03-12-2018, 08:10 AM
(03-12-2018, 03:34 AM)Bob Culver Wrote: Hi Martin
What method did you use to charm the stainless steel cap out of the wheel centre?
Replacement spokes sold locally are uniform gauge and look bulky, whereas the original were one size smaller than the threaded area. Curious about the products available in UK.
I have great faith in the original spokes. They seemed to survive wild antics in a heavy saloon; stretched slightly but did not break.
Hi Bob.
The method is best described as "crude and violent", I think! Working from the inside, I turned back a couple of the crimped-over fixing points with a selection of chisels and a big hammer and then bashed them out with a length of 2"x 2" and an even bigger hammer!
The spokes do indeed seem remarkably durable. I've only once had a wheel start to fail on me, after an argument with a French tramline. It was fine for 3 or 4 miles until I started to hear alarming "pings" just as I started to cross a 1.5 mile motorway bridge. By the time I reached the far side, I'd lost seven spokes.