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Replacing 13g spoke with 14g spoke?

Old 01-11-22, 11:44 AM
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seebol
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Replacing 13g spoke with 14g spoke?

One of the 13g spokes on my rear wheel broke. Getting an exact match (black, 13g, 280mm long) seems very expensive or slow in the US. If I install a 14G spoke instead, would the 14G nipple be too small for the 13G-sized hole on the wheel rim?

Last edited by seebol; 01-11-22 at 12:57 PM.
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Old 01-11-22, 12:44 PM
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It might match, or it might not. It's worth 10-15 cents to buy a nipple along with the new spoke. Bonus points if it fits the same spoke wrench. :/
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Old 01-11-22, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
It might match, or it might not. It's worth 10-15 cents to buy a nipple along with the new spoke. Bonus points if it fits the same spoke wrench. :/
Yeah, buy a spoke and nipple. If needed, use a small washer from Ace Hardware or the like. None of this is rocket science. (Record the length of your existing spoke. Ask for 13s of that length when you are in bike shops. If they say yes, buy three - with nipples; the threads might be different.)
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Old 01-11-22, 01:13 PM
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How is getting a spoke expensive, no matter what the gauge? Are there no nearby bike shops that actually build wheels near you? Even with shipping, one spoke still isn't much if you order online.

https://www.universalcycles.com/search.php?q=spokes
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Old 01-11-22, 02:46 PM
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seebol
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Originally Posted by Iride01
How is getting a spoke expensive, no matter what the gauge? Are there no nearby bike shops that actually build wheels near you? Even with shipping, one spoke still isn't much if you order online.
[Link to universal cycles]
Thanks for the link! I will order through them. I called three shops in Boston, and they only carried 14G spokes, so I was trying to find 13G spokes through Amazon.
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Old 01-11-22, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
It might match, or it might not. It's worth 10-15 cents to buy a nipple along with the new spoke. Bonus points if it fits the same spoke wrench. :/
Originally Posted by 79pmooney
Yeah, buy a spoke and nipple. If needed, use a small washer from Ace Hardware or the like. None of this is rocket science. (Record the length of your existing spoke. Ask for 13s of that length when you are in bike shops. If they say yes, buy three - with nipples; the threads might be different.)
The OP was already planning to get a new nipple, but was asking if, being for a smaller gauge spoke, it would be too small for the hole in the rim.

Anyway, glad you got Iride01's suggestion. I had to service wheels with differing spokes before, and they are annoying to tension and true.
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Old 01-12-22, 09:41 PM
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Out of curiosity, it seems like more e-bike companies are using 13 gauge spokes on their wheels and I'm wondering what the motivation is there. A friend at the bike co-op who has a mobile repair business was telling me that they were finding it really difficult to source 13 gauge spokes for e-bike-riding customers, and I would have thought that a wheel with well-tensioned 14 gauge spokes would be more than adequate to handle the torque from a motor that's situated at the bottom bracket like a Bosch. Is there a spoke stress issue that's markedly more pronounced with motors located at the hub? Or maybe a liability-driven trend where the e-bike makers are anticipating their consumers won't be likely to commit to regular maintenance or something?
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Old 01-14-22, 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by ericoseveins
Out of curiosity, it seems like more e-bike companies are using 13 gauge spokes on their wheels and I'm wondering what the motivation is there. A friend at the bike co-op who has a mobile repair business was telling me that they were finding it really difficult to source 13 gauge spokes for e-bike-riding customers, and I would have thought that a wheel with well-tensioned 14 gauge spokes would be more than adequate to handle the torque from a motor that's situated at the bottom bracket like a Bosch. Is there a spoke stress issue that's markedly more pronounced with motors located at the hub? Or maybe a liability-driven trend where the e-bike makers are anticipating their consumers won't be likely to commit to regular maintenance or something?
I’d say it’s a ride style thing.
There’s something about ebike riding that can seduce the rider into sitting like a deadweight in the saddle, something which rarely happens when entirely under human power.
So perhaps that’s what manufacturers have discovered, and is why they go to a semi-moped style wheel spec.
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Old 01-14-22, 08:36 AM
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SA hubs use 13g. Few do. I would just use a 14g and its nipple. I doubt a washer is needed in the rim/nipple interface
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Old 01-16-22, 11:13 AM
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Yah, few LBS weight weenies give a hoot about 2.3/ 2.0 spokes. Many so called distributors refuse to sell them either.
My Rohloff14 has done fine with straight 14g. 2.3 is far less likely to dig into the holes. Otherwise, I have the 2.3 heads on my other SA wheels. Damn sure they ARE twice as strong. 28,000 miles with my SA XL-FDD, still looks like new. Makes perfect sense to me to have them on e-bikes.
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