Bicycle Mechanics - Spoke tips

I've broken 3 spokes in two weeks on the rear wheel (700), and had them replaced at the LBS. (two visits) After doing a search and reading previous advice, links, etc- I made sure they checked the tension the second time.

After the first repair, I didn't lose a spoke for ~110 miles and have ridden about 40 miles since the last repair.

So my question is; Is there something I should be doing or checking as the mileage increases that could help me prevent more snaps? If I continue to have the problem, can I go to a lower gage spoke (is that an option)?

Thanks for your time.

What type of riding do you do? How harsh a rider are you and how heavy? How old was the wheel that had the spokes break?

Thicker (lower gauge number) spokes may not help unless you are using 15 ga non-butted spokes now.

What type of riding do you do? How harsh a rider are you and how heavy? How old was the wheel that had the spokes break?

Thicker (lower gauge number) spokes may not help unless you are using 15 ga non-butted spokes now.

Road riding, mostly solo- 1 group ride/week
Not terribly harsh, but I was in an interval (high gear, mid 90s cadence) when the last spoke broke.
I'm about 175 lbs.
The wheel had about 1200 miles before the snapping started.
How can I tell what type of spokes are on the wheel?

You'd pretty much have to have something to compare to in order to determine what gauge your spokes are. I'd ask the LBS. The best, most durable spokes are double butted. I like 14/15/14 gauge (the thicker 14 gauge sections are on the ends, and the thinner, 15 gauge section is in the middle). This allows the middle section to flex more than it would if it were the same as the ends, and therefore puts less stress on the ends, where breakage usually occurs. The most common cause of broken spokes, from my experience, is the tension being too low-

Road riding, mostly solo- 1 group ride/week
Not terribly harsh, but I was in an interval (high gear, mid 90s cadence) when the last spoke broke.
I'm about 175 lbs.
The wheel had about 1200 miles before the snapping started.
How can I tell what type of spokes are on the wheel?

There's usually a stamp or mark right on the head of the spoke. It sounds like the wheel had insufficient tension, and over a period of time did a job on the spokes, and now you're reaping the rewards. I would replace all the spokes in the wheel; you might also check (or have your LBS check) the hub and the rim.

- Wil