Front wheel rubbing against brakes on fast descents

[Ajax Bay]

Frozen spoke question. Very unlikely to be the cause. The spoke will rise and fall in tension with every wheel revolution, just like all the others. The seized nipple/spoke thread interface will not affect the spoke's function, just be a pain if ever you have to remove the spoke or adjust its tension to true the wheel.

 

[raleighnut]

Frozen spoke question. Very unlikely to be the cause. The spoke will rise and fall in tension with every wheel revolution, just like all the others. The seized nipple/spoke thread interface will not affect the spoke's function, just be a pain if ever you have to remove the spoke or adjust its tension to true the wheel.

I think that's the problem, that spoke cannot be adjusted.
Surely the bike shop can chop out and replace 1 spoke, what if one had snapped

 

[Punkawallah]

I think that's the problem, that spoke cannot be adjusted.
Surely the bike shop can chop out and replace 1 spoke, what if one had snapped

One would hope so, but I still tour with two short and one long in case of breakage. Can not guarantee a shop has the appropriate sizes.

 

[Ajax Bay]

One assumes the wheels are Mavic Aksiums, with (only) 20 aero spokes
Reap what you sow.
I am assuming the LBS has trued the wheel, despite not being able to adjust the frozen spoke. If they couldn't then the message to the OP would not merely note one spoke was 'frozen'.
I suggest neither the spokes nor the trueing are the cause of the symptoms described.

 

[SuperGalactian]

Vibration may be the first sign of shimmy. Full-blown shimmy is really seriously nasty: basically the bike behaves like a gyroscope and cannot be steered. This may take you into the path of oncoming vehicles. I experienced shimmy at speed several times before I discovered the cause. Believe me, it was very un-funny, and I am grateful to have survived.

Shimmy can be caused by bent frame or forks, or a bulging tyre which unbalances the wheel. I suspect it may be triggered by applying the brakes, but they are probably not the cause. In my case, the cause was an out-of-true wheel. So please take my advice, and get your wheel trued. And if you are really confident that is already done, then worry like hell about the vibration until you track it down.

 

[Profpointy]

Obviously wheel bearings are something to check for any play, even a tiny bit, but also check the headset. I had a very slightly loose headset and it caused a high speed wobble, fortunately minor rather than a tanks slapper but still not nice. Whilst I doubt it would manifest as brakes rubbing which does sound specifically wheel related, but it's worth being diligent.