Recently a spoke on the rear wheel of my RadRunner 2 snapped. I?m trying to find the correct size so I can get a replacement. I called a Rad service center and got the wrong info (pretty sure the length is greater than 13mm) and am still waiting for their online customer service to respond.
Any assistance is appreciated, thank you.
I assume a Radrunner 2 has the same hub size and rim as my Radrunner 1. A year ago, I had two broken and others looked iffy. They say if you lose three, the whole thing may fail if you keep riding, so I was in a hurry and I couldn't get a reply from Radpower.
The broken spokes were stretched at the elbows, and I'd never measured spokes before. I mistakenly ordered 12g 130 mm through Amazon and waited for them to come from China. They were too long, but I managed.
125mm should be perfect. I guess you'll have to take off the tire and pull back the nipples as I did to get the short, stiff spokes in place. Instead of removing the whole liner band, I cut a hole to get at the head of a nipple. When I was finished, I glued plastic over the holes so the tube wouldn't get squeezed in.
Normally, a spoke breaks near the nipple or at the elbow. The heads popped off mine. Some of my OEM spokes had heads a little too small. They sunk too deeply into the hub, allowing the elbow to pull away from the hub on the other side. An elbow would come a little unbent, causing uneven pressure around the head until it broke off. I replaced a couple of other spokes whose heads had sunk farther into the hub than others, a sign of impending trouble.
My spoke wrench was a ring with slots for eight sizes of nipples. It was a hassle. Lately I bought this kind. It's much better.
https://amzn.to/44DzG3P
Quote from: handlebar on July 20, 2023, 03:41:39 PM
My spoke wrench was a ring with slots for eight sizes of nipples. It was a hassle. Lately I bought this kind. It's much better.
https://amzn.to/44DzG3P
Thanks for all the info. Looks like the wrench you recommend is popular, Amazon says it will ship in September.
I checked "12 g spoke wrench" at Walmart. The first page showed 4 like this, which they claim I can receive the first week of August. I don't know what shipping would cost if I didn't have Walmart +.
I also looked for spokes but didn't see how to specify length.