Cutting Spokes

[irideti]

What's the right procedure and tool for cutting spokes? Any safety advise? I'm planning to send hubs back to Chris King before giving them to my wheel builder.

[kiwisimon]

standard cheap home center pliers works for me. But usually I unwind the nipples and save everything

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by irideti

What's the right procedure and tool for cutting spokes? Any safety advise? I'm planning to send hubs back to Chris King before giving them to my wheel builder.

The sudden tension release when a spoke is cut may cause the end with the nipple to shoot out of the rim. So don't remove the rim tape until after the spokes are cut to prevent them from shooting out, and make sure the nipple end of the spoke isn't pointed toward your face (or any other sensitive areas) when you cut each spoke.

[steelbikerider]

Loosen spokes a couple of full turns then cut

[bigbill]

De-tension the wheel before you cut spokes. Even better, disassemble the wheel completely. I've seen hub flanges crack when someone starting cutting spokes on a tensioned wheel.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by irideti

What's the right procedure and tool for cutting spokes? Any safety advise? I'm planning to send hubs back to Chris King before giving them to my wheel builder.

DEtension spokes then use a good cutter..really easy but DEtension first.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by bigbill

De-tension the wheel before you cut spokes. Even better, disassemble the wheel completely. I've seen hub flanges crack when someone starting cutting spokes on a tensioned wheel.

I suspect that there were cranks in the flanges already, and the change in flange forces when spokes were cut was just "the straw that broke the camel's back." Just like as with spokes, flanges break from fatigue, which is from the initiation and growth of cracks, the cracks growing minutely with every load cycle, until finally one more load cycling is too much and the crack separates.

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I suspect that there were cranks in the flanges already, and the change in flange forces when spokes were cut was just "the straw that broke the camel's back." Just like as with spokes, flanges break from fatigue, which is from the initiation and growth of cracks, the cracks growing minutely with every load cycle, until finally one more load cycling is too much and the crack separates.

Thank you for that lesson. I completely understand fracture mechanics and material fatigue as a retired nuclear engineer guy, I was trying to be brief on my answer.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by bigbill

Thank you for that lesson. I completely understand fracture mechanics and material fatigue as a retired nuclear engineer guy, I was trying to be brief on my answer.

If the hub flange is already cracked, it is better to discover it when disassembling the old wheel than after building the new wheel.

[tellyho]

Giant bolt cutter is the fastest way.

[lemondvictoire]

Good with bolt cutters.. Make sure to wear some goggles for eye protection and some leather gloves.... first spokes but have tension and will be shooting out and the ends are sharp..

[lemondvictoire]

xxxx

[irideti]

Thanks everyone. I took those wheels to my LBS and friendly mechanic just cut off those spokes with a small but sharp cutter. He did not de-tension spokes nor wearing safety glasses. His cutting action was as smooth as knife going thru room temperature butter. I tipped him $10 since he declined to ring it up.

Now I'm going to start another thread about rim choice for XC riding.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by irideti

Thanks everyone. I took those wheels to my LBS and friendly mechanic just cut off those spokes with a small but sharp cutter. He did not de-tension spokes nor wearing safety glasses. His cutting action was as smooth as knife going thru room temperature butter. I tipped him $10 since he declined to ring it up.

Now I'm going to start another thread about rim choice for XC riding.

Velocity, Kinlin, DT(getting tougher to find rim brake rims tho)...