglue (at a guess)

I took this wheel off for the first time in a while and there's a bit of rust on the axle threads. I've bought some new wheel nuts because the olds ones had a bit of rust on them (and the axle only has the rust where the nut sits). Should I be putting grease on these threads (or something else)? And should I try to get the rust off the threads with some wire wool or similar? Any suggestions appreciated!

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Is this brake caliper design OK? It's a Ciamillo L8 Ultra. My concern is that the cable might come loose. Mr Ciamillo is financially fly-by-night. Maybe he's a good engineer but it's safe to say that he wouldn't have paid for independent testing. Here are the fitting instructions: The cable goes through the hole then you fix it in place by torquing the cable clamp bolt. The bolt screws into a channel which is just a threaded hole. The cable clamp bolt is a tiny grub screw. When you torque up the bolt it mashes the cable and bends it into an elbow shape. Over time, might the 'elbow' in the cable continue to deform...and come loose?

Is the threaded part metallic, composite or carbon? Using an alloy insert wouldn’t be difficult, so it’s an odd choice to use threaded tow-based discontinuous composite (aka ‘forged’ carbon fibre) for a threaded safety critical part, but it can be made quite strong. 🤷‍♂️

Quite a few calipers operate(d) on a similar principle, with duly mashed cables as a result. Not an elegant solution, at least.

It's metal. Possibly 7075 aluminium https://ciamillo.shop/products/l8-ultra?variant=48690508857650

Good to hear that the mashed elbow is not an innovation. Thanks.

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