Sun Rim M13II
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Sun Rim M13II
I have a rear Sun Rim M13II that I bought new in 2005. It's difficult to remember exactly, but I am quite sure its mileage is less than 4k miles. It has a popped spoke. My question is- should I have the spoke replaced on an eighteen year old wheel or should I just buy a new Sun wheel?
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Depends on a bunch of details.
Are you doing the work?
If paying, how much, vs. how much for a new wheel?
Is the rim OK, ie. little brake crack wear, no stress cracks at spoke holes, no dents, etc?
Comparable quality replacement wheel?
As a rule, I generally replace spokes, and think replacement after the third, or when the interval between spoke breaks becomes too short.
Are you doing the work?
If paying, how much, vs. how much for a new wheel?
Is the rim OK, ie. little brake crack wear, no stress cracks at spoke holes, no dents, etc?
Comparable quality replacement wheel?
As a rule, I generally replace spokes, and think replacement after the third, or when the interval between spoke breaks becomes too short.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
“Never argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”, George Carlin
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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Depends on a bunch of details.
Are you doing the work?
If paying, how much, vs. how much for a new wheel?
Is the rim OK, ie. little brake crack wear, no stress cracks at spoke holes, no dents, etc?
Comparable quality replacement wheel?
As a rule, I generally replace spokes, and think replacement after the third, or when the interval between spoke breaks becomes too short.
Are you doing the work?
If paying, how much, vs. how much for a new wheel?
Is the rim OK, ie. little brake crack wear, no stress cracks at spoke holes, no dents, etc?
Comparable quality replacement wheel?
As a rule, I generally replace spokes, and think replacement after the third, or when the interval between spoke breaks becomes too short.
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Sounds like one of mine! I was really satisfied with my Sun Rim machine built wheel set. I don't remember if it was a Wheel Master or a ChiCom/Ebay purchase. After 8 years slowly spokes on the rear wheel were popping off at the neck. On close examination I found the spokes to be of a diameter closer to 15ga rather then the 14ga I expected. After popping four spokes I decided to just replace all the spokes with 14ga Sapim spokes. It was easy. It has been well worth saving the Sun Rims for sure...
Best supplier I have used recently: https://www.bikehubstore.com/category-s/300.htm
Best supplier I have used recently: https://www.bikehubstore.com/category-s/300.htm
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No, I wouldn't be doing the work myself. The price for a new Wheel Master Sun Rim M13ii is $82. The old (2005) Sun Rim M13ii appears to be okay in terms of cracks/dents. My reasoning for buying a new one was just not to have to worry about some other problem developing with the old wheel.
In any case it's a question of how much peace of mind is worth, so start by getting a quote for the repair.
I suspect that you'll be deciding whether it's worth a $50-60 difference, which IMO is too much. But it's not my bike.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
“Never argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”, George Carlin
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
“Never argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”, George Carlin
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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#6
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I'd order 3 spokes of the correct length of the side that broke.
297mm for DS 298mm for NDS.
IF you use all 3, then consider a new wheel or buy the remaining spokes and swap one at a time.
Run spokes up to the 1st thread of a new nipple and then take the wheel to the shop for the final tensioning/truing if you aren't comfortable.
Use new nipples. It makes life considerably easier.
I used 14/15 DB on the DS rear and 15/16 DB on the rest. They do fit a bit sloppy in the 2.6mm holes, but I've used them over 10 years.
297mm for DS 298mm for NDS.
IF you use all 3, then consider a new wheel or buy the remaining spokes and swap one at a time.
Run spokes up to the 1st thread of a new nipple and then take the wheel to the shop for the final tensioning/truing if you aren't comfortable.
Use new nipples. It makes life considerably easier.
I used 14/15 DB on the DS rear and 15/16 DB on the rest. They do fit a bit sloppy in the 2.6mm holes, but I've used them over 10 years.

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I have a rear Sun Rim M13II that I bought new in 2005. It's difficult to remember exactly, but I am quite sure its mileage is less than 4k miles. It has a popped spoke. My question is- should I have the spoke replaced on an eighteen year old wheel or should I just buy a new Sun wheel?
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Where I work that spoke replacement would cost just under $40. About half of the complete replacement wheel. So for those added $42 above a repair one gets unworn bearings, all fresh spokes and often better spoke tension consistency. But if one did replace the complete wheel the old wheel can become the back up wheel and/or the one that you learn how to do this stuff on your own. The value of that education is, IMO, worth far more than the mere $42.
But before deciding I would want to check out the bearing condition. If the cones were pitted I would side on the replacement wheel choice. If this hub is a freehub design then those bearings should also be part of the consideration. Andy
But before deciding I would want to check out the bearing condition. If the cones were pitted I would side on the replacement wheel choice. If this hub is a freehub design then those bearings should also be part of the consideration. Andy
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I'd order 3 spokes of the correct length of the side that broke.
297mm for DS 298mm for NDS.
IF you use all 3, then consider a new wheel or buy the remaining spokes and swap one at a time.
Run spokes up to the 1st thread of a new nipple and then take the wheel to the shop for the final tensioning/truing if you aren't comfortable.
Use new nipples. It makes life considerably easier.
I used 14/15 DB on the DS rear and 15/16 DB on the rest. They do fit a bit sloppy in the 2.6mm holes, but I've used them over 10 years.
297mm for DS 298mm for NDS.
IF you use all 3, then consider a new wheel or buy the remaining spokes and swap one at a time.
Run spokes up to the 1st thread of a new nipple and then take the wheel to the shop for the final tensioning/truing if you aren't comfortable.
Use new nipples. It makes life considerably easier.
I used 14/15 DB on the DS rear and 15/16 DB on the rest. They do fit a bit sloppy in the 2.6mm holes, but I've used them over 10 years.
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I have built enough wheels, and have seen spoke length vary between different hubs
Little Beaver out Big Chief

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Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or whole biked 57,58)
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can
(looking for Torpado Super light frame/fork or whole biked 57,58)
Last edited by squirtdad; 03-30-23 at 03:14 PM.
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a new replacement rim, unlaced, runs 40 to 70 bucks on Ebay... Black rims are about $10 cheaper than Alu finishes.
spokes are under $2 each.
the spoke length change from a low flange hub to a high flange hub is about 1mm.
spokes are sold, pre-cut, in TWO millimeter increments.
how far is it to your nearest spoke cutting equipped shop?
i'll assume that a drive side spoke popped.
you'll need a cassette removal socket to access the broken spoke hole.. $15.
get a couple spokes of each length Bill listed...
Or let a shop deal with it .They can quickly determine the condition of your rim...
your choices.
spokes are under $2 each.
the spoke length change from a low flange hub to a high flange hub is about 1mm.
spokes are sold, pre-cut, in TWO millimeter increments.
how far is it to your nearest spoke cutting equipped shop?
i'll assume that a drive side spoke popped.
you'll need a cassette removal socket to access the broken spoke hole.. $15.
get a couple spokes of each length Bill listed...
Or let a shop deal with it .They can quickly determine the condition of your rim...
your choices.
#14
Really Old Senior Member
I don't know what hub OP has as all that has been specified was the rim, so I couldn't guess on the difference between your hub and OP's if i had the hub info I would use one of the calculators to get spoke info
I have built enough wheels, and have seen spoke length vary between different hubs
Little Beaver out Big Chief
I have built enough wheels, and have seen spoke length vary between different hubs
Little Beaver out Big Chief

His hub would have to deviate considerably from the norm for the lengths I quoted to NOT WORK well.
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