I am building an electric bicycle wheel (rear wheel) and the spoke holes for the rim are 10g but I need spokes that are 12 gauge, any creative ideas for how to accomplish this? My idea is a 10g spoke nipple with a 12gauge inner diameter but I don't know if they exist
Does this exist? 10g spoke nipple with 12g inner thread diameter
- Thread starter danmar713
- Start date
A-DamW
1 kW
Last edited:
Chalo
100 TW
12ga and 10ga are both motorcycle spoke diameters, unsuitable for bicycle rims. 14ga (2.0mm) is what you want for bicycle rims, even big beefy ones. The thicker the spokes you use, the less weight the wheel can carry reliably, and the more maintenance your wheel will require.
If you're using motorcycle rims on your bicycle, please explain why. If you're using "bicycle" rims that are for some reason drilled out for chonky motorcycle spokes, that makes me wonder what other fundamental design mistakes the manufacturer made.
I use Sapim conical nipple washers on Sapim Polyax 14ga brass nipples when I'm reconciling a stupid rim that has uselessly large holes, and I use 2mm stainless flat washers under the spoke heads when I'm reconciling a stupid hub that has uselessly large holes.
no idea why you keep repeating this kind of infomation here. 12ga should be fine for a bicycle, just dont use some low budget rim.
even grin has on their website an example where 12GA spokes are used:
!!! WTF, went to bike shop and asked them about some ideas for this and they had ZERO idea these exist, I even asked about washers and they said they wouldn't work because they are too stiff but never offered a solution like NIPPLE WASHERS! TY M8
Isnt this true to an extent, if you used super thin bicycle spokes wouldnt that be weak as well? the rim I am using is this:
ZeroEm
10 MW
Having a hard time with this debate. Even if you think you have new information of how cheap thick spokes make a company more money than cheap thin spokes it does not change all the information on this website that thinner quality spokes work better. Now focus on the word quality. I'm sure you guys are heaver than me and think you need a thicker spoke but trust me you don't.
The article seems to indicate 14ga is better, but since hub motors are drilled for 13ga, they suggest using butted 13/14 ga to avoid the washer hassle. So this seems to be consistent with what Chalo stated.
Last edited:
Chalo
100 TW
I've built and serviced thousands of wheels, including pedicab wheels that carry 700 lbs or more per wheel. I've ridden daily for decades at body weights up to and exceeding 400 pounds.
Yes, you can use 12ga or 13 gauge spokes. But the resulting wheel will become a problem at a lower static and dynamic load than if you use 14ga, or better 14-15ga double butted spokes.
The e-bike I rode today has a wheel from an early Rad Wagon, with the crowd-pleasing but incorrect 12 gauge spokes. I had already tightened the spokes until my thumbs complained when I first installed this wheel a few months ago. Ever since, the stupid fat spokes rub together and creak when the wheel turns under my now 250-something pound weight. So today at work, I turned the tension up another notch even though it was taking my hands and the spoke nipples to their limits of endurance. It still friggin creaks. Idiots.
The wheels I have with the most accumulated miles, no broken spokes, no problems in almost 24 years, have 15-16ga spokes (1.8-1.6mm double butted). They're laced to drum brake hubs and 48 hole tandem rims.
The pedicab wheels I designed and spec'ed use 14-15ga spokes (2.0mm-1.8mm double butted). They came to market at about the same time that Coaster Pedicabs and Main Street Pedicabs introduced their own "premium" wheels with 12ga spokes to serve requests from ignorant people. Those were nothing but trouble and were promptly discontinued. Meanwhile a lot of the many hundreds of thin spoked wheels I built are soldiering on.
The thinner the spokes, the more you can load and therefore flex the rim before they go slack. When they go slack, you get problems. So enjoy your problems, but I'm not going to shut up about how you're wrong.
ZeroEm
10 MW
250 now I out weight you! Lol. Not sure about me 280 +/-.
i was only referring to the quoted statement that 12ga is only a motorcycle size, which i think is not true. i dont disagree with the rest, i dont use thick spokes myself.
PaPaSteve
10 kW
Motorcycle nipple chart
Only one 12ga listing near the bottom of the page.
No idea if it the same thread count ?
Buchanan nipple chart
Only one 12ga listing near the bottom of the page.
No idea if it the same thread count ?
Buchanan nipple chart
I build trikes... but do NOT posses spokes with larger OD than 13-14g.
If I anticipate heaver passenger or cargo weights, I increase the spoke count to 48.... but still employ 13/14g butted or 14g straight spokes.
Further; As spoke diameter is increased, quality spokes become more expensive AND difficult to source in the desired length.
If I anticipate heaver passenger or cargo weights, I increase the spoke count to 48.... but still employ 13/14g butted or 14g straight spokes.
Further; As spoke diameter is increased, quality spokes become more expensive AND difficult to source in the desired length.
PaPaSteve
10 kW
For reference . . .
Out of curiosity I looked at Worksman Cycles parts list for spokes.
They list 14ga (.080") and 11ga (.125") as the only spoke diameters on their bikes and trikes.
12ga = .1"
Worksmancycles
Out of curiosity I looked at Worksman Cycles parts list for spokes.
They list 14ga (.080") and 11ga (.125") as the only spoke diameters on their bikes and trikes.
12ga = .1"
Worksmancycles
Chalo
100 TW
Worksman operates on the vapors of half-assed early 20th century cycle design, unrefined post-WWII. The "new" Worksman PAV (made in South Carolina rather than NYC as they did for over a century) I recently got to convert to e-assist immediately self-destructed as soon as I used the coaster brake above its design speed of 4mph, because they didn't provide a workable place to anchor the coaster hub torque arm. So now I have to make a part (better than they did) to catch the brake reaction. And I need another brake as a backup.
Anyway, they used to offer "upgrade" wheels with steel moped type rims that had pieces of steel tubing welded in instead of spokes. So that's the level of engineering sophistication they operate at.
PaPaSteve
10 kW
danmar713's original request is to find spoke nipples with a 12ga internal threading and a larger outside diameter than usually found on a bicycle spoke.
Buchanan offers a 12ga nipple with a 6mm OD (.236") maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.
Some of life's best lesson are learned by trying.
Buchanan offers a 12ga nipple with a 6mm OD (.236") maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.
Some of life's best lesson are learned by trying.
Similar threads
