- Please click on a question to obtain the answer.
- Q: How do I pick a color?
A: Ah, the tough choice between thousands of possibilities. We can offer a few tips along the way to help you decide. First thing to consider is how complex you want the end result to be. Having one to four same-colored spokes per wheel can give the whole a classy, designed yet minimalistic appearance. You could go for half-tone, meaning all spokes on one side of the wheel to be colorized while the other side remains black or silver. Using two or three colors per wheel will give you a more playful look. Don't forget, you can also work with colored nipples, either set in the same color-tone as the spokes or alternating or even chaotic.
Many will try to match the tone of one of the frame colors. This will underline that tone and is especially nice if you wish to elevate a certain color to be more perceived. However, if you're scared the whole thing may clash, go with complementary colors. The offset would emphasize both colors. We've seen many ideas which at first we thought would look horrible but were positively surprised by the result. Give it some time and creativity.
A great tip would be to take a picture of your bike and use Photoshop or other to roughly color the spokes, create spoke patterns and integrate different tones. If you'd like to have some ideas, please visit or gallery page.
- Q: How do I choose a matching color?
A: Colors are not as easy as one may think. If you wish to match a certain color, you need a standardized color scheme to do so. This is the case with RAL. RAL colors are matched in powder coat laboratories to ensure that eg. RAL1003 is always the same, regardless of the paint manufacturer. The other advantage of RAL is that the classical color palette is license-free. This reduces cost drastically and is not the case with RAL-Design or Pantone color schemes. For help, services and tips on color matching, go to our Color-Matching section.
- Q: Do you ship to my country?
A: We love peace, we love diversity, we love doing business worldwide. At this time, we are able to ship to 95% of the planet and beyond. Unfortunately, due to embargoes, certain countries are currently off limits. The easiest way to find out is to simply fill out the order form or write to us at spokes@shocka.eu
- Q: Can you send me samples?
A: Because of shipping costs, it is not easy to send sample spokes. We will gladly send you pictures if we have a sample spoke in stock. Please keep in mind that pictures and the colors on your screen do not render the actual color correctly. Screen colors will vary depending on display and color settings. If you would like to match the color, you may be able to find an RAL color-fan at your local hardware store or online. Please also check out our gallery page, where you can find pictures of bikes, wheels and spokes.
We can offer to send you individual RAL color cards. These would be free of charge if returned to us and would only require a security deposit via PayPal. For this, please contact us: spokes@shocka.eu
- Q: Why haven't I received a reply from you?
A: Generally, we always answer within 1-2 business days. Please bear in mind we may not reply on Sundays or national German holidays and remember to check your SPAM folder. Unfortunately, it happens sometimes that genuine eMails erroneously get placed there. If you filled out our online order form, did you get forwarded to a page that acknowledged having sent your query? In any case and if for whatever reason you did not get a reply, please simply write to us at spokes@shocka.eu directly. We will answer.
- Q: Why powder-coat the spokes and not anodize them?
A: Anodization is a process that electro-chemically opens pores in a material. Color-dye penetrates these pores to a certain depth and the material surface is then sealed. This works wonderfully with aluminium and certain aluminium-alloys but does not offer great results with steel and stainless-steel alloys; the oxide layer is too thin. This leads to a very thin color-layer that is prone to abrasion and color leakage. Contrary to what certain people believe, black spokes are not anodized but go through a chemical black oxidation process.
A possible solution would be to use aluminium spokes; this does exist in certain proprietary wheelsets but is not the best of choice since aluminium offers less tensile strength and bend resistance than steel. Powder-coating offers to date the best properties at affordable prices. Even though other techniques do exist, they are very expensive, involve using toxic non-environmental-friendly chemicals and are only feasible for large bulk quantities. We do offer anodized-look spokes which are coated with a special powder that resembles the anodized optic eg. anodized colored nipples. Please keep in mind however, that there is no standard palette like RAL for anodized colors.
- Q: Why go through a quotation and not "click and buy" direct?
A: There are a few reasons why we ask you to fill out a form before committing to the purchase. First and foremost, we wish to consult you before you order. We can pre-check if we feel there may be a mistake in your order and ask you about it. We also wish to ensure you do not order the wrong products by implementing this two-step process. This is especially important since colored spokes are non-refundable. Furthermore, we may have various options for you and it is not uncommon for people to change their order slightly during this process. We believe just because you are buying online does not mean you must forgo professional consultation and human communication.
- Q: Which spoke lengths do I need?
A: It is not simple for us to recommend spoke lengths without having the rim and hub in front of us. We always perform the measurements ourselves since certain values [such as ERD] are not always accurate in the manufacturer's tech specs. We recommend going to your local bike shop to ask for help. If you feel up to measuring and calculating the lengths yourself, we recommend the spokecalc.io calculator. CAREFUL! We are not responsible for incorrectly calculated spoke lengths. Please make sure you understand the spoke length calculator and which measurements are required of you.
- Q: Warranty/Guarantee?
A: Yes, of course. Our products are warrantied for processing quality and against manufacturing defaults for 2 years. The quality of our work is very important to us. However, please keep in mind, that if you choose to build the wheels yourself you may void the warranty-agreements for hubs, rims, spokes, nipples and ultimately, your entire bicycle. We do recommend getting your wheels built by a professional wheel-builder or bicycle mechanic.
- Q: How do I measure the spoke tension of colored spokes?
A: This is not an easy question. The main issue is that, depending on color, the colored coat thickness can vary between 0.1-0.25mm. Spoke tension is not an issue if you're installing just a few colored spokes. Simply build the wheel, measure spoke tension on the non-coated spokes and, if trued correctly, the colored spokes should have about the same tension as the rest.
However, if you absolutely wish to measure the tension you have a few options. If you are using the DT Swiss tensio 2, DT Swiss has diagrams for coated Competition [ie. Sapim Race] and coated Aerolight [ie. Sapim CX-Ray] spokes. If you are using the Sapim spoke tension meter, use the following value corrections when measuring coated spokes: Sapim Race [≈ -7.5%], Sapim CX-Ray [≈ -6.5%], Sapim D-Light [≈ -7.3%], Sapim [≈ -7.7%]. Example: Using the Sapim tension meter, you measure 3.1 on a Race color spoke. This translates, using the Sapim tension table, to a tension of 1295N -7.5% ≈ 1198N.
Disclaimer: Spoke tension is measured indirectly. You should never solely rely on spoke tension to build your wheels. All factors ie. spoke tension, dish, roundness and trueness are equally important when building a wheel. Therefore, it is entirely normal to have slight variations in spoke tensions to compensate for tolerances. Please never interpret spoke tension as absolute dogma.
- Q: What do I have to be careful of when lacing the spokes?
A: The spoke holes of the hubs can be sharp and edged. Pushing them through can scrape and damage the spokes. You should be prudent lacing the spokes into the hole and very careful when bending the spoke head flat against the hub flange. The hub spoke holes should be at least 2.3mm wide [for rounded 2mm spokes] and 2.4mm wide [for bladed spokes]. We will send you further helpful tips with your spoke delivery.
- Q: How scratch-resistant is the coat?
A: Powder-coating does not go inside the material as with anodization but our polymer-based powder paint is more elastic and sturdy than regular paint. The coat literally holds itself together and engulfs the spoke. We've been using the coated spokes for years on our own and customer mountain bikes; wear or color deterioration has never been a problem even after years of trail-blazing, jumps, bushes, crashes and washes. However, of course, the color coat can be damaged and at the spoke crosses, where one spoke goes under the other there may be minimal abrasion but this is hardly noticeable and is of no bother.
- Q: Can colored spokes be returned?
A: Colored spokes are custom-made products and cannot be exchanged, returned or reimbursed as stated under German law, 312g Para 2(1) BGB. We are unable to pre-manufacture spokes in all lengths, types and colors ... this would not be practical due to the amount of variations there are. Of course, if we have made a mistake with your order or if the quality of our products is not "as it should be", we will correct it or offer your money back. In any case, contact us and we'll do our best to resolve any issues.
- Q: Why are the prices only valid per color and not total quantity?
A: Color-prepping is very time consuming. We have to clean our entire powdering station, tools and get the next color prepped as well as re-adjusting our IR-oven. Because of this, making 100 spokes in 1 color is less work than 10 spokes in 10 different colors. So, you can make a rainbow-spoked wheel but this will be rather expensive. The more spokes you order per color, the cheaper the price gets per spoke.
- Q: Can I send you other items to powder-coat?
A: Unfortunately, no. For every item we powder coat, we have to fabricate a special hanging system like the ones we specially built for spokes. For each new part we coat, a lot of work goes into process preparation. Therefore, this would be rather expensive for you.
- Q: How do I lace a wheel?
A: The best thing to do is to go to your local bike shop and ask them if they would build the wheel(s) with colored spokes for you.
- Q: If I have a few colored spokes, should the other spokes be of the same make and type?
A: Yes, we recommend it. The spokes should at least be of same make and type for each side of the wheel, just as the spokes should be of the same lengths on each side. The reason for this is that spokes of different makes and types can vary in the way they relay static and dynamic stress to other parts of the wheel such as hub or rim. If the stress-diagram of a wheel is off center and it is taken out on a ride, the wheel-build may become unstable and spokes start snapping or worse. If you wish, we also offer spokes of same make and type in black or silver per piece. Simply add these spokes to your order.
- Q: Can you build my wheel?
A: To be able to and to be allowed to are two different things. We are a small industrial company, protected under the German Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Bicycle mechanics are protected under the German Chamber of Crafts. We are only allowed to build and service our own Shocka wheels because of this. We recommend asking your local bike shop for help here.
- Q: The price is a bit high, why?
A: The prices vary depending on order volume per color. This makes it more expensive to order a small quantity of spokes in a particular color. The main reason is color-prepping but there are other factors to consider such as spoke preparation, energy, time and packaging. Before coating, each spoke surface is prepared mechanically and chemically. We coat spokes individually and send them batch-wise to the IR-oven. It makes a huge difference when we have to switch colors very often and place a small quantity of spokes in the oven as opposed to working with larger quantities. Ask us for a quotation on 5,000 spokes in 1 color and you'll see that the price/spoke will go down considerably.
- Q: Can I choose payment upon receipt?
A: For end consumers we offer payment in advance only. We are sorry if this is an inconvenience but it is the surest and less stressful way for us to offer our products and services worldwide. The main reason is a psychological one. It may be easier to forget to pay once the goods arrive. Furthermore, it would be very difficult for us to take legal action in any country outside of Germany if payment is not made. In most cases, the resulting costs to the customer would be dramatically higher than the original invoice amount. Most of all, we wish to avoid friction between customers and ourselves. The payment in advance option helps us to keep good relations.
- Q: If I pay in advance, how can I trust you will deliver?
A: Payment in advance does require trust on your part. Being consumers ourselves, we are fully aware of this. First, we are a registered German sole proprietor business. Secondly, we are registered with the German Bureau of Commerce and Industry. We have a valid EU-VAT-ID, UK-VAT-ID and international import/export EORI license. If you pre-pay via PayPal, you are paying to a registered business PayPal account. Should there be any issues, you may contact PayPal to get these resolved. PayPal will close any scrupulous accounts and in most cases refund you your money should there be evidence of fraud. Our website is registered to our company name and address, as obligated by German law. Should you have any doubts on our legitimacy, please simply contact us and we will make documents public to you and/or offer you references for you to verify.
- Q: What about my privacy?
A: Privacy is extremely important to us in the E.U. We must comply with the EU-DSGVO [general data protection regulation]. No cookies are collected from you on this website. This is why you are not prompted for consent. We have also secured this website with HTTPS, PHP and reCAPTCHA so any data you enter here will be encrypted and browsing through here won't harm your computer or our server in any way. We will not sell or share any private information with any third party. Your data will only be used for business dealings with Shocka Cycling Services et Consulting Prop. Jeremy Boissel. If you wish to have all data erased, please contact us and we will be happy to do so [however, total erasure can only be done after 10 years if you have ordered products from us since receipt copies must be kept for this period of time].
- Q: Sales taxes, VAT, MwSt, EU, UK and abroad?
A: This can get a bit confusing. For all orders to private persons within the E.U. we must collect 19% sales taxes [VAT, MwSt] from you which is handed over to the state. For orders outside of the E.U. we cannot collect sales taxes and will therefore not ask you to contribute these. However, sales taxes may still apply once the goods go through your local customs office. Furthermore, even though this is rare and we haven't seen evidence of this yet, import duties [tarifs] may be asked of you.
For U.K. residents, we must collect U.K. sales taxes [VAT] of 20% from you on orders less than £135. For orders > £135, the goods will be sent VAT-exempted and must go through customs processing [sales taxes may then apply]. We do our best to ensure paperwork is correct so that customs processing can be done as easily and rapidly as possible but please note we have absolutely no influence on this. Please do not ask us to change the value on the customs form. This is illegal and by doing this we'd risk having our import/export license revoked as well as litigation and possible jail sentences. We know that certain companies in other countries do this but tax evasion and falsifying customs declarations is not something we wish to get into. Furthermore, it would be impossible for us to do since invoices, customs declarations and shipping documents are verifiably linked to one another. For further information, please contact us: spokes@shocka.eu
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