7 Answers. Yes you can ride home with a broken spoke. I'd probably unscrew the spoke from the nipple before doing so, so that it doesn't wobble around and get caught in other bits of the bike. Bike wheels are wonderful things that can easily put up with having a few spokes missing.
Put the spoke into the rim four eyelets clockwise from the valve hole, lacing it over the spoke it crosses. Screw a nipple on and repeat this (apart from the spoke crossing) around the wheel. Each spoke should go in the fourth eyelet clockwise from the previous one.
You can heat the rim with a propane torch a little in the area you are trying to bend. They are available at most hardware stores starting at $20. This will help the rim return to its original shape and help prevent cracking. Be careful not to heat the rim too much.
Breaking 2 or 3, or more, spokes on a wheel in a reasonably short period of time, especially if it is without apparent cause, like hitting something, is usually an indication that the wheel is permanently damaged and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.
As long as the bend isn't right next to a spoke nipple and your rim is true, you're probably fine - just ride. If the spoke breaks, they're not that difficult to replace, and quite cheap. If the spoke got damaged by something hitting it, the other spokes are probably fine and your wheel is probably fine too.
First up, remove the wheel and take off the tyre and tube. Start by loosening all the spokes a few turns by hand with a spoke spanner. If you come across one that won't turn, or the spoke spins in the hub, mark these with a texta or similar. If the majority of spokes loosen up, you might only need to replace a few.
If you have to pay for labor, pre-built wheels will most likely be cheaper in the long run. If you price shop for the individual components and build them yourself that's probably the cheaper way to go.
If the wheel is fixable–it generally looks good but has a wobble–you can expect your local bike shop to charge $20 – $30 to true it using professional equipment like a truing stand for the perfect line and roundness.
Just to lace or to build a wheel? Just to lace it up, maybe $40-60. Complete build from beginning to end including spokes & rim is about $100-150.
For a decent front wheel you could expect to pay $100 for hub, $50-90 for rim, $1 per spoke, then maybe $80 labor to build the wheel (ballparking decent parts, can go up or down depending on what you get).
Drop center rim meaningThe center section of the rim being lower than the two outer edges, this allows the bead of the tire to be pushed into the low area on one side while the other side is pulled over and off the flange.
How to Clean Rusty Motorcycle Spokes
- Place your motorcycle on a stand to elevate one wheel off of the ground at a time.
- Remove the surface rust and dirt from the wheel's spokes, using a brass wire-bristled brush.
- Spray a generous coating of penetrating oil onto a fine-grit steel wool pad.
- Get the bike up into a stand.
- Spin the wheel and mark where it touches the zip-tie.
- Tighten the spokes (turn anti-clockwise) on the opposite side to the mark.
- As you tighten the spokes, only turn the key half a turn at a time.
- Work on four or five spokes, slowly adjusting and spinning the wheel to check your progress.
