# Spokes too thick
**URL:** https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033
**Category:** Help
**Created:** [August 8, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033 "2010-08-08T03:58:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Azz](https://fixed.org.au/u/Azz)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/1 "2010-08-08T03:58:41Z")
I bought some DT Swiss to lace to my Suntour Superbe hubs and the spokes are too thick to sit in flush with the flange of the hub
The elbow of the spoke won’t go through the hole of the flange (if that makes sense)
Might be a simple answer but I’m guessing I need thinner spokes.
Any help would be great.
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### Author:  [@The\_JAMS](https://fixed.org.au/u/The_JAMS)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/2 "2010-08-08T04:24:27Z")
just fucken drill out the holes, ay!
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### Author:  [@etomato](https://fixed.org.au/u/etomato)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/3 "2010-08-08T04:27:28Z")
you’ve probably tried this already, but i’ve found sometimes the bend of the spoke won’t fit through unless you turn the spoke about 90 degrees from where its final position will be, and then thread it through… if you know what i mean.
i’ve had the same thing with old suntour hubs, but generally anything thats 14 gauge at the end, or 2mm, will fit through, regardless of the butting type.
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### Author:  [@Wheelworks](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wheelworks)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/4 "2010-08-08T04:28:46Z")
Is the issue that the hub flange is too wide for the spoke elbow? Or is it more like the spoke hole being too small to allow the spoke to pass through properly?
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Most spoke holes I deal with are about 2.6mm in diameter (which is quite big), which is done so that the machines in the big factories can poke the spokes through quicker. It does allow the bend in the spoke to pass through the hub flange really easily as well, without having to wiggle the bend through. 2.6mm is a bit big for my liking, and 2.3-2.4mm seems to be about perfect for a snug fit. Anything below 2.3mm always causes problems when trying to feed a 2mm spoke through. Real hubs, like Suntour Superbe hubs, are more designed to be built by hand, and thus the spoke holes are manufactures a lot smaller than 2.6mm. It takes longer to bend the spokes around the hub flange, but it does create a stronger structure, with the spoke head not being allowed to move around in the spoke hole. It may be that you just need to push down a bit harder on the spoke (without bending it) to pull the bend through. If this still isn’t working, a spoke head punch is your best friend. I’ve used one in the past to push through stubborn spoke elbows. All you do is tap the punch onto the spoke head gently, and it will gradually push the elbow through the spoke hole. DT Swiss make a really nice spoke head punch.
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I hope I read the OP correctly… hope this info helps!
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### Author:  [@Azz](https://fixed.org.au/u/Azz)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/5 "2010-08-08T16:16:39Z")
^ yes the spoke hole is too small and I can’t thread the spoke through right down so the spoke head is sitting flush with hub flange.
I’ll try a spoke head punch option.
Anyone else experienced this?
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### Author:  [@HeavyMetalCyclist](https://fixed.org.au/u/HeavyMetalCyclist)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/6 "2010-08-08T17:17:30Z")
I assume your using champions or something rather that Alpine 3’s? In a hub that has small diameter spoke holes, i assume the Alpine 3’s would be a bit of a struggle.
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### Author:  [@Azz](https://fixed.org.au/u/Azz)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/7 "2010-08-08T17:55:17Z")
Got some info re: due to be old hubs the holes could have been pulled into a oval shape and now I need to use a 2mm rat tail file to get them back to circular again.
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### Author:  [@Wheelworks](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wheelworks)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/8 "2010-08-08T18:09:10Z")
I wouldn’t recommend that…
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### Author:  [@Azz](https://fixed.org.au/u/Azz)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/9 "2010-08-08T18:10:49Z")
> [@Wheelworks](#):
>
> I wouldn’t recommend that…
Why not? What would you recommend other than the spoke punch?
Anyone know someone I could call to ask advice?
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### Author:  [@etomato](https://fixed.org.au/u/etomato)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/10 "2010-08-08T20:40:15Z")
I assume filing is risky because you might leave uneven or sharp/square edges.
has to be said:
buy a new bike.
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### Author:  [@fullface](https://fixed.org.au/u/fullface)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/11 "2010-08-08T23:46:08Z")
Filing anything as delicate as spoke holes when yo do not know what you are doing is just asking for disaster.
even worse for the poor unsuspecting person who buys it in the future
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### Author:  [@Azz](https://fixed.org.au/u/Azz)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/12 "2010-08-09T01:24:33Z")
^who said I’m selling?
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### Author:  [@icecream](https://fixed.org.au/u/icecream)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/13 "2010-08-09T01:32:06Z")
get new spokes that fit, or file the holes. done.
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### Author:  [@Wheelworks](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wheelworks)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/14 "2010-08-09T02:02:40Z")
> [@Azz](#):
>
> Why not? What would you recommend other than the spoke punch?
> Anyone know someone I could call to ask advice?
Why not? Because hubs are designed to have at least a certain amount of material around the spoke holes. Why mess with that and butcher perfectly good hubs? If a spoke punch doesn’t work (which I’d be extremely surprised if it didn’t), then use 15G spokes.
Why do you need to call anyone for advice? There’s already plenty of good info here.
And don’t forget, it’s a 2nd hand hub, which means that someone must have taken the spokes out of the hub at some stage, which proves that spokes will fit into those holes.
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### Author:  [@supermanlegs](https://fixed.org.au/u/supermanlegs)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/15 "2010-08-09T05:32:40Z")
If you’ve already got the spokes I’d personally (being a tight arse) go with the second post, presuming the hubs are high flange (they have more metal around the holes than low flange hubs), and you are building 2 or 3 cross.
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### Author:  [@supermanlegs](https://fixed.org.au/u/supermanlegs)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/16 "2010-08-09T23:09:26Z")
Love how I can shut down a post with common sense over quak engineering bullshit.
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### Author:  [@supermanlegs](https://fixed.org.au/u/supermanlegs)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/17 "2010-08-10T01:02:31Z")
And still nobody even challenges me? - engineers , wheelbuilders?
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### Author:  [@Azz](https://fixed.org.au/u/Azz)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/18 "2010-08-10T01:57:42Z")
I’ll drop[ over the old forks any time soon. They are Fvcked!!
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### Author:  [@Wheelworks](https://fixed.org.au/u/Wheelworks)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/19 "2010-08-10T04:59:44Z")
> [@supermanlegs](#):
>
> And still nobody even challenges me? - engineers , wheelbuilders?
I’m just over it, that’s all.
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### Author:  [@sir\_kev](https://fixed.org.au/u/sir_kev)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/spokes-too-thick/47033/20 "2010-08-10T05:13:33Z")
> [@Wheelworks](#):
>
> I’m just over it, that’s all.
I’m with Wheelworks.
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