Spoke issues

[knonist]

A spoke came off my rear wheel after spending an afternoon in the bike shed at work yesterday.

The wheel was last checked by myself last week, and all the spokes are well tensioned. I'm surprise that it came off whilst it was idle in the shed.
I took it to my LBS this morning, the mechanic suggested since the remaining spokes are well tensioned, either it might be a little loose and then someone knocked it off by accident, or someone broke it (I locked my rear wheel with a D lock to the bike stand. So if someone tried to move my bike, it can damage the spoke.)

It will cost me £55 to replace the spoke and for a service to ensure everything else is OK.
I have been told by someone in here that once a spoke came off from a wheel, the rest will soon follow. I’m not sure if is it true, but I really can’t afford to visit the bike shop every other day.

Do I need to replace the wheel or to replace all the spokes at once?
I’m 70kg so shouldn’t out too much load on the wheels.

My current wheel is "Bontrager SSR w/Clix" I think it has 24 spokes on the rear

 

[Alien8]

New bike time I'm afraid (or you could go the marginally cheaper route and buy a spoke/spoke key and do it yourself).

P.S. You need to eat more (cake).

 

[Kestevan]

Just replace it yourself.

As it's just 1 spoke, and assuming that the wheel hasn't suddenly turned oval it shouldn't take more than 20mins, and should be a fairly simple exercise.

 

[joebe]

£55!!! I replaced one of my spokes on the rear months ago and guess what..... it's still fine. The worst think about it was the fact that it was on the cassette side so fitting it required the removal of a very grubby cassette and subsequent cleaning thereof. Trueing the wheel was fairly easy.

Handy tip. If you dont have a wheel tuning stand, just tune it whth the wheel on the frame using the chainstays as your guide. Use a felt tip pen held against the frame while the wheel is spinning to identify lumps or bumps. Also do it before putting the tyre back on, it makes visual inspection easier.

 

[bad boy]

55 is for a service and spoke replacement.

This has happened to me twice !!, and even Evans dont charge that much they charge 15 squids I think.

Also ask them to apply spoke freeze this solved my problem

I do exactly the same as you and am sure someone has knocked it whilst locked up like you say, park it some where else from now on.

 

[joebe]

But what do you get done in the service. I'm guessing it check a few bolts, do the brakes work and will it change gear..... yup, lovely jubbly. Do it yourself! It's simple stuff.... except maybe headset removal/replacement.

 

[knonist]

But what do you get done in the service. I'm guessing it check a few bolts, do the brakes work and will it change gear..... yup, lovely jubbly. Do it yourself! It's simple stuff.... except maybe headset removal/replacement.

According to their website. It includes setup of brakes and gears, adjustment of headset, bottom bracket and hubs, wheel truing, lubrication of cables and transmission, tyre inflation and a test ride.

Plus £12.50 for turing the rear wheel, and 85P for the spoke
and a few quid for the rear brake cable. They said I need rear brake pad changing as well, but I told them I will DIY it.

the Est quote on the reciept is £55.

Cambridge is a very expensive place to be in.

 

[Matthames]

£55!!! What are they made of? Gold? Replacing a spoke is an easy enough job to do yourself. As others have said, it is far cheaper to just buy some spoke keys and do the job yourself. The cost of getting a new spoke, nipple and rim tape shouldn't cost you any more than a cup of coffee. When buying the new spoke it is a good idea to take the old one in with you to the LBS, failing that make a note of what rim you have, what hub you have and how many times the other spokes cross each other.

As joebe said, you don't need a truing stand either. I have built wheels with less tolerance than the thickness of a rizla using nothing more than a spoke key, steel ruler and a couple of bulldog clips.

 

[knonist]

I'm not very good at DIY, and it is my cummuting bike.
Whilst it is out of order, then I will have to travel by train, which is £4.5/day.

Plus I have no idea on how to change a spoke

 

[knonist]

Would I be better off asking the bike shop to replace all the spokes on that wheel at once or just one will do?

 

[beanzontoast]

My commuter's recent run-in with a broken spoke cost £10 for the wheel truing and 10p a spoke. I suppose a lot depends on what quality of wheel you have and ditto the spokes. Mine is a bog-standard wheel as you may have gathered!

 

[Crankarm]

According to their website. It includes setup of brakes and gears, adjustment of headset, bottom bracket and hubs, wheel truing, lubrication of cables and transmission, tyre inflation and a test ride.

Plus £12.50 for turing the rear wheel, and 85P for the spoke
and a few quid for the rear brake cable. They said I need rear brake pad changing as well, but I told them I will DIY it.

the Est quote on the reciept is £55.

Cambridge is a very expensive place to be in.

Which bike/work shop in Cambridge was it?

There is one central workshop which is just a rip off. It might be them. If so then AVOID.

 

[Landslide]

Would I be better off asking the bike shop to replace all the spokes on that wheel at once or just one will do?

Just the one should do.

However, if you get a number of spokes breaking within a short space of time (this problem tends to occur with cheaper "rustless" spokes, as opposed to stainless steel ones), it may be worth either replacing them all, or replacing the whole wheel (depending upon the wheel's value).

 

[snakehips]

Rear wheel spoke replacement is easy enough on the non-cassette side. Definitely worth a try I'd say , before shelling out a load of dosh.


Siamo tutti farabutti

 

[Davidc]

I'm not very good at DIY, and it is my cummuting bike.
Whilst it is out of order, then I will have to travel by train, which is £4.5/day.

Plus I have no idea on how to change a spoke

Would I be better off asking the bike shop to replace all the spokes on that wheel at once or just one will do?

Have a look at Sheldon Brown, but this is roughly what's involved.

Buy the right length spoke. You may have to buy a pack of 10. Online I recently paid £5 for 10. Make sure they come with nipples. Buy a spoke key.

Take off the tyre, tube and rim tape.

Put the new spoke in. Copy the next one round thats in the same position in the pattern. Screw the nipple on gently. mount the wheel in the forks so you can see how true it is.

Tighten the nipple until the wheel is true. Manipulate the spoke against those it touches and recheck. If you twang it the note should be about the same as the other spokes.

Make sure there is no sharp bit at the tpo of the spoke, protruding beyond the nipple. If there is you'll need to take the nipple off, file it down, and start again.

put the rim tape, ttube, and tyre back on and pump the wheel up.

Come back 30 minutes later to check there are no punctu*es. (if yes make sure the rim tape is on correctly all round)

I've never found it necessary, except where the wheel has taken a hammering of some sort, and over the years I've had a good few spokes randomly break. More often than not it's where the bend is at the bottom (can't remember the proper name of that bit). If you do find that more start to go, which IME happens when the wheel gets old, then yes, rebuild the wheel or get it rebuilt.

The Sheldon Brown website has a lot about wheels on it. If you don't feel confident doing a DIY job, that's what the LBS is useful for, but the prices at yours sound a bit steep.