Bicycle Mechanics - wheel Reflector. #@$&

stupid thing wont come off. you know, the stupid reflector thing that's attached to a spoke...

and to think i just re-assembled a ducati's transmission....
oh the irony.

if any of you has any ideas, please, i'm going crazy over it.

Is it one of those old metal ones? I've used tin snips to cut them off (those are heavy-duty shears for cutting thin metal sheets).

The plastic spoke reflectors are a @#$)*#$... if you're lucky, they're brittle with age and you can shatter them by trying to cut them. If not, I suggest a hacksaw.

+1 if it doesn't want to come off in any obvious, convenient manner, the quickest way to be rid of them is to crush them with adjustable pliers and twist them off.

woe is me.
it's plastic.....

if it wasn't a brand new bike... i'd use my cutting torch...
but thanks for the help =)
it's really appreciated.
i think i'll use a dremel cutting disc.

Doesn't it have a slotted plastic screw that you turn 1/4?

or smash it with a hammer (as long as it's supported on the back side). Then pry it off from there.

A lot of them these days have a little one-way snap-in doohickey instead of the 1/4 turn plastic thing.

Best way to remove them is to put some channel lock pliers across them near the spoke (but not too close) and crush it. It will be easy to remove once you do that.

Oh boy----- you have admitted that you are modifying a safety device. The safety police will now be looking for you.....

careful you don't bung up a spoke in the process.

Personally, I hate reflectors. If I'm ever in any danger of it getting dark during a ride, I'll attach proper lights to my bike, front and rear.

Personally, I hate reflectors. If I'm ever in any danger of it getting dark during a ride, I'll attach proper lights to my bike, front and rear.

+1


thanks for the support.
if i ever have any "real" mechanical problems you guys will be the first to know...... :D

I made this topic a while ago, I ended up snapping it off... But there's a thing inside that you have to press together and it'll come off... Though I couldn't do it, just twist it off and the plastic will break off, no damage to the spoke.

Odd, I just added wheel reflectors to my bike. It drives the fashion police crazy.

I suppose if it was really difficult, one could just unscrew the nipple and slide it off the spoke.

I just pulled a set off our tandem (earlier this sumer). The plastic "U" shaped piece that goes through the spoke, has a set of "barbs" on each side that grab the reflector portion. I took a pair of small flat bladed screwdrivers and jamed them in on each side of that U-shaped piece and pushed the reflector off while grasping the spoke on each side. It was a PITA, but they are gone now.

Sheldon

Odd, I just added wheel reflectors to my bike. It drives the fashion police crazy.

That's not the odd part; trust me.

I suppose if it was really difficult, one could just unscrew the nipple and slide it off the spoke.


Bad idea

Bad idea

Excuse me? Are you saying it wouldn't work?

A worse idea would be to not screw the spoke back into the nipple and true the wheel...or perhaps to post without an explanation or a better idea.

stupid thing wont come off. you know, the stupid reflector thing that's attached to a spoke...

and to think i just re-assembled a ducati's transmission....
oh the irony.

if any of you has any ideas, please, i'm going crazy over it.

Please, just get us a photo of it so we can tell you how to take that ****er off.


Excuse me? Are you saying it wouldn't work?

A worse idea would be to not screw the spoke back into the nipple and true the wheel...or perhaps to post without an explanation or a better idea.

This is probably the last resort, and I mean last, last, last resort. Could you outline a plausible situation where this would be required?

Click, click, boom. :)

I think Stacey's technique would be the last, last, last resort...that and explosives.

How hard is it to remove a spoke? Sure, I'd try removing the reflector with a screwdriver first, but I do not see a tremendous difficulty with simply sliding it off a spoke if it is as damaged and difficult as the OP described.

Oh wait, perhaps that is beyond the mechanical abilities of some. My bad for posting another approach that works. :rolleyes: