Breaking Spokes

[wannabearacer]

Hey guys was hoping you guys could help me. I keep breaking spokes on my rear MTB wheel. the Bike is a good 4 years old and unfortunately doesnt get out as mich as i would like. ive broken four spokes in the last three rides. Any reasons this may be happening??

[Saffa_G]

hehe, you a big boy or girl?

[fandacious]

maybe you're too powerful

[AndreZA]

badly build from the start.

[splat]

I suppose they might be a bit corroded. You will most likely have to have the wheel rebuilt as it will just keep happening.

[Saffa_G]

i agree, use some nice thick spokes and also a good wheelbuilder ")

[wannabearacer]

hehe' date=' you a big boy or girl? [/quote']

 

ha ha im a smallish boy at only 70kgs

 

but i do have fairly big calves from woteveryone keeps telling me

[Saffa_G]

 

yes, you do sound a bit thin, i suggest you rather buy a road bike .... big calves don't mean they are strong, it could be that you have deformed legs ...   I am just joking man..  don't stress....

 

Anyways get some new wheels!!!  Then post pics of your new wheels!!

 

Saffa_G2009-05-11 02:50:06

[singletrack]

A discription of your wheelset will help a bit( Rim + Hub + Spokes). Seeing your bike is 4 years old, is this your origional set of wheels or have you had them replaced? Have you broken spokes in the past on the same wheel as well?

A general rule of thumb is that, when you are starting the break spokes, have the wheel re-built from scratch with new spokes. Check the spoke tension all around the wheel. You will find that the tensions are not the same and this may cause the spokes to break. I think Johan Borman will shed some light on this a bit better.

 

Fortunately for me, I have never broken any spokes, only the axle of the hubs and the rims themselves :-)

 

[wannabearacer]

I suppose they might be a bit corroded. You will most likely have to have the wheel rebuilt as it will just keep happening.

 

ok so maybe look at upgrading to a newer set of wheels. how much should a rebuild cost??

[splat]

  ok so maybe look at upgrading to a newer set of wheels. how much should a rebuild cost??

 

Depending on your wheelbuilder and spokes you use - about R200 + 32*R10.00 and upwards.

 

New wheels are not necessary.

 

But then since when are nice new things necessary?

[javadude]

 

I suppose they might be a bit corroded. You will most likely have to have the wheel rebuilt as it will just keep happening.

 

ok so maybe look at upgrading to a newer set of wheels. how much should a rebuild cost??

 

Might not be stainless spokes. My wife's Fuji was hardly ever ridden and spent most its life hanging upside down in the garage. Noticed one day that a few spokes had broken from corroding right through.

 

[wannabearacer]

at saffa i have a rd bike but havnt broken any spokes yet...and hopefully never do.

at ST the wheels are the originals if i remember correctly they are alex rims with deore hubs but have no idea on the spokes. but will go get them rebuilt when im home again.

[singletrack]

The cost of a re-build?Spokes may cost between R7 and R25 per spoke (depends which you choose) and what you have on your wheels. Then the re-build fees of about R200-R300, perhaps even a bit more. So all in all the re-build cost may be ?R600.

[Johan Bornman]

Your spokes almost certainly break from metal fatigue and not corrosion.

All bikes of reasonable quality have stainless steel spokes and only the cheapest have galvanised steel spokes.

 

The breakage pattern you describe also point to metal fatigue.

 

A good wheelbuilder understands metal fatigue and how it originates in wheels and attempts to counteract the causes of these. He'll use a combination of tension, spoke arrival angle, spoke type, rim type and of course stress relieving. Stress relieving is obscure to most wheelbuilers and mechanics. Someone is bound to bliksem me for that last statement but then we'll just get him to explain the process. 

 

Your best bet is to cut your losses with those spokes and have the wheel rebuilt with new spokes and by someone who understands what goes into a durable wheel.

 

Dont skimp on straight-gauge spokes - they have no place in modern wheels, not even cheap ones. Importers should be forced to ride on their own straight-guage spokes as punishment for bringing them in.

 

As a rule of thumb:

Most hubs can be re-used.

Some rims can be re-used depending on their condition and only the wheelbuilder should make that decision after inspecting them.

Spokes can never be re-used.

Thicker spokes are not stronger.

 

 

[dollar]

Agreed. There is one point that I would like to make that I dont see yet. Spoked wheels need pretty constant maintenance.

 

Many of us allow our spokes to go a bit pap over time and this leads to problems. Remember that as some of the spokes loosen up it places more stress on the others around it.

 

You need to check your spokes every week or so to ensure that they are all at the same tension. If you find a shirker he needs to be sorted. Dont touch unless you know what you are doing!!