Broken spoke.

[jig-sore]

started getting shifting trouble towards the end of my road home tonight. gave the bike a once over when i got home and I've got a broken spoke on the rear wheel, my first one ever

i know my route is a bit rutted in places but i don't actually remember hitting any big holes

whats the main cause of broken spokes ? hitting big holes ?? badly trued up wheel ??? expecting too much from 700c wheels ????

i wont be able to get it sorted till the weekend so looks like I'll be on my road bike for the rest of the week, or i could swap the rear wheel over maybe ???

 

[Bigtwin]

Unless direct physical cause (stick etc) fatigue is the usual culprit, assuming you have a decently built wheel in the first place.

Don't ride with the broken one, or they'll all start to go. Which they may do anyway, if you wheel's getting on a bit. At that point it's either replace them yourself, or decide how many £10 a go spokes you replace before it's new wheel time!

 

[jig-sore]

wheel is less than 12 months old, just

actually, there was a small, leafy, branch down over the cycle path. i tried to bunny hop it but maybe it caught the wheel ???

 

[PatrickPending]

kind of depends on the quality of the wheel - you can probably expect to be loosing spokes fairly regularly from now on - rear - usually the drive side. You can either :-

get bike shop to replace one spoke at a time approx 7-10

get them to do them all with quality stainless steel spokes (cost of spokes plus 20-30)

Do it yourself (a good learning exercise) - cost of spoke ??

Get a new wheel

Personally I had the LBS do option 2 on a few wheels and have yet to break a spoke again (and they've done 25K plus km) but I have done the third option, yet to be brave enough to build my own wheel

 

[jig-sore]

yep, it was the drive side

actually the wheels have very few spokes in them...

 

[fossyant]

It's usually Factory wheels that snap spokes - poorly tensioned. It's often 'worse' when you have spaced spokes like those - if the spoke goes, the wheels go very out of true. You may have a wait for spokes with them wheels, unless they are standard.

 

[xpc316e]

I bought an e-book about wheel building and have just laced up my first wheel. Today I worked on building the wheel-truing stand that is detailed in the book, and that will be finished tomorrow. The wheel is already astonishingly true, and I cannot wait until it's finished. I like doing my own maintenance, but actually lacing up a wheel was really satisfying.

 

[rusky]

I bought an e-book about wheel building and have just laced up my first wheel. Today I worked on building the wheel-truing stand that is detailed in the book, and that will be finished tomorrow. The wheel is already astonishingly true, and I cannot wait until it's finished. I like doing my own maintenance, but actually lacing up a wheel was really satisfying.

What book is it? I'm interested in learning too as I have snapped 3 spokes on my rear wheel (not at once!)

 

[xpc316e]

It is called the 'Professional Guide To Wheelbuilding' by Roger Musson, and it is really easy to follow. I particularly liked the section on tools as he does not advocate buying expensive kit; it is all about making your own - for instance, he has a dishing guage made from cardboard!

For some odd reason I cannot connect to Google - when I can, I'll post a link.

 

[I am Spartacus]

I must admit that keeping wheels in true is somewhat satisfying.
I have had little issue with my factory wheels that according to almost everyone on this planet are crap - Alexrims -- apart from a little adjustment here and there... I think that is down to bike snobbery in many ways, as they have been bullet proof thus far.. with over 3000 miles on them -- but yes, just bought meself a pair of Mavics - but factory again... and I expect the same robustness and slight weight/aesthetic advantage.

 

[xpc316e]

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

A wheel that is built well in the first place from good components should not require much in the way of truing, unless you have major issues with potholes and suchlike. That's what it says in the book, and I have found that once I have put some decent tension in the spokes in my factory built wheels they seem to stay put.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

A wheel that is built well in the first place from good components should not require much in the way of truing

That's it without any need for further qualification.

If you break a spoke or a wheel comes out of true, it was either badly built, or of poor components, or both. Decent, well built wheels last for years and years of heavy abuse without so much as a murmur.

 

[John the Monkey]

I have had little issue with my factory wheels that according to almost everyone on this planet are crap - Alexrims -- apart from a little adjustment here and there... I think that is down to bike snobbery in many ways, as they have been bullet proof thus far..

That's a bit harsh.

Goo Mason, of this parish, had constant problems with his Alex DA22 wheels (stock on the SCR2.0). I had a few with mine too (far less than I have had with the unexotic (Tiagra hubs, DRC18-II rims), but sturdy handbuilts I replaced them with).

 

[dellzeqq]

I must admit that keeping wheels in true is somewhat satisfying.
I have had little issue with my factory wheels that according to almost everyone on this planet are crap - Alexrims -- apart from a little adjustment here and there... I think that is down to bike snobbery in many ways, as they have been bullet proof thus far.. with over 3000 miles on them -- but yes, just bought meself a pair of Mavics - but factory again... and I expect the same robustness and slight weight/aesthetic advantage.

I entirely agree. I've had nothing but good from Alexrims which I use when my 'proper' wheels need rebuilding.

 

[goo_mason]

That's a bit harsh.

Goo Mason, of this parish, had constant problems with his Alex DA22 wheels (stock on the SCR2.0). I had a few with mine too (far less than I have had with the unexotic (Tiagra hubs, DRC18-II rims), but sturdy handbuilts I replaced them with).

I certainly did - started breaking a spoke per ride within two weeks of getting the bike. Halfrauds then send the wheel back down south to be rebuilt by their own wheelbuilder, and promptly lost it. In the intervening weeks before they issued me with a replacement, I shelled out on a pair of Aksiums which lasted over a year before the rear wheel started developing loose spokes, which snapped as I tried to true them as the spoke & spoke nipple had fused together, so twisting that whilst keeping the blade held tight resulted in a break. I replace the spokes myself, but more loosened and I had the same problem trying to tighten them. Then the other week I thought the brakes were rubbing on the rim, only to find it was the wheel which had shifted over and was rubbing against the chainstay. The whole thing has dished somewhat so I'll need to get it into the shop for a rebuild.

Now I'm running a Mavic front and the new (and up until now unused) AlexRims DA-22 rear (which thankfully hasn't snapped a spoke in over two weeks) !

(BTW - the Mavic front is still perfectly true despite experiencing a year of Edinburgh's best potholes AND a very hard crash into the back of a car, which bent the bars downwards).