A hard impact to the wheel of your bike while riding can sometimes result in a broken spoke. Left unrepaired, the missing tension from the broken spoke can cause your wheel rim to bend and become unbalanced. If you break a spoke while riding, quickly wrap the broken spoke around one of the other good spokes to hold it in place until you can repair it properly. With the right tools, replacing a spoke usually take less than a half hour.
Step 1
Remove the axle nuts with the adjustable wrench or open the quick release on the axle and remove the bicycle wheel. Deflate the tire and remove both the tire and inner tube from the wheel with the tire levers. If the wheel is the rear wheel of the bicycle, also remove the freewheel or the cassette cluster.
Step 2
Unwrap the broken spoke, if necessary, and remove it from the wheel hub. Look under the wheel rim tape to locate the spoke nipple. Remove the nipple and any of the remaining spoke.
Step 3
Unscrew the spoke nipple from the new spoke. Thread the end of a new spoke through the hole in the hub. Align the head of the spoke with the hub and insert the threaded end of the spoke into the spoke hole in the rim of the wheel.
Step 4
Place a drop of oil in the spoke nipple and screw it on the spoke threads until finger tight. Place the spoke wrench onto the nipple above the rim and tighten the nipple until the spoke is as taut as the other spokes.
Step 5
Check the wheel to make sure it is true and adjust the tension on the spoke to a line the rim of the wheel, properly, if needed. Reinstall and pump up the tube and tire, replace the freewheel or cassette cluster, if necessary, and install the wheel back on the bike.
Things You'll Need
- Adjustable wrench
- Spoke wrench
- New spoke
- Bicycle oil
- Bicycle pump
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