This wheelset (29mm IW, I believe) came with a 2021 Specialized S-Works Epic EVO I bought used. Last week I broke a spoke near the nipple, just riding along, not even hitting anything. This got me worried since I'm planning to use this bike/wheelset for a long backpacking race in a few weeks, with little access to bike shops. I know it's not the ideal/recommended use for this wheelset. I was planning on building/using a different bike but for a number of reasons this is what I have now.
I called Roval and they gave me the specs of the spokes: DT Swiss Aerolites, bladed, straight pull, T-head, 294mm, 14 gauge. Both wheels use the same spokes on both sides, which is cool. These go into DT Swiss 180 hubs.
Assuming I can get replacement spokes and nipples (not sure which!), how do I change spokes on the trail? I've been looking for videos but I don't think what I've found is applicable to this specific wheelset. I'm guessing I need to take out the rim tape, get a new spoke threaded in the hub, and crossed properly, looking at the rest of the wheel, insert a nipple on the rim and start threading the spoke making sure the flat side is aligned to the other spokes. Then I'd use a tool to prevent the bladed spoke to rotate. DT Swiss is the recommended one (big, metal) but that's too heavy for carrying on the race, I'd take the less-recommended Park Tool BHS-4 (small, plastic). Then I'd put a tube in, or maybe carry enough 3M stripped tape to re-tape the wheel, rolled onto the pump. I've used that in other wheelsets with Stans and it has worked well.
I'm not concerned with leaving the wheel perfectly true. I just want to make sure I don't have wobbles bad enough that the tire rubs on the rear triangle, or anywhere else. The idea is to be able to ride to a bike shop (3 in 540 miles). Also, I'm worried that several of them might fail in one stretch between bike shops, so I'd carry 3-4.
Any comments, recommendations or resources to check?
Thanks!
I called Roval and they gave me the specs of the spokes: DT Swiss Aerolites, bladed, straight pull, T-head, 294mm, 14 gauge. Both wheels use the same spokes on both sides, which is cool. These go into DT Swiss 180 hubs.
Assuming I can get replacement spokes and nipples (not sure which!), how do I change spokes on the trail? I've been looking for videos but I don't think what I've found is applicable to this specific wheelset. I'm guessing I need to take out the rim tape, get a new spoke threaded in the hub, and crossed properly, looking at the rest of the wheel, insert a nipple on the rim and start threading the spoke making sure the flat side is aligned to the other spokes. Then I'd use a tool to prevent the bladed spoke to rotate. DT Swiss is the recommended one (big, metal) but that's too heavy for carrying on the race, I'd take the less-recommended Park Tool BHS-4 (small, plastic). Then I'd put a tube in, or maybe carry enough 3M stripped tape to re-tape the wheel, rolled onto the pump. I've used that in other wheelsets with Stans and it has worked well.
I'm not concerned with leaving the wheel perfectly true. I just want to make sure I don't have wobbles bad enough that the tire rubs on the rear triangle, or anywhere else. The idea is to be able to ride to a bike shop (3 in 540 miles). Also, I'm worried that several of them might fail in one stretch between bike shops, so I'd carry 3-4.
Any comments, recommendations or resources to check?
Thanks!
