Get your spokes yet Spud?

[FastDoc]

Wondering how this project will go in the constant ecolution of The Yamazong!

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

Wondering how this project will go in the constant evolution of The Yamazong!

Thank you for asking, Doc; the spokes are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. After the spokes are delivered I will check the fit by lacing them to my Zongshen front hub, and my 21-inch Warp 9 rim.

Spud

[SpudRider]

The Lifan front spokes are very similar to the Zongshen spokes. However, the Lifan spokes have a slightly different shape, and are also too long. Therefore, the Lifan spokes will not properly lace a 21-inch rim to my Zongshen's front hub. Once again, the old aphorism has proven true: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. " When it comes to motorcycle spokes, getting "close" is not good enough.

Spud

[Reveeen]

If the spokes are: close, and made out of "something", you can run a longer thread on them, lace up the wheel, then grind of the excess that sticks through the spoke nipple. A PITA for sure, but possible.
You can also mess with the lacing pattern to use up the excess spoke (usually they are too short, if close, to do this)
I'd re-check the Lifan wheel to make sure it's laced the same way as the Zongshen, because if the hubs are almost the same, and the OD (rim) is the same, then the only difference will be the lacing pattern.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Reveeen

If the spokes are: close, and made out of "something", you can run a longer thread on them, lace up the wheel, then grind of the excess that sticks through the spoke nipple. A PITA for sure, but possible.
You can also mess with the lacing pattern to use up the excess spoke (usually they are too short, if close, to do this)
I'd re-check the Lifan wheel to make sure it's laced the same way as the Zongshen, because if the hubs are almost the same, and the OD (rim) is the same, then the only difference will be the lacing pattern.

Thanks for the tip, Reveeen. However, the two front hubs are quite different. The Lifan spokes don't have the proper shape; that is the main problem. :(

Spud

[Cal25]

I would suggest shipping the wheel and hub to Buchanan's and let them make you a set of spokes and a few extra. I sent a sample of my spokes and they called 2 days after I shipped them with the quote. Had the spokes about a week after that.

Not exactly chineese in price, but after trial and error ordering spokes and hoping they would fit, This turned out for me to be the best approach.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Cal25

I would suggest shipping the wheel and hub to Buchanan's and let them make you a set of spokes and a few extra. I sent a sample of my spokes and they called 2 days after I shipped them with the quote. Had the spokes about a week after that.


Not exactly chineese in price, but after trial and error ordering spokes and hoping they would fit, This turned out for me to be the best approach.

Thank you for the good advice, Cal. I bet I could ship the hub only, along with a Zongshen spoke, and tell Buchanan's I wanted longer spokes to fit a standard, 21-inch, 36-hole rim. This would be less expensive than shipping my rim, or buying a rim from Buchanan's Spoke & Rim.

However, being a China Rider, I am frugal, i.e. cheap! I am also quite patient, and content to wait for the availability of the Zongshen spokes. In fact, my current 18-inch front wheel performs very well; I might end up liking it better than the 21-inch wheel! Therefore, I want to spend the least amount of money on this experiment, and save the rest for maintenance, repair, and riding the Zong.

However, I am absolutely sure you are correct, Cal. If I were convinced I wanted a 21-inch front wheel, getting custom spokes from Buchanan's would definitely be the best plan! However, I am treating this project more as a fun experiment, as well as an exercise in frugality.

Spud