Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - I finally broke a spoke!

It took over a year of biking on potholed roads, but I finally broke a spoke. I wonder if it was weakened a few weeks back when I hit a pothole so hard I snapped the front fender in half. $15 at the LBS and the wheel is as good as new. And to think just yesterday I decreased the tire pressure a bit to give a cushier ride...

It took me over a year too. Railroad tracks did me in...

$15 at the LBS and the wheel is as good as new...


Go back and read the other 100 + threads on broken spokes, you may change your opionion on the "good as new" thing. If the wheel had an issue that caused 1 broken spoke, doesn't mean it is the only damaged spoke. Chances are, few to several others are already weakened at this point. Keep your eyes open.

Even i fthe whel guy did a great job at replacingthe spoke, along with retensioning and truing, there may be others on the way.:(

I broke one on my commuter last week. Picked up a couple of new spokes and nipples from my LBS, replaced the broken one and trued up the wheel. As Beanz noted, I won't be surprised if this is the first of many but figure I'll see how my $2 repair holds up before shopping for a new wheelset.

Go back and read the other 100 + threads on broken spokes, you may change your opionion on the "good as new" thing. If the wheel had an issue that caused 1 broken spoke, doesn't mean it is the only damaged spoke. Chances are, few to several others are already weakened at this point. Keep your eyes open.

Even i fthe whel guy did a great job at replacingthe spoke, along with retensioning and truing, there may be others on the way.:(

Yeah, I've read them, particularly your posts on the topic. At $15 a pop this wheel could get expensive fast. Fortunately it's a 406 with 32 spokes so it should be pretty strong. If it keeps up I could switch to a bigger tire (it's 1.35" now) and run lower pressures for more cushion. I'm thinking of a new bike in the spring so I don't want to put any $ into this that I don't have to.

At $15 a pop this wheel could get expensive fast.

I broke two in August.:notamused: My advice is to learn how to change a spoke and true up your wheel yourself. Its not all that hard if you have a bit of patience and a few basic tools. There are lots of tutorials online if you get stuck.

More air pressure protects your wheels more, not less pressure.

If you break two or three spokes, it's time to rebuild or replace the wheel, because it indicates that your spokes are fatigued (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(material)).