# DIY spoke wrench



## Mtn-Rider (May 21, 2010)

After looking at spoke wrenches for the trail, I wondered if anyone's come up with some clever DIY spoke wrench in their shop. Let's see 'em.


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## sasquatch rides a SS (Dec 27, 2010)

I found a couple of these on google which look pretty neat if you need to carry a wrench like this on the trail with you. (like a 15mm for axle nuts if you don't have qr's)


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

I'd be interested too. They'd have to be made with pretty tight tolerances since even cheap dedicated spoke wrenches can easily round off the nipples.


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

jtmartino said:


> I'd be interested too. They'd have to be made with pretty tight tolerances since even cheap dedicated spoke wrenches can easily round off the nipples.


BINGO!

Doing trail side wheel trueing with a home made tool is a last ditch effort. Pretty easy to do more harm than good. Honestly your better off getting a real spoke wrench. The DT version is pretty light and none of them are very big. It's just really not practical as a DIY tool impo.


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## Mtn-Rider (May 21, 2010)

True, but I'd like to carry a lightweight spoke wrench for replacing broken spokes not for wheel truing. The goal being to keep riding, not truing a wheel on the trail.

I've seen how badly only one broken spoke can warp the wheel, now I carry spare spokes to replace on the trail if needed. Wheel truing is for after the ride.

The weight of the solid metal wrench I have led me to start looking. The Park SW-7 is a heavy sucker and I only need one spoke size on the trail. Still looking at options.


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## tomacropod (Jul 23, 2004)

I think you'd have a very hard time making a spoke wrench lighter than the DT one. You can easily trim that one down to make it smaller, if you like.

- Joel


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## 4slomo (Jul 4, 2006)

I carry a mini adjustable wrench I could use as a spoke wrench if I ever needed to.


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

Mtn-Rider said:


> True, but I'd like to carry a lightweight spoke wrench for replacing broken spokes not for wheel truing. The goal being to keep riding, not truing a wheel on the trail.
> 
> I've seen how badly only one broken spoke can warp the wheel, now I carry spare spokes to replace on the trail if needed. Wheel truing is for after the ride.
> 
> The weight of the solid metal wrench I have led me to start looking. The Park SW-7 is a heavy sucker and I only need one spoke size on the trail. Still looking at options.


Are you going to carry a lock ring tool, chain whip and T25 wrench as well? Your not going to replace a spoke without getting all that other stuff out of the wheel.


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## Mtn-Rider (May 21, 2010)

customfab said:


> Are you going to carry a lock ring tool, chain whip and T25 wrench as well? Your not going to replace a spoke without getting all that other stuff out of the wheel.


No, but I can get the brake rotors off with a hex wrench and replace any broken spokes on the brake side of either wheel. Add the already accessible drive side of the front wheel and I have a 75% chance of being able to replace a broken spoke on the trail.

No chance of getting to the cassette side of the rear hub on the trail though, glad you mentioned it.


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## sasquatch rides a SS (Dec 27, 2010)

Try contacting Park Tool and see if you can get this removable tire lever/spoke wrench combo. I don't know if they sell it by itself but I have one of their tools with this and it's pretty neat...


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

It's not rocket science folks...

DT Swiss Spokey Nipple Wrench at JensonUSA.com

Park Spoke Wrench at REI.com


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## PissedOffCil (Oct 18, 2007)

sasquatch rides a SS said:


> Try contacting Park Tool and see if you can get this removable tire lever/spoke wrench combo. I don't know if they sell it by itself but I have one of their tools with this and it's pretty neat...


That multi tool is the worst I ever bought.


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## sasquatch rides a SS (Dec 27, 2010)

I really like it a lot. Does everything I need and doesn't weigh too much or take up too much space. Better than carrying around a multi-tool, spoke wrench, chain tool, tire lever and screwdrivers like I was before I bought it.


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

Mtn-Rider said:


> No, but I can get the brake rotors off with a hex wrench and replace any broken spokes on the brake side of either wheel. Add the already accessible drive side of the front wheel and I have a 75% chance of being able to replace a broken spoke on the trail.
> 
> No chance of getting to the cassette side of the rear hub on the trail though, glad you mentioned it.


I'd like to see you replace a spoke on the disc side with the head on either side of the hub flange without pulling the cassette. I know it could be done if you bend the spoke in half but...

If you that worried about being able to do this trail side you should probably just cary the fiber fix spokes. They are good enough to get you home without ruining a spoke or the rest of your wheel.


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## jtrops (Aug 4, 2008)

The only DIY spoke wrench that I've seen work fairly well is a slotted nut you just need to get one that has the right size slot for you nipple. Honestly though, why not just carry a spoke wrench? I have an old Hozan wrench with multiple sizes that I keep with me.









You used to be able to get a repair spoke with an S bend in it at the head that would allow threading it into the hub from that end. If you could get a couple that would be a great way to go with a trailside repair.

Another option would be the fiberfix spoke that replaces the broken spoke with a kevlar cord. You could use it without having to remove your cassette or rotor.


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## Mtn-Rider (May 21, 2010)

customfab said:


> I'd like to see you replace a spoke on the disc side with the head on either side of the hub flange without pulling the cassette. I know it could be done if you bend the spoke in half but...
> 
> If you that worried about being able to do this trail side you should probably just cary the fiber fix spokes. They are good enough to get you home without ruining a spoke or the rest of your wheel.


You'll probably like this then. I broke another spoke today, rear wheel rotor side. With 4 1.8mm spare spokes in my bag 10 miles out, I decided to try replacing it removing neither the cassette nor the disc rotor, just for kicks.

Worked like a charm with the first spoke, just straightened it back after putting it through. The holes on the hub flange are made for spokes slightly larger than 2.0mm which made it easy. Here's a photo of today's repair on the trail.


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

Might as well replace it again.


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## Combatcm (Nov 15, 2005)

Blah blah you might as well buy a new wheelset. I've fixed spokes like that and it's fine. I've only had spokes break at the hub end, i don't see the big deal if you straighten it out.



sasquatch rides a SS said:


> Try contacting Park Tool and see if you can get this removable tire lever/spoke wrench combo. I don't know if they sell it by itself but I have one of their tools with this and it's pretty neat...


I also hated this multi tool.

The tire lever will eventually wear out and always fall off the tool.

The wrenches always loosened and rattled around in my seat bag.

The hex wrenches were annoyingly short


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

Unless of course you just have extremely bad luck and continuously have sticks eat your spokes, you shouldn't be repeatedly breaking them. 

If you continue to break spokes, you might want to explore the root cause (re-tension the wheel to get it evened out).


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## xenon (Apr 16, 2007)

I carry a small locking pliers. A very helpful tool anyway. Good for spoke nipples, just takes a bit of care not to crush them while tightening.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

gmcttr said:


> Unless of course you just have extremely bad luck and continuously have sticks eat your spokes, you shouldn't be repeatedly breaking them.
> 
> If you continue to break spokes, you might want to explore the root cause (re-tension the wheel to get it evened out).


^ This.

Are you using 1.8mm spokes in the wheel now?


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## Mtn-Rider (May 21, 2010)

Yep, spokes are 1.8mm. 2.0mm spokes would fit fine and the hubs could take spokes even slightly larger than that.

I'm suspecting there's something very wrong about having the spoke holes in the hub flange larger than the spokes. The 3 spokes I have broken so far all broke at the hub end. There must be something very wrong about the hole size not matching the spoke diameter. Sounds like an issue for it's own new thread but I'm off for vacation.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Mtn-Rider said:


> Yep, spokes are 1.8mm. 2.0mm spokes would fit fine and the hubs could take spokes even slightly larger than that.
> 
> I'm suspecting there's something very wrong about having the spoke holes in the hub flange larger than the spokes. The 3 spokes I have broken so far all broke at the hub end. There must be something very wrong about the hole size not matching the spoke diameter. Sounds like an issue for it's own new thread but I'm off for vacation.


Yeah, that's why I was asking. It's not a good idea to use spokes too small for the hole in the flange. It ends up loading the spoke weird, and definitely promotes breakage. If you want lighter spokes, go with butted ones so you still get the size you need at the end.


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## xenon (Apr 16, 2007)

4slomo said:


> I carry a mini adjustable wrench I could use as a spoke wrench if I ever needed to.


Doesn't sound like a good idea to me, an adjustable wrench won't hold the spoke nipple tight enough and may round it out. Locking pliers is generally a more versatile tool, in my opinion, even though is a bit heavier at same size.


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## PissedOffCil (Oct 18, 2007)

sasquatch rides a SS said:


> I really like it a lot. Does everything I need and doesn't weigh too much or take up too much space. Better than carrying around a multi-tool, spoke wrench, chain tool, tire lever and screwdrivers like I was before I bought it.


As mentioned by Combatcm, the 5mm hex is too short to remove a derailleur, the tire lever wasn't stiff enough and broke so it wouldn'T hold on the tool. I was also able to bend the axle, making flipping the hexes a PITA and it rusted in no time to top everything else off.

I much prefer my CB17, which has all the right tool and no flaws. I need to bring proper tire levers however, which is not a big deal anyways.


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## sealclubber (Apr 10, 2007)

Mtn-Rider said:


> No, but I can get the brake rotors off with a hex wrench and replace any broken spokes on the brake side of either wheel. Add the already accessible drive side of the front wheel and I have a 75% chance of being able to replace a broken spoke on the trail.
> 
> No chance of getting to the cassette side of the rear hub on the trail though, glad you mentioned it.


it would be MUCH MUCH easier to tighten some other spokes to help eliminate the wobble in the wheel, than to replace a spoke on the trail.

replace the spoke when you get home and retrue


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