Skinny Spoke Source?

[Rothchild]

I'm working through service and rebuild on a 1965 Claud Butler European and as I'm a bit of a rookie at wheel building I've managed to overcook it a bit and break a spoke :-(

Can anyone advise where I might find a suitable replacement? they're really thin; about 1.5mm at the thick (rim) end and more like 1mm as it tapers to the hub. 303mm length and they look to me like they are galvanised.

Any tips as to where I might find a suitable replacement gratefully received!

 

[Midlife]

Sounds like butted spoke in either 14-16 or 15-17 gauge.. I wonder if Malcolm at Cycle clinic has some knocking about. Or maybe universal cycles?

 

[Rothchild]

Yes they're definitely butted, at least 15/17 (if not 16/19 if such a thing exists)

Thanks for the tip off for potential suppliers, I've found Cycle clinic, where are Universal Cycles?

EDIT: I guess (given that they're pre-metric) it might make more sense to look at them as being 1/16 thinning to 5/32?

 

[keithglos]

In the 50s /60s we used 15/17g butted both rustless and stainless. Very occasionally 14/16g were used for very heavy riders. preferred Tandem spokes were 12/14 single butted.
15G is very close to 1.8mm, 14G close to 2mm.
I regarded 14g as treetrunks, but were used in most production bikes because the large makers insisted in producing hubs with over large spoke holes and very thin flanges. This enabled the mass producers to lace up a 40 hole wheel in 2.5 minutes, the best I could do was about 3 minutes.
If you look at mass produced bikes the spokes from the inside of the flange always pointed in opposite directions, this was the quickest way to assemble the wheel.
There were 16/18 g prewar very rare, I once found some and built a wheel with them.

Keith

 

[Rothchild]

Thanks Keith, I've just been an measured again (with my cheapy metric calipers) and yes, 1.8mm / 1.2mm (which I'm guessing would be the 17g bit) seems about right.

I've found a set on the 'bay that seem like they might do, although they're 305 rather than 303 in length. I've learned enough from my wheel building escapades to-date that as an n'th of a turn can move the rim quite a way 2mm is probably a giant step, do you think I'll get away with it?

I'm also chuckling at the thought of a 2.5 (or even 3) minute wheel lace, I'm still at the point where it takes me a whole evening and I probably won't get it right first time! Practice makes perfect I guess...

 

[Midlife]

Dave Marsh, Universal Cycle Centre, plus Facebook.

https://classiccyclesandmemorabilia.uk/ ... p/about-us

 

[Nob]

Whiskers if they are still around as they are on eBay under there ID http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/bikeparts1139417/
They have some DT Swiss 14/16 gauge spokes.

 

[Rothchild]

Much obliged, thanks Midlife and Nob.

 

[jm]

Re:

Madgetts have them. I enqured a few months ago.

 

[satkin55]

Try Ryan Builds Wheels https://www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk/