Please help! I am in Argentina and need to get my rear wheel rebuilt - I keep breaking spokes. I will be having somebody bring spokes down to me and want to order the best, the strongest, etc... Which ones should I order?

Also - the person who will bring them down is from Canada. Anybody know a good online bike store in Canada to order them from?

Thanks!

Brands : Wheelsmith , DT , Sapim.. Japan, Swiss, Belgian companys.
long discussions on strongest .. all competitive professional racing suppliers.

lower the gage number thicker the wire

so 13-15-14 like DT alpine is thick on the j head, thin in the middle for elasticity and standard 2mm threaded end..
wheelsmith offers a 14/13 single butt, [butt is the gage change]

sport bikes use lots of 14/15/14 and 15 16 15.

I have used plain 14 gage for decades , cost less and is good enough .. DT was what my shop stocked.


my touring bike wheels were overbuilt for a single.. 48 spoke 700-40 wheel .
Only broke 1 47 spares already in the wheel..
trashing the rim would have been a long wait for spares , though

thanks! I'll get some ordered.

Any ideas of a Canadian bike shop to order from?

Hello Canadians? .. Vic?

Your friend have a walk in bikeshop near them?

I bookmarked these guys , in Victoria BC. never dealt with them as a customer.

https://www.fairfieldbicycle.com/

I use straight 14 gauge stainless, I currently run wheels with DT, Wheelsmith or Sapim. Usually default to Sapim because I buy from a single source and that is what he has.

Can't help on the Canada thing...'bout a 1,000 miles south of there.

Aaron

Cheaper by bags of 50

https://www.canadabicycleparts.com/

https://cyclepath.ca/shop/index.php

https://thebikeshop.com/ (Calgary)

https://bikepartscan.com/

I haven't shopped from any of these stores, but theBikeShop in Calgary has been mentioned very favorably in several Journals on crazyguy...

Fairfield Cycle in Victoria, mentioned in another reply is very good for ecclectic requests at their walk-in store.

Thanks! I'll check them out. It shouldn't be too hard to find spokes, but my timeline is pretty tight and I want to order from someone trustworthy to get the order sent out on time!

If you are constantly breaking spokes, that often a sign that it is time for a whole new wheel.

So are you finished with your epic journey or do you still have a ways to go ?

If I was not pressed for time I'd send you what you needed... if you have the specs for the spokes you need DT Alpines are as ood a spoke as you can buy but a wheel build always depends more on who is doing the actual building.

I asked this question on rec.bicycles.tech back when I was still using USENET. DT and Sapim seemed to be the two top choices, Wheelsmith was a distant third, with some negative comments about the shape of the transition from thick to thin sections of spoke. My (limited) experience with DT and Sapim has been excellent, Wheelsmith not so good. I like the theory behind the shape of the Sapim Polyax nipple, supposedly the rounded shape lets it sit in the rim better.

Are you getting a new rim as well? What about the hub? Rims tend to wear out when you ride on dirt roads or in the wet, all the dirt acts as an abrasive whenever you apply the brakes.

As Sixty Fiver pointed out, the skill of the wheel builder is at least as important as the quality of the parts.

Exactly - that's why we have someone bringing spokes down to Argentina! I had quite a few spares with me, but not enough to completely rebuild the wheel so we've been replacing them one by one. time to get a whole new set and start fresh.

We still have around 2500 km to go - a couple more months. Unfortunately, my wheel won't make it with the spokes it has so we need to rebuild the wheel.

We've heard there are great mechanics around here, so I'm confident we will find someone good to build the wheel. We just need the spokes!

You have put more loaded miles on your existing spokes than I have so my experience may not be that valuable to you. But after I read the description on Peter White's website on why he chose Wheelsmith, I have only used Wheelsmith DB-14 for touring. Considering his reputation and warranty, the spokes must be pretty good so that is what I used when I built up my touring wheels.
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/spokes.asp

You should consider asking Wheelsmith (or other brands) for a sponsorship.

great the inner-net aint it.job sorted.

Sheldon Brown recommended triple-butted spokes. When I built my wheels I ordered the parts from "his" store - Harris Cyclery. They didn't have triple-butted so I got double-butted. I haven't broken a spoke in three tours (and I weigh 200 lbs, and I carry a pretty big load.)

That's my 2 cents.

Do you know the length of spoke you need?

I'd consider just getting a new rear wheel --handbuilt-- by any one of the numerous, qualified wheelbuilders in N. America that are known for building durable touring wheels. The builder could ship it to you, or your friend could bring it with her. The builder could also provide a few correct replacement spokes,....shouldn't be needed, but just in case.

As it is , you're gambling on several things, including: (1) your current rim is capable of being rebuilt, (2) the spokes you purchase will be the correct length, and (3) you'll be able to locate a skilled wheelbuilder.

A new custom wheel will have all new components with sufficient and balanced spoke tension. If you just want a mid-grade hub (Tiagra/105 or Deore/LX), you can get the wheel built with a sturdy Mavic A319, Velocity Synergy or similar rim very reasonably.

Time is of the essence here - the family is leaving in 10 days. Plus, I don't know this person, but they have offered to bring me some spokes - couldn't possibly ask for a whole wheel!

Besides that, this wheel was actually built in the USA by a highly qualified wheel builder. Iflew back to the USA from Peru to get it and it hasn't lasted long at all!

Haveyou had dialog with any of those Sellers skilsaw mentioned , if you have the lenght uou need in mind , 2nd day air should get the package to you pretty quickly.

Do you have a fixed address to send parcels to? or using Poste Restante with the village post office?

I spent several months in the UK and Irish Republic, working with the direct deposit to my account
back in the states, and the Debit card to draw from it,
but had no idea what the cambio costs were ,
so I had to settle in one spot for a couple weeks to communicate with my home bank.

I think I know exactly what size I need, but I'll have a mechanic take the wheel apart tomorrow and see for sure. Would hate to order the wrong size and then be REALLY stuck!

What sort of failure are you experienceing? Are the spokes breaking at the elbow on the rear drive side?

Most spoke breakage is caused by insufficient spoke tension, or failure to stress-relieve and/or retension after a few hundred miles.

Perhaps the 'expert' who built your wheel is an expert for building wheels for lightweight loads, but not so good about heavyweight/high mileage. What is 'good enough' for a racer dude to use as a training wheel might not cut it for fully loaded touring through developing countries.

There are a number of online spoke length calculators, or you can just tell whoever you are buying the spokes from the make and model of the hub and rim you are using and they can frequently pick out the right length spokes.

If possible, I would give serious thought to replacing the rim along with the spokes.