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GoSteady

Member since Mar 2018 • Last active Mar 2018
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  • 4 comments

Cycle mechanic, furniture maker and fixer of things.

Most recent activity

  • in Mechanics & Fixin'
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    If you're planning to build lots of wheels, I would invest in better kit. In terms of the jig, I would recommend something with adjustable pins (the bit that touches the rim) on both sides. I have had lots of experience with the WAG5 and I found that it flexes really easily, which means you have to be very gentle with it to get an accurate reading. The WAG4 is much better.

    Also, you'll want a tension meter and metric conversion table. This is important because rim manufacturers will specify a recommended spoke tension, usually in Kilograms Force. No need to go digital, something like the TM1 will do fine. Alternatively if you have a good idea of how tight the spokes should feel, you can get even tension by using a guitar tuner and plucking each spoke.

    Hope that helps.

  • in Mechanics & Fixin'
    Avatar for GoSteady

    There may indeed be a tensioning issue as mechanics won't usually re-tension wheels thoroughly after replacing just one spoke. However, this is unlikely to cause the spokes to pop unless they are severely under-tensioned. What is more likely is that you need to rebuild the wheel with new spokes and nipples, as Cycleclinic suggests.

    Take note of where the spokes are snapping. If the breaks are close to the J-bend, the wheel has probably been under-tensioned for some time, allowing the J-bends to move about in the holes in the hub flange, which has weakened them. If your chain has ever gone into your spokes, this may have scratched/gouged them and caused weakness in a similar way. If the breaks are close to the threaded end of the spokes, you may have some corrosion between spoke and nipple and rim, which is making the spokes more brittle.

    Hope that helps.

  • in Mechanics & Fixin'
    Avatar for GoSteady

    Edscoble is right, you've done a lot of riding! And indeed if the road threw up grit onto the rotor then it will have acted a bit like sand paper and increased the rate of wear.

    To expand a little on the question of whether you should change your rotors, Centerline rotors are 1.83mm-1.85mm when they are new. Sram, unlike some manufacturers, do not give a minimum thickness for safe use of their rotors, so we have to use common sense. As the rotor becomes thinner it gets hotter more quickly, leading to it warping more easily and affecting the performance of your brake fluid as it is compressed (called 'brake fade'). Also, because the metal is being worn by abrasion (as opposed to cutting) it becomes rougher and wears down your pad more quickly, as Edscoble says.

    So that's the information you need to make a decision. If your notice any of the above symptoms, it may be time to change the rotors. However, be aware that the small edge you noticed on your rotors is very common and not a cause for concern in and of itself. If you can access a vernier gauge, measure the thickness of your rotors. I personally wouldn't consider changing them until they are less than 1.5mm.

    Hope that's helpful.

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