Popping Spokes

[KennyZA]

Looking for some advice on my continuous battle with popping spokes.

 

I currently have a pair of Bontrager 28H Duster Elites which came on my Trek Top Fuel which I bought last year June. Since then I have popped about 12 spokes between the front and back wheels. Probably 2 thirds rear. They have also been a combo of on the nipple/rim or hub side. I'm about 110kgs all up when I ride and I am not a hard rider, in the slightest (bar being a chunky oke) - the latest rear spoke to pop was on the hub while riding up that little hill rolling through Simonstown on a road ride 🤦‍♂️

 

My questions are -

1) Are these **** wheels? Should I bother rebuilding them or just fork out for a new set? Ideally I'd like to keep my DTSwiss hub which I absolutely love! Or should I get new hoops?

2) Is it worth getting 32H rims? Are they stronger or is that not the point?

[dasilvarsa]

14 minutes ago, KennyZA said:

Looking for some advice on my continuous battle with popping spokes.

 

I currently have a pair of Bontrager 28H Duster Elites which came on my Trek Top Fuel which I bought last year June. Since then I have popped about 12 spokes between the front and back wheels. Probably 2 thirds rear. They have also been a combo of on the nipple/rim or hub side. I'm about 110kgs all up when I ride and I am not a hard rider, in the slightest (bar being a chunky oke) - the latest rear spoke to pop was on the hub while riding up that little hill rolling through Simonstown on a road ride 🤦‍♂️

 

My questions are -

1) Are these **** wheels? Should I bother rebuilding them or just fork out for a new set? Ideally I'd like to keep my DTSwiss hub which I absolutely love! Or should I get new hoops?

2) Is it worth getting 32H rims? Are they stronger or is that not the point?

Maybe the spokes are Too Tight 

[fanievb]

In my experience, once you pop you can't stop.

have a decent wheel builder replace all the spokes and nipples

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

A rebuild with new spokes and nipples is all that's required.

Those rims are fairly narrow at 22.5mm inner width, so if you want a worthy upgrade, opt for new wider rims which will also be stronger.

Happy to help if needed.

Edited July 25, 2022 by nick_the_wheelbuilder

[Leon911]

I have been riding for about 10 yrs now, 90% of it being Mtb, and I am not a small guy.

I now weigh 126kg, (lost a lot and gained some), and I ride a 32 x spoked alumunium roval wheelset, and I am sure it will help if you are able to ride on 32hole wheels, purely because of the weight distribution.

I have broken 5 spokes over 10yrs, thus only 1 x spoke in 2 yrs.

Just my 2 x pennies worth...

 

[RobertWhitehead]

Is the lacing pattern a 2 or 3 cross? I know that if you're riding a 28H wheelset from Trek that the chances are very good that the pattern sits on 2 cross. Have the wheels rebuilt and look at 3 cross. But I am by no means a wheel builder

[droo]

As Nick said, just rebuild the wheels with new spokes and you'll be good. If the wheel wasn't properly stress relieved when it was built, or if it was built with straight gauge spokes, the spokes will eventually fatigue and start breaking. As a general suggestion, once you've broken more than 2 spokes on a wheel just rebuild it - the rest of the spokes will follow.

Find a decent wheel builder (one has already identified himself) who can give proper advice and you shouldn't have any more issues.

[KennyZA]

Thanks guys. Think an upgrade to a 30mm inner width and rebuild is the answer then. @nick_the_wheelbuilder thanks! Will definitely reach out later this week!

[ChrisF]

Kenny a friend had a similar issue .... breaking spoke after spoke ....

 

He was about 75kg.

 

 

Turns out the nipples were sressed and/or corroded .... a complete rebuild did the trick.  A couple of W2W and other events later he had no more issues with spokes

[esCape-ist]

Hi guys. Seems to be a few wheel builders with experience on here. What is the benefit of 28 spoke wheels? How much lighter are they really compared with the more common 32h wheels?

Myself also being a heavier rider (ie on the wrong side of 100kg) I have always opted for wheels with more spokes, as in my head, they ought to be stronger, and have broken very few spokes even when riding like a moron. It also seems that it is normally only the more exotic, high end very pricy stuff that comes with the 28h options. But if one was to compare apples with apples, meaning the same brand and model of rim, spoke, nipple and hub, would a 28h version be equally as strong and be rated for the same weight as a 32h version?

[dasilvarsa]

47 minutes ago, esCape-ist said:

Hi guys. Seems to be a few wheel builders with experience on here. What is the benefit of 28 spoke wheels? How much lighter are they really compared with the more common 32h wheels?

Myself also being a heavier rider (ie on the wrong side of 100kg) I have always opted for wheels with more spokes, as in my head, they ought to be stronger, and have broken very few spokes even when riding like a moron. It also seems that it is normally only the more exotic, high end very pricy stuff that comes with the 28h options. But if one was to compare apples with apples, meaning the same brand and model of rim, spoke, nipple and hub, would a 28h version be equally as strong and be rated for the same weight as a 32h version?

32 H is Stronger  12% (Less Stress per Spoke) (Same Rim, Same Spokes)

[esCape-ist]

23 hours ago, dasilvarsa said:

32 H is Stronger  12% (Less Stress per Spoke) (Same Rim, Same Spokes)

Okay thanks for confirming that. So what if any is the benefit of a 28h wheel then? Surely the weight saving can't be of any real significance?

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Brands that sell thousands of bikes can save some money by using 4 spokes less per wheel, hence 28 spokes vs 32.

Sometimes it's also a design consideration - much more challenging to make a 32h straightpull hub.
 

Unless you're 95kg+, you should see and feel no difference between 32 and 28h wheels.

The weight savings of 28h vs 32h can't be more than 30g per wheel - so it's marginal.

The most important aspect is the quality of the spokes and nipples, and the quality of the wheel build itself.