Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 12, 2009 Share JB - this one's for you, being a wheel builder with more than a bit of experience... On my road bike I'm constantly breaking spokes, always on the rear wheel on the cluster side. They break right at the bend, and i have had my wheel rebuilt twice (by 2 different shops) to try and prevent it from happening again - no such luck. So far, 8 spokes have gone in the space of 3 months... I don't hit many potholes (normally hop over them if i can't go around them) and the spokes in the wheel at the moment are DT Swiss stainless steel... The nipples are also stainless (not the soft alu ones that seem to crack as soon as you need to true the wheel) The wheels are Alex R500's, and I'm running some budget (OE) Formula hubs... I'm thinking there's a problem with the way the hub (being too sharp or having some sort of fault) or could it just be that it needs to visit the inside of a Municipal truck with a rather powerful hydraulic press? Any ideas? cptmayhem2009-03-12 10:50:11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted March 12, 2009 Share There's nothing wrong with your hub. It's the build and the fact that two different shops screwed up shouldn't surprise you. Those wheels weren't built properly. The spoke line was not fixed up after building and the spokes were not stress relieved and more than likely, there wasn't enough tension in the spokes to begin with. The spokes may even be poor quality and straigh-gauge instead of swaged (double butted). In such a case it is best to start with fresh spokes and a wheelbuilder that understands how to stress relieve the spokes. I'm in Cape Town tomorrow and the rest of the weekend for my Maintenance Course. Come and drink a beer with me in Kalk Bay somewhere tomorrow afternoon and bring your wheel and some loose women along. I'll have a look and give you a better opinion then. Tel: 0823086847 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 13, 2009 Share Yeah - doesn't surprise me in the least... Shot for the invite - I'll give you a call tomorrow, see where ya are and buy you a beer for your troubles. Unfortunately all the women I know are tigh... *stop, drop and roll to safety* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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