Disappointed with a Pendleton e-bike

theabsurdman

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Dec 15, 2020
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I have another problem with this wheel besides the missing spokes - one of the nipples seems to have pulled through the rim. A reasonable man would take this as a message to rebuild from scratch with a new rim but I'm wondering if I can effect some kind of repair with a washer behind? Some preliminary Googling suggests this might indeed be possible.
 

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Sturmey

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2018
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Measured mine tonight from the bend - as best as I could see, to the rim @ 272/273mm, same as yours, so i'll get 274mm (272 + 2mm for what's beneath the rim), if that worked for you, thanks.
Hold on! There are two different ways discussed to measure the spoke. The first way discussed was with measuring a spoke fitted to the wheel. In this case, the measurement is taken to the inside of the rim and and extra 2mm has to be allowed for the thickness of the rim and also an extra 1 mm to allow spoke to go up into the head.
However, I measured the second way which was simply to remove the broken spoke which had the flattened head at the hub broken off and measure between the inside of the 'J' bend and the other end. and this works out at 272mm.
I have rechecked this as I have the old bundle of 13g spokes left over after rebuilding the pendleton wheel and they are all 272mm. Furthermore, on the spokes the nipple will only run up to the end of the tread so there may be a difficulty if you order spokes are too long as they may not tighten against the rim.
58784
 
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Bikes4two

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Feb 21, 2020
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......There were particles of aluminium embedded in the rubber friction material and my efforts to clean up the blocks and adjust the brake were futile. Still makes a nasty noise and is totally different to the rear brake which works silently.

New rim soon needed, I think.
If unable to clear the debris in the brake blocks I would recommend changing them as although decent rims can be had for around £30, the cost of a wheel build far outweighs that of new blocks.

And on the subject of worn rims, there is an excellent article in the Cycling UK forum by 'Brucey' which although a longish read, is worth the effort - link HERE.
 
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Sturmey

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Jan 26, 2018
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I have another problem with this wheel besides the missing spokes - one of the nipples seems to have pulled through the rim. A reasonable man would take this as a message to rebuild from scratch with a new rim but I'm wondering if I can effect some kind of repair with a washer behind? Some preliminary Googling suggests this might indeed be possible.
You have to cut a thin keyhole type slot on the hole (that immediately under the rimtape) thats above the damage to get the washer in but it does work.You can use this same hole to drop in other washers if other spoke holes are damaged.
 
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saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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I have another problem with this wheel besides the missing spokes - one of the nipples seems to have pulled through the rim. A reasonable man would take this as a message to rebuild from scratch with a new rim but I'm wondering if I can effect some kind of repair with a washer behind? Some preliminary Googling suggests this might indeed be possible.
Never mind the nipple pulled through, the rim is split next to it. Where else will it fail and when?
 

Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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Yes a new rim and complete rebuild, it is scrap value now.
 

thelarkbox

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Aug 23, 2023
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re-lacing a wheel is not the dark art i once thought it was. its a straightforward procedure (when the right size spokes are at hand) after 3 x wrong size spokes i was uber fast at the actual lacing when the right size finally graced my doorstep.. my #1 tip if using a cheap multisized ring style spoke spanner, Tape off all the wrong size slots to save you trying them all on every spoke
grab a coffee and watch a couple of youtubes..
 

saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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re-lacing a wheel is not the dark art i once thought it was. its a straightforward procedure (when the right size spokes are at hand) after 3 x wrong size spokes i was uber fast at the actual lacing when the right size finally graced my doorstep.. my #1 tip if using a cheap multisized ring style spoke spanner, Tape off all the wrong size slots to save you trying them all on every spoke
grab a coffee and watch a couple of youtubes..
No, no, no! Those type of tools are crap - maybe OK for an emergency.

Some tools have a square U-shaped hole for the spokes, like this one. Avoid them and any of the really crappy ones with multiple square holes for different sizes:


This is the type you should get with a diamond-shaped hole so that they grip on all 4 sides instead of two sides. They come in all types. you just have to look a bit harder for them on Ebay:
 
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theabsurdman

Pedelecer
Dec 15, 2020
26
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Hold on! There are two different ways discussed to measure the spoke. The first way discussed was with measuring a spoke fitted to the wheel. In this case, the measurement is taken to the inside of the rim and and extra 2mm has to be allowed for the thickness of the rim and also an extra 1 mm to allow spoke to go up into the head.
However, I measured the second way which was simply to remove the broken spoke which had the flattened head at the hub broken off and measure between the inside of the 'J' bend and the other end. and this works out at 272mm.
I have rechecked this as I have the old bundle of 13g spokes left over after rebuilding the pendleton wheel and they are all 272mm. Furthermore, on the spokes the nipple will only run up to the end of the tread so there may be a difficulty if you order spokes are too long as they may not tighten against the rim.
View attachment 58784
Might be the bad pic, but I can't see a thread on the end of that spoke! And why is it bent?
 

saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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Might be the bad pic, but I can't see a thread on the end of that spoke! And why is it bent?
I'm going to guess that it's bent because it's a 13g spoke in a 2-cross pattern. The nipple is held straight by the rim, but the spoke has to go at an angle. That's another reason why I always recommend 14g spokes.

I think the photo shows the thread OK. It's not that clear, but it looks to me like the bit beyond the bend.
 
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Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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Might be the bad pic, but I can't see a thread on the end of that spoke! And why is it bent?
It is threaded just a poor out of focus pic.
The bend is because the nipple entry angle is too great, one would rebuild the wheel with lower X pattern for better nipple entry angle.
 
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Sturmey

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2018
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Might be the bad pic, but I can't see a thread on the end of that spoke! And why is it bent?
There is a thread on the end of the spoke but your second question is important. The pendleton wheel is laced with longish 272mm spokes in a three cross (3X) pattern and this puts an extreme angle between the spoke and the rim that the nipple cant properly accommodate. So the spoke bends. This is not good as the nipple is tight in the hole as it pulls sideways at the rim and I think this, along with over tightening of the spoke, contributes to the cracking of the rim rather than normal wear and tear.
When I was replacing the rim,I fitted shorter spokes and thinner 14g spokes in a two cross 2X pattern.
There is a second issue with the bikes original wheel build in that there is a large 7-8mm offset or dish that means that the spokes on the freewheel side has to be very tight whereas the spokes on the other side are slack. I was able to reduce this offset by about 3mm as there was a large 2mm freewheel spacer between the freewheel and motor which I removed and there was a little spare room between the smallest 13t sprocket and frame, and this reduction in offset/dish helps. A few spare M12 washers come in handy when doing this.
 
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theabsurdman

Pedelecer
Dec 15, 2020
26
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There is a thread on the end of the spoke but your second question is important. The pendleton wheel is laced with longish 272mm spokes in a three cross (3X) pattern and this puts an extreme angle between the spoke and the rim that the nipple cant properly accommodate. So the spoke bends. This is not good as the nipple is tight in the hole as it pulls sideways at the rim and I think this, along with over tightening of the spoke, contributes to the cracking of the rim rather than normal were and tear.
When I was replacing the rim,I fitted shorter spokes and thinner 14g spokes in a two cross 2X pattern.
There is a second issue with the bikes original wheel build in that there is a large 7-8mm offset or dish that means that the spokes on the freewheel side has to be very tight whereas the spokes on the other side are slack. I was able to reduce this offset by about 3mm as there was a large 2mm freewheel spacer between the freewheel and motor and there was a little spare room between the smallest 13t sprocket and frame, and this reduction in offset/dish helps.
Thanks, useful info. I'll take it to a specialist wheel builders near me and get their opinion as to the feasibility of my repairing the rim, failing which I might pay them to rebuild the wheel.
 

Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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That rim is only fit for scrap , it is split along side the nipple pull thru.