I am going to build a wheel with hub and rim I have on hand. I have some spokes to use but they are too long. I need to cut them shorter and cut new threads. Is this difficult to do ? Would I be better off to just buy new spokes ?

Do you have a spoke cutting and threading machine? I would probably buy the correct length personally.

This is so true, but it would appear that finding good spokes right now is kinda hard as opposed to just a few months ago. I would only go to the trouble of cutting and threading if I could not find the proper spoke lengths...

Edit: That's right. The last time I resized some spokes I did not re-thread. I just cut the length and used an old spoke nipple to dress up the end.

It just depends if there's a close place that does them. Also depends if they are used and what's available now. Postal has been going postal lately. LOL
I've done it several times. One set I redid was right at the top of the previous threads. That was a goof measurement.
These were also hard to get 2.3 heads.
I've bought uncut ones also. I also goofed the order and got black instead of silver. Tried to sand one off, took too long and it looked lousy anyway. LOL Still have those 49 + 1.

Spoke threads are rolled, not cut.
Take your micrometer and measure across the threads and again on the unthreaded section.
Threaded part is a greater dia.

Yes, if you try to cut the threads they will end up undersized. https://www.portlandbolt.com/technic...threads-bolts/

The effort and time to cut a spoke is not insignificant. I needed a replacement spoke a few months ago for a project and the shop didn't have the exact length so cut one for me. I forget what they charged me, ( $5? $10?) but it was quite a bit more than a single manufactured spoke out of a box, but considering the time it took them I didn't think it was unreasonable at all.


Each spoke is going to take some time to measure accurately and cut and crank through the threader, so the extra cost for 32 or 36 of them might be a lot. I am 100% certain you could find a box of DT Champion spokes in the right length for a lot less than 32 custom cut ones.

Most better bike shops will have the tools to rethread your spokes. I found a shop near me that did what you are asking and they charged me less than the cost of new spokes and did them the same day. I think the mechanic enjoyed it. More recently I was looking to buy the tools to do it myself but it's kind of expensive for a hobbyist to justify.

BTW, bikehubstore.com sells lots of spokes and the owner is a great guy that goes out of his way to please. Highly recommended.

+1 for the bikehubstore and the owner.

How much too long are they? Is doing an extra cross a possibility?

Yep. Wheel Fanatyk is out of stock (Hozan Spoke Threading Tool - Wheel Fanatyk), and it cost about 100 fancy spokes. I don't know if anybody has one of the really fancy Morizumi machines for sale, maybe I'll get one after I get me a $500 bike pump.

I know there are places with these tools out there, but to my knowledge none of them are local to me. YMMV.

The Morizumi is a great machine, very easy to use. We had one years ago and ended up stocking spokes in 10mm increments then cutting to what we needed. Greatly reduced the number of spokes we stocked. It really isn't very time consuming.

Maybe, I will check that out. If not then I will just order new spokes. I found out a spoke threading machine
is too expensive for something I would seldom use. Thanks for the idea.

And thanks to all that responded. The BF is great. A storehouse of knowledge

Another thought: if you're using a double-walled rim and the spokes are just a tiny bit too long, nipple washers could "eat" about 1/2mm of spoke length. Nipple washers are still pretty easy to come by, too.

Another $0.02:
Cutting and rolling new threads is feasible for PG or single butted spokes. You might not have enough of the lower section on DB and TB spokes to roll, depending on how much you need to cut. I'm fine with spokes up to 2mm too long or short (per a calculator) on double walled rims.

As [MENTION=78399]Bill Kapaun[/MENTION] notes, spoke threads are rolled, not cut. Some bike shops have spoke threading equipment. Phil Wood's is nice, as it rolls the threads and cuts to length in a single operation. But it's expensive (couple thousand dollars, last time I checked). Cyclo and Hozan have more affordable ones (couple hundred dollars), but in my experience, they don't do as nice a job, and you need to cut the spokes to the desired length separately.

Not only that, but the cut threads act as stress risers. If they don't slip (strip) out of the nipples, they're likely to break.
That is why they're rolled in the first place.

The Morizumi looks real nice. We have a Phil Wood machine (low serial) but unfortunately our owner doesn't know what he has and it is expensive to get it serviced and it needs it badly so it is essentially out of service. I would buy it but lack the required funds and have almost zero need for it at this current time and I doubt the shop would want to rent it from me if I could buy it.

You could go the other way and cut the spoke heads off and use Z-bend pliers to creat your desired spoke length.
See this link —> https://jimlangley.net/wrench/espoketool.html

I actually created a replacement spoke this way for one of my bikes about a year or so ago. I didn’t have the z-bend pliers…just did it in the bench vise…but it works. It’s still on the bike working just fine. I’ve seen pics of wheels built entirely with Z-bent spoke. It looks OK, uniform, and works well. And, at $20.00 the pliers are a lot cheaper than a spoke threading tool.
https://www.amazon.com/Hangar-9-HAN1.../dp/B0006OBMJI

Dan

Ask around at local shops to see who has a Phil Wood or Morizumi spoke machine. My Morizumi is capable of shortening and rethreading spokes by as little as 2mm and down to whatever length the butting will allow.

Call around, if a shop has a Phil Wood or Morizumi machine an experienced mechanic can cut/roll spokes for a wheelset in 15 minutes. I wouldnt mind the job as a mechanic, a chance to use one of the nicet, more elegant tools in the shop.

As above, if you can find a local shop with a Phil Wood or similar spoke threader, it's really easy. Assuming it's already set up for the correct gauge spoke (it often is), then setup is 30 seconds and maybe 10 seconds/spoke.
On the other hand, if they have one of those cheap tiny 3 roller ones then it's a PITA. I've had shops, even on an empty day, go with the "We don't use it often, can't find it" excuse just to avoid using them (wasn't a great shop).

If you're ever down here in the South Bay, you can have them cut and re-rolled by Bicycle Express and Wheels By Fleming.

If you had posted earlier, I could have done it for you when I had my machine with me up in Loch Lomond back in May.

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