Bicycle Spokes

Bicycle spokes are the integral part of the wheel that holds the hub to the rim of the bike. The bike rim is where the tire is mounted, and the hub is what the wheel spins on. The bicycle spokes are the balancing piece that connects the two. Bikes generally have either 28, 32, or 36 bicycle spokes. Our electric cruiser bike tire comes with 36 spokes.

Bicycle spokes are made in many different gauges, or thicknesses, and these are determined by the diameter of the spoke itself. The heavier gauge spokes tend to be used on ebikes, whereas the thinner gauge spokes tend to be used on lighter bikes. So the lighter your bike, the thinner the spoke, and the thinner you get the spoke, the higher quality the bicycle spokes material has to be. High-quality bicycle spokes are usually made out of stainless steel or sometimes even carbon. Low-quality spokes would be made out of standard steel. Even some standard steel spokes with paint or prep on them are still decent spokes, but for just about any application, stainless is ideal. Our ebikes use stainless steel bicycle spokes.

Installing Bicycle Spokes

Bicycle spokes do break. Spokes tend to break from fatigue over time, but they can also break from uneven spoke tension. It's really important for there to be an even amount of tension on every single spoke, otherwise you will have a tendency to break more spokes, more frequently.

So if you break a spoke, then you're going to have to take it to a mechanic or somebody who can work on a wheel. At the end tip of the spoke, you will see a spoke nipple, which is the part that holds the spoke to the rim. All bicycle spokes have a spoke nipple, and it acts as the part that holds the spoke to the rim. You can pull the old spoke out via this nipple and measure and install a new spoke, but its best to have a trained mechanic do this installation to ensure there is an even amount of tension. If there isnt an even amount of tension then you risk breaking more spokes down the line. We tend to say that after you've broken three spokes at a single time, then it's time to have the wheel rebuilt, this would mean to take all of the spokes out of the wheel and, replace them with brand new ones.