# Velomax Ascent - spoke replacement



## Bridlemile (Mar 22, 2006)

I recently broke a spoke on my front Velomax Ascent wheel so I called up a number of LBS's looking to get it repaired. Nobody stocked the double ended threaded spoke and two of them told me that they always send the Ascent's back to the Easton/Velomax factory for repair since Velomax wasn't supportive of anybody except themselves doing a proper job.

Next I called up Velomax/Easton wheel support and they said that I could send the wheels to them (3 wk LT) or I could find a LBS that had experience and the correct spokes to do the repair. The guy even said that there was a tech-support bulletin pdf on their website but I couldn't find anything.

Clearly somebody has their wirescrossed. Has anybody gone through this before? What is the straight answer?


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## cdimattio (Feb 26, 2006)

I have purchased spokes directly from Velomax. Spoke relacement instructions available on the website: 

http://www.velomax.com/site/PDF/TM Portrait - Spoke Repair.pdf


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## hairscrambled (Nov 18, 2004)

Sent an Orion II rear back to Easton after I broke a spoke. Came back within a week and a half and was cheap. Like $20 or something. They bring the whole wheel back to spec too.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Cutting your own*

I've been told that the solution is to have the shop cut a longer spoke to the right length and then thread the cut end. I've not done this, nor have I asked shops whether they have a thread die for spokes. Presumably any good wheel builder could bring the wheel up to specification once they had the spoke. This is, however one of the penalties you pay for boutique wheels.


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## curlybike (Jan 23, 2002)

Spokes have rolled threads, and it is best to find a shop with a Phil Wood Spoke machine. Cut threads are a distant second place! Velomax hubs have the spoke Loctited in place with a very stiff grade of Loctite. You have to heat the spoke with a butane lighter similar to the kind that is extended for use on a grill. The Loctite has to be heated to 350 Deg. F to soften the loctite. It als has to stay at the temp or higher the whole time you are removing the spoke or it will lock up again. I have done more than a few of these, and that is the way it works. You have to thread the new spoke into that hole with fresh loctite on it, they want you to let it cure overnight before putting the spoke into the rim and tightening it up.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Oh, yeah*



curlybike said:


> Spokes have rolled threads.


Right you are - forgot about that detail. The whole Loctite thing really makes you wonder about the technology, since a "normal" wheel doesn't need any thread locking compounds to stay in shape. Just another knock on the boutique concept


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

*Spoke threads*



curlybike said:


> Spokes have rolled threads, and it is best to find a shop with a Phil Wood Spoke machine. Cut threads are a distant second place!


It is true that rolled threads are stronger than cut threads. But I have never seen a cut thread on a spoke. All the the spoke threaders I have seen (including the inexpensive hand threaders) rolls the threads, not cut them.



curlybike said:


> Velomax hubs have the spoke Loctited in place with a very stiff grade of Loctite. You have to heat the spoke with a butane lighter similar to the kind that is extended for use on a grill. The Loctite has to be heated to 350 Deg. F to soften the loctite. It als has to stay at the temp or higher the whole time you are removing the spoke or it will lock up again. I have done more than a few of these, and that is the way it works. You have to thread the new spoke into that hole with fresh loctite on it, they want you to let it cure overnight before putting the spoke into the rim and tightening it up.


This sounds like an awful lot of bother for little result. Why not just use an elbow spoke? If properly shaped and stress relieved, the spoke elbow should be no more likely to break than the threads. By removing the spoke elbow, Velomax eliminates the chances of spoke breakage at the elbow (since there isn't one), but doubles the chances of breakage at the threads (because there are now two threaded ends).


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## mahoneyjoe (May 31, 2002)

In defense of Velomax, I've got a set of the Circuits with 20,000 miles on them with no broken spokes and seem as true as the day they arrived; now I'm a rec rider, no racing, ride almost excluively on a flat smooth bike trail, but weigh 175-180 and i've hit my share of the occasional pot holes and such. I've got a set of Mavic Cosmos as backups and rode them for about six months. In comparison, the Cosmos felt sort of slow and spongey; I'm a fan.


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

The phone number was not easy to find but once I called them they sent new spokes for around $1.50 each (5 pack). Came within a few days and had the LBS install them.

I think I called 1-800-991-0070 and the guy there gave me the number.


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## curlybike (Jan 23, 2002)

Mark McM said:


> It is true that rolled threads are stronger than cut threads. But I have never seen a cut thread on a spoke. All the the spoke threaders I have seen (including the inexpensive hand threaders) rolls the threads, not cut them.
> 
> 
> 
> This sounds like an awful lot of bother for little result. Why not just use an elbow spoke? If properly shaped and stress relieved, the spoke elbow should be no more likely to break than the threads. By removing the spoke elbow, Velomax eliminates the chances of spoke breakage at the elbow (since there isn't one), but doubles the chances of breakage at the threads (because there are now two threaded ends).


Some other poster made reference to cut threads, I just made clarification.

That may be a bother, but that is the method to repair the wheel. You don't throw it away instead of fix it.

What % of broken spokes that you have seen, broke at the threads? If they did, it was quite unusual or something got into the spokes. The vast majority break at the elbow.


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