Spoke has broken at the thread end

[roadrash]

@T675Rich I don't understand your reluctance to name the shop ,as you say hes not shy of slagging off another shop himself, you could of had a serious accident due to shoddy practices , then he had the bare faced cheek to charge YOU for HIS incompetence...…
I would name the shop if only to prevent other folk suffering the same fate...... or worse. oh and name the shop in the email to cannondale too, I cant see them being too pleased.

 

[Heckler]

Had this recently with a bike I bought, SBS kept re-truing wheels and replacing spokes and I was told it was everything from panniers causing it (it's an 'adventure bike' that comes with front and back racks) to the width of the tyres to the type of stand I was putting it in at work. They wound up replacing the wheels with another set from another bike in case it was just a duff wheel.

More wonky wheel broken spoke action. Taught myself to true wheels and replaced the broken spoke, no problems since. Normally I trusted this SBS but on this occasion I just felt like I was being repeatedly given poor service.

 

[T675Rich]

@T675Rich I don't understand your reluctance to name the shop ,as you say hes not shy of slagging off another shop himself, you could of had a serious accident due to shoddy practices , then he had the bare faced cheek to charge YOU for HIS incompetence...…
I would name the shop if only to prevent other folk suffering the same fate...... or worse. oh and name the shop in the email to cannondale too, I cant see them being too pleased.

I don't know why but it makes me feel uneasy, I guess I am worried that it will make any future dealings harder if they find out. I know it makes no sense but I am general adverse to confrontation, it will be why I probably didn't assert myself in the shop better. But I guess you are right, It's Northfield Cycles, they have been in business a while so I can't imagine they are incompetent. I'll see what happens after I contact Cannondale.

Had this recently with a bike I bought, SBS kept re-truing wheels and replacing spokes and I was told it was everything from panniers causing it (it's an 'adventure bike' that comes with front and back racks) to the width of the tyres to the type of stand I was putting it in at work. They wound up replacing the wheels with another set from another bike in case it was just a duff wheel.

More wonky wheel broken spoke action. Taught myself to true wheels and replaced the broken spoke, no problems since. Normally I trusted this SBS but on this occasion I just felt like I was being repeatedly given poor service.

I know LBS but what does SBS mean? Also I worry this is the same for me, a bad experience with a shop doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad shop which is why I was reluctant to name them.

 

[Heckler]

Small bike shop, sorry acronym fail.....

 

[Pale Rider]

I don't know why but it makes me feel uneasy, I guess I am worried that it will make any future dealings harder if they find out. I know it makes no sense but I am general adverse to confrontation, it will be why I probably didn't assert myself in the shop better. But I guess you are right, It's Northfield Cycles, they have been in business a while so I can't imagine they are incompetent. I'll see what happens after I contact Cannondale.



I know LBS but what does SBS mean? Also I worry this is the same for me, a bad experience with a shop doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad shop which is why I was reluctant to name them.

The shop has rather fobbed you off, as many bike shops seem to do when it comes to warranties.

You could cure that by simply binning the shop, but I fear you have a bigger problem.

Rubbish original equipment wheels.

The only sure cure for that is to replace those wheels.

There's no reason why you should have to spend more money, but it would sort the problem once and for all.

Not all factory wheels are rubbish.

My local bike shop recommends basic Shimano wheels which they can often supply for less than the cost - including labour - of a full rebuild.

Assuming it's the back wheel on which you are breaking spokes, you could just replace that one.

It's possible to pay hundreds or more for a wheel, but I reckon you could get something sturdy and reliable for about £75.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Well I dropped the bike off and and he seems to think that a spoke coming less than finger tight just happens, no one knows why apparently.

I wouldn't let this idiot anywhere near my wheels. Spokes become loose over time if tension in the spokes is wildly uneven, which is what happens in a bad build. A wheel can appear true, but tensions are are all over the place. This will have happened at the factory. Maybe there's new guy at the office or just poor QA processes. If you are interested in the theory, get a good wheel building book.

Discounting manufacturing defects with the broken spoke*, unless you rebuild the wheel with new spokes, you are for sure in for trouble down the road, because uneven tension in the spokes results in early fatigue. Buying new spokes for this rim and rebuilding yourself is one option. But do the work yourself, or you are better off buying a new complete wheel.

*I think we can rule this out on account of the multiple loose spokes elsewhere in the wheel

 

[Heckler]

uneven tension in the spokes results in early fatigue

This is my experience, though I didn't follow the sage advice of starting from scratch and have simply replaced spokes as they broke. It has now settled down so fingers crossed with the tension equalised and the wheel true I've staved off any more.

 

[T675Rich]

First ride after the most recent truing, 6 miles and I already have a loose spoke, not as loose as before but loose that I can move it a decent amount side to side and it makes a noise while riding....I'm waiting on a response from Cannondale. I don't have a lot of spare cash at the moment to buy truing stuff or new wheels but I may have no choice.

 

[Milkfloat]

I don't have a lot of spare cash at the moment to buy truing stuff or new wheels but I may have no choice.

You have the Consumer Rights Act though, which costs nothing to slap the retailer around the head with. In addition, how did you pay for the bike, if it was Credit Card then approach them and say that bike is not fit for purpose, I am sure the shop will prefer to supply a new wheel rather than have a chargeback .

 

[Ajax Bay]

The wheel failing in that way so soon (in miles ridden) after purchase means the goods he sold you were not fit for purpose.

that bike is not fit for purpose,

This is not a maintenance issue (on a bike and its wheels which have been used a relatively small time/distance) but basic quality of goods. The OP has bought the bike from an LBS (not on-line) so can and should expect and demand a level of service that LBSs across the country are rightly proud to offer.

 

[Milkfloat]

An interesting read about the shop in question - https://www.bikeradar.com/blog/article/lets-celebrate-the-blokes-who-run-your-local-bike-shop-26137/

 

[T675Rich]

An interesting read about the shop in question - https://www.bikeradar.com/blog/article/lets-celebrate-the-blokes-who-run-your-local-bike-shop-26137/

One of the blokes in different and it is the newer of the two that has been more dismissive but Richard was too. He is also the one I spoke to on Saturday (post #25) who seemed unfased by the time it took for a spoke to break and said he may not have tightened all the spokes when he replaced the broken one. I might drop them an email again.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Just because they run a bike shop doesn't make them competent with wheels, sadly.

Don't waste your time with Cannondale. Just drop in without an appointment to the shop where you bought the bike ask them to sort it out with cannondale themselves, you've given them ample opportunity to repair it themselves, they have proven that this wheel is beyond repair. Learn about your consumer rights and go in with confidence and demand a new wheelset, or total refund. If they are still reluctant to repair (for good) or replace, it's time to get trading standards on to them.

FYI, you don't need fancy (expensive) tools to true a wheel. Just a spoke key of the right size, these can be had for a couple quid. You can even build an entire wheel from scratch with nothing more than your bike frame, a few old spokes, and an old flat head screwdriver filed down into a nipple driver. Wheel truing stands are only necessary when you are working on a commercial scale and to tight tolerances. At home, securing a pencil with a rubber band in line with the rims, on the forks and seat stay will suffice for a home mechanic. Use the pencil to gauge trueness with the naked eye. Tension meters are only required for sloppy builders or assessing a bad build, you don't need one if you are methodical about your build. If you have a bike stand, raise the wheels to eye level if you can, or you can do with the bike flipped upside down on the floor or a workbench in a pinch. Use the pencil or even just brake blocks to gauge trueness and dish.

 

[alicat]

You're right, @confusedcyclist, that you don't need expensive tools. I have used your method wiht one variation. I use a bradawl instead of the pencil. When it makes a screeching sound I mark the spot with a marker pen.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Yeah, anything stiff with a reasonable firm end will work, I think I once used a bit of cellotape and a red straw from a can of WD40.

I settled on a sharp pencil because it's more easily adjusted and it leaves a bit of carbon on the rim (which is easily wiped away) so you can see exactly where to adjust spoke tension.