High Quality Spoke Protector?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Jeff Starr
Hi, First off, I have searched the archives and have read
the reasons for not needing a protector. A properly adjusted
RD precludes the need. There lies the potential for
disaster. It is the first derailleur I have ever installed,
adjusted, and maintain on my own. It works fine now, but I
am not ready to trust my skills with my new wheels.

Ok, what I would like is a lightweight, high quality spoke
protector[SP]. The spokes will be black, so the SP could be
clear or possibly black. The largest cog is 25t and the hub
is a 32 hole Dura-Ace.

Are they reusable, the one that is on my Aurora Matrix
wheels is 5.5", clear, and not overly obtrusive. If I can't
find a new one locally, I might reuse it, if possible. I
have seen them online for as little as $3, but the shipping
is often double the cost. Has anyone made their own? A
custom SP?

As I already mentioned, I'm past the debate on whether to
use one. It is just a question of which one. Did any high
end, aftermarket wheels come with SPs? If so, does anyone
have the SP, just sitting there, never to be used, maybe
looking for a new home? I'd happily pay for shipping and
maybe more;-) Any info, help, and/or suggestions will be
appreciated. Thank you, Jeff And yes - Life is Good!

Clean up the one from your other wheel and use it.
Spoke Protectors are easy to swap. One thing.. both wheels need to have the same number of spokes.
Some local bike shops carry them as well.

(Jeff Starr) said:

Hi, First off, I have searched the archives and have read
the reasons for not needing a protector. A properly
adjusted RD precludes the need. There lies the potential
for disaster. It is the first derailleur I have ever
installed, adjusted, and maintain on my own. It works
fine now, but I am not ready to trust my skills with my
new wheels.

Ok, what I would like is a lightweight, high quality spoke
protector[SP]. The spokes will be black, so the SP could be
clear or possibly black. The largest cog is 25t and the hub
is a 32 hole Dura-Ace.

Are they reusable, the one that is on my Aurora Matrix
wheels is 5.5", clear, and not overly obtrusive. If I can't
find a new one locally, I might reuse it, if possible. I
have seen them online for as little as $3, but the shipping
is often double the cost. Has anyone made their own? A
custom SP?

As I already mentioned, I'm past the debate on whether to
use one. It is just a question of which one. Did any high
end, aftermarket wheels come with SPs? If so, does anyone
have the SP, just sitting there, never to be used, maybe
looking for a new home? I'd happily pay for shipping and
maybe more;-) Any info, help, and/or suggestions will be
appreciated. Thank you, Jeff And yes - Life is Good!

Dear Jeff,

Plastic spoke protectors are re-usable in that you can often
fiddle them off and back on again.

But after a few times, their retaining prongs tend to stay
bent or even break off when re-used. The prongs also age and
becomes brittle and die natural deaths.

One way to remove them is to bend the outer edge of the
plastic circle out away from the spokes slightly with a
thumb pushing the other way right over the prong. The
idea is to bow the plastic prong slightly. away from the
hub enough to slip its tiny hooked end over the flange
of the hub.

Three prongs are typical for 36-spoke freehubs, and four
prongs for 32-spoke freehubs.

There are also freewheel spoke protectors, which have no
prongs and spin freely. They can be obtained for about $60
by purchasing a Fury RoadMaster at WalMart, or from these
guys for $2 to $3:

biketoolsetc.combiketoolsetc.comOpen ↗

They also sell the 3 and 4 prong stuff, with details about
cluster size, brand, and number of spokes.

As for the shipping cost of little parts . . .

If you buy a lot of different little parts, Christmas
comes early. The same sites probably sell chains, tools,
tubes, tires, handlebar tape, spokes, cables, gloves,
books, and gizmos.

If you buy a couple of spares, you can go riding on
Christmas when something breaks and the stores are shut.
Having a spare sprocket cover will let you congratulate
yourself on your foresight when the first one breaks one of
its little retaining prongs.

The real cost of a ten-cent bolt is not the dime at the
cash register, but the time that you spent going to the
store, finding the right bolt, paying for it, and going
home--buy ten bolts for a buck and you may save yourself
an hour or two.

Carl Fogel

daveornee <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Clean up the one from your other wheel and use it. Spoke
Protectors are easy to swap. One thing.. both wheels need
to have the same number of spokes. Some local bike shops
carry them as well.

Hi,I went to my LBS today, I was able to get the Conti Race
Light tubes that I needed and a couple of spoke protectors.
They gave me a used one in the size I need, that cleaned up
like new. And I bought a 21-24t to see if I can get away
with it. My cassette has a 25t large cog, but I noticed that
a lot of the bikes in the showroom had protectors that
weren't much larger than the large cog. I assume that it
just needs to be big enough to act as a guide. If that is
the case, it should work.

Life is Good! Jeff

[email hidden] (Jeff Starr) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi, First off, I have searched the archives and have read
the reasons for not needing a protector. A properly
adjusted RD precludes the need. There lies the potential
for disaster. It is the first derailleur I have ever
installed, adjusted, and maintain on my own

the problem is, if you REALLY screw up the adjustment [or if
the derailleur hanger gets bent, even after a proper
adjustment], is that it won;t just be the chain that gets
into the spokes - it will be the outer jockey wheel, too.

to protect against that, the protector needs to be about a
foot in diameter!

needless to say no one has spoke protectors that big!

the point being, adjust it right, and don;t get the
hanger bent.

wle.