Electric Bikes - Trek - broke my first spoke(s)

I had hoped that I wouldn't have to worry about breaking spokes on that monster rear wheel but snapped one this morning. I had no choice but to continue to work; it rode fine but I took it pretty easy. When I got to work I found that another one was loose from the rim. I'm not sure if that came off first or the other one broke first.

I'll take it into the shop today. I sure hope they have replacements for those spokes. I'm not really happy about this.

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Edit as of 12/22/2010

I'm editing this because I want to make sure that anyone reading this thread later doesn't get too upset about the broken spokes and decide not to buy this line of bikes. After breaking spokes almost monthly, my bike shop fired the wheel builder and my wheel was rebuilt by someone else. It has now been several months and even without Trek's new spokes, I have not broken any. I have been biking in pretty nasty conditions; it's been very cold, 23-30F mostly during the past few weeks and windy almost every day. I've been taking a route with a fair amount of crappy paving and the bike has been handling it all like a champ. I'm probably cursing it by posting that all is fine, but it sure looks like all is fine. I love this bike and I would not have been riding through this windy period on my non-electric Trek.

Yeah. I had the same type of issue about 5 weeks ago. Amped kit. Over the course of the winter I had noticed a wobble, trued it up. Wobble again in the spring. Nipples were seized up so couldn't adjust it at all, but noticed some stress fractures along the rim. Rode to work the next day (not much choice), ripped one spoke out on the way in, another on the way home. Been riding my road bike since then. I contacted Amped, talked to LBS. LBS at first agreed to do a build, but needed spokes. I asked Amped for spokes, they sent me a link to some at Electric Rider, so I ordered them. After they arrived, I went back to LBS, apparently after having given them enough time to think about it. The guy I spoke to said that his manager had told him he shouldn't do the build because of liability, etc. Send an email back to Amped, asking what to do about it. No response after the first email. I send a second email a couple weeks later, offering various things... I'm not looking for them to refund my kit, or do a free build for me. I just want my spokes refunded, including shipping costs at the least. Better would be for me to send the kit and have them do the build, since they claim the spoke tension has to be just right. No response from that second email. It took only a few hours to send me the link the first time around for the (incorrect) spokes.
Word of caution out there.... watch your spokes and make sure you have someone you can count on to do the build.
My question... where can I buy spokes?! 12 gauge. I'll have to determine my length. Maybe Electric Rider carries the right length...

That's one of the reasons I bought the Trek. I wanted one company I could work with if something went wrong. So I brought it to the Trek dealer, they didn't have the spokes. They called Trek and Trek wants the bike back. I've only been riding it for two months and a mere 880 miles; no way any spokes should break yet. They're going to rebuild the wheel, which is what needs to be done. I didn't even get an estimate yet, but it has to go to Wisconsin (I'm in NYC) so it will be at least a week or two. Ah, back to manual riding. It is under warranty of course.

I can feel your pain. I broke a spoke on my motorized rear wheel today going up a moderate hill on a paved road. (On the ride previous to this one, I was on a dirt forest road and hit a deep rut that I didn't see until too late to veer out of the way. I checked at the time and didn't find any broken spokes, but I think the one that broke today was damaged when the rear wheel hit the rut.) I installed the Currie conversion kit on my mountain bike last summer. I've got an e-mail into them asking what size spokes they use. There's no real LBS in the nearby town, just a sporting goods store that sells bikes during warm weather. I'm not sure whether they have spokes and, if so, whether they have a good variety of sizes. In addition to worrying about what gauge (now listed in mm) and length, you need to know if they're single butted, double butted or triple butted. I have a strong suspicion that I may end up having to do this as a DIY repair (and I never really wanted to learn to true a wheel, but necessity is the mother of invention). Thank goodness there's a fairly broad range of sources for replacement spokes on the Internet. Once I find out from Currie what size spokes they use, I'm going to get spares to keep on hand, even if it's to take to the local shop (if they're will to work on the motorized wheel).

I'm going to lay in a stock of spokes as well, but I'd greatly prefer if I don't have to use them. I paid a lot for this bike and spokes should not break. I'll see what Trek says.

Well, it's now 18 days. The store keeps telling me that Trek has sent out the spokes so they can rebuild the wheel, but no spokes show up. I just sent a very nice nastygram to Trek customer service. In the meantime I've been using the old manual method. Oh, the pain, the pain.

Well, it's now 18 days. The store keeps telling me that Trek has sent out the spokes so they can rebuild the wheel, but no spokes show up. I just sent a very nice nastygram to Trek customer service. In the meantime I've been using the old manual method. Oh, the pain, the pain.

It's lame that a Trek dealer doesn't buy spokes to have on hand. I was able to get my broken spokes replaced and my wheel re-trued by the bike guy at the sporting goods store in the nearby town the day after my spokes broke. (Turns out I had 2 broken spokes, not one.) This thread has convinced me that the Currie non-hub motor design has yet another advantage. Remove the motor plate from the wheel and your wheel is just a regular bicycle wheel that happens to have a small freewheel on the left. So even shops concerned about liability wouldn't realize that they're repairing a wheel for an e-bike. Currie uses 2.0 258mm spokes on the right, drive (gear freewheel) side and 2.0 260mm spokes on the left side. Most bicycle shops carry that size.

Hello dgk02. Sorry to hear about the spoke issue. Spoke breakage is a known issue on the BionX wheel. Trek uses the BionX system for their ebike. I have a BionX system on my ebike. Spoke breakage has been a problem for me.

I'm not heavy 150lbs or so, but I ride my bike hard. Rough paved roads and plenty of speed bumps and jumping off curbs at full speed during my commute. No different than how I ride my other non-electric bikes.

Since I got my system I have broken 1 or 2 spokes every single month. BionX asked that the wheel be sent back to them for a rebuild, but I didn't want to be without the bike. My shop convinced them to let them rebuild the wheel. I trust the wheel builder their, he knows his stuff. The wheel was rebuilt with Sapim spokes under warranty. Didn't solve the issues. One or 2 spokes broke every month. My dealer would replace them no charge. I'm lucky my LBS is just a short walk from my job. I would just drop it off at lunch and pick it up after work and ride home.

Happily, my wheel shorted out riding it in -25C weather this past Dec. It was sent back and BionX replaced it with a brand new wheel. Mind you it took 6 months to get it back. I only just started riding it again this month. So far I haven't broken a spoke, hopefully the problem won't return.

I don't know what to tell you and not sure where I'm going with this....lol. It may end up being a constant issue. I would ask Trek for a brand new wheel. Tell them you got a lemon.

No ebike is without their quirks and problem. You're going to have more issues with an ebike than a regular ole human powered ride.

Good luck.

wow, that's really disappointing to hear! Good luck with getting it fixed & Keep us other Trek electric owners in the loop about how long it takes to get resolved.

Well, it's now 18 days. The store keeps telling me that Trek has sent out the spokes so they can rebuild the wheel, but no spokes show up. I just sent a very nice nastygram to Trek customer service. In the meantime I've been using the old manual method. Oh, the pain, the pain.

Maybe if Trek and your dealer realized that other bicycle enthusiasts who might be future customers were following your plight, they'd get their acts together and get this fixed. It's inexcusable to make you wait so long. In fact, I'd say it's inexcusable that your dealer doesn't keep spokes in stock since they sell the Trek e-bikes. If I were Trek, I'd want distributors who sell the e-bikes to keep spokes or even some extra laced wheels in stock so that they could get customers riding again quickly. In fact, I'd make it a requirement for any dealer wanting to sell the e-Treks. In this new era of reduced consumer spending, brand reputation is going to be more critical for corporate survival and a healthy bottom line.

Spokes arrived yesterday and the bike is now back home. They have a supply of spokes.

Unlike my old bike, breaking a spoke on this did not induce any realy wobble in the wheel so it was easily rideable, but if I do break a spoke every month r two that is going to be very annoying. My dealer is not on my commute path, although several other bike shops are.

Spokes arrived yesterday and the bike is now back home. They have a supply of spokes.

Unlike my old bike, breaking a spoke on this did not induce any realy wobble in the wheel so it was easily rideable, but if I do break a spoke every month r two that is going to be very annoying. My dealer is not on my commute path, although several other bike shops are.

Glad to hear that you finally have your bike back. Hopefully, you won't have anymore broken spokes.

Just broke a spoke on my trek FX + this Friday. Brought it to my local LBS the same day and replaced it on the spot at no charge. It seems the spokes are standard bicycle spokes.

Spokes arrived yesterday and the bike is now back home. They have a supply of spokes.

Unlike my old bike, breaking a spoke on this did not induce any realy wobble in the wheel so it was easily rideable, but if I do break a spoke every month r two that is going to be very annoying. My dealer is not on my commute path, although several other bike shops are.

So, by the date of your post it's been another 2 months since your spokes were fixed, and I would assume you've put another 500-900 miles on it. Have you had any other problems with that rear wheel breaking spokes?

Dang it. I saw this post & checked my bike & sure enough 2 broken spokes. Off to the LBS tomorrow.

So, by the date of your post it's been another 2 months since your spokes were fixed, and I would assume you've put another 500-900 miles on it. Have you had any other problems with that rear wheel breaking spokes?

Yes, I broke another spoke around 7/23. I took it to my shop and found out that they had not rebuilt the wheel as they were supposed to last time. Since I was going away for a week I left it with the wheel builder for a rebuild. He did the rebuild and said that the problem is likely that the hub holes are too wide and so he inserted something (like washers) into the holes. That way there will be less loose area for the spokes to vibrate and it should prevent breakage. Time will tell.

He also said that the nipples had turned so much that they were sort of welded to the spoke. Of course, I'm not a wheel builder so I'm not quite sure what that was about but it sounded bad.

Sorry to hear that. My story is almost exactly the same as yours. 5 weeks, 900 miles, broken spokes on the rear wheel. Trek's response has been very slow, and I've been without my bike since 7/26 (18 days).

Hi everyone, but breaking spokes on rear hub motor, especially if it's high torque.. isn't that kind of expected? what gauge are these spokes? That motor you're referring to, it's a direct drive motor, isn't it?



for my part i have a double walled machined and welded rim , very strong, and this so that i may put the spoke at maximum tension.. i still break spokes but not as much as before.. i use 14/13 gauge butted spokes (Wheelsmith DH13, 13-14 gauge
220 grams


from http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/spokes.asp).

i got a 5304 crystalyte motor with 72 volt / 35 amps setup.. insane i know but i'm thinking anything that powerful is going to snap spokes eventually (especially if they are regular bike spokes). So once every two weeks a spoke snaps, at the nipple.

I wish they woud break a the flange, that way i can replace them easily.

When they break at the nipple, I have to deflate the tire, take out the old nipple, put back new nipple, take out broken spoke though the flange, insert new one and screw it in.. then reinfalte tire.. off i go (5 minutes tops).

What i'm thinking is going lower gauge, around 12 gauge, (http://www.huskybicycles.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=561-107&Category_Code=spokes&Store_Code=hbs)

Dunno yet.. but when i find the magic fix i'll let yall know.
Another thing.. I built my own wheel.. so maybe there lies the problem :roflmao2: . but in any case, for me, a change of one or two spokes once every two weeks is little discomfort in return for a sweet ride. :D

If you know a magic trick to stop spokes from breaking, please give me a shout.:thumb:

Hi everyone, but breaking spokes on rear hub motor, especially if it's high torque.. isn't that kind of expected? what gauge are these spokes? That motor you're referring to, it's a direct drive motor, isn't it?


Expected? I guess for me I would have thought that Trek/Bionx would have found an engineering solution to that problem. In my opinion, if they're going to be viable bikes for serious commuters, you just can't have a spoke break every month, especially if the bike is going to be in the shop a couple weeks, for whatever reason, every time one breaks.

I'm not sure what the gauge is. I'll ask when I pick up my bike this weekend.

Yes, it is a direct drive motor.

gauge, alternate spelling for gage

and i quote: "spokes are gauged in numbers.. the higher the number eg. (12G, 13G, 14G (most common)) the thinner the spoke, and the lower the number is much thicker.. hope that helps"

Although there is a whole science behind spokes and wheel building, my gut feeling tells me i'm using too thin a spoke for the application.

In my opinion, if they're going to be viable bikes for serious commuters, you just can't have a spoke break every month, especially if the bike is going to be in the shop a couple weeks, for whatever reason, every time one breaks.

Yes, it is a direct drive motor.


I broke 6 spokes in 6 weeks. My LBS had a spoke cutter so they replaced it on the spot. Trek sent my LBS replacement spokes to redo the entire wheel. However they were the same gage as the original ones. My LBS was nice enough to order a heavy gage spoke and installed it at no charge. Unfortunately at this point I am having other issues with my FX+ and can not test the new spokes out for durability.

I took mine in last Thursday to the LBS & they were going to call me if it was going to be longer than a week. 8 days later & no phone call, I called them, their response was "It's gonna be a while" When I pressed the guy, he said "Well, we called around to order the spokes but no one called us back" as if that explained the whole thing. I asked them for a call back when they hear back from the spoke people & his reply was "OK, but if you don't hear from us by Wednesday, give us a call"

And that's why i prefer to do everything myself.

So I get a little dirty, a little handy, women love me for it and I get to brag that I did it all by m'self.

... i stop at a red light, look at the woman to my left and yell over the roaring engine of her Vespa "I REPLACED MY OWN SPOKES, HOW YOU DOING?" to which she replies by speeding off .... :roflmao2:

I broke another one on Thursday (8/19) and brought it in Friday. That, almost, was good. It seems really easy to replace the spoke on this wheel, partly because the hub is bigger than the freewheel so you don't even need to remove the cassette assembly. Since all of my spokes have broken at the hub, that's easier than breaking at the nipple because you don't need to remove the tire.

I'm not sure how well I can do it without a truing stand though - the Valencia has disk brakes so you can't use the brakes like a truing stand. Still, get the tension pretty close to the ones near it and it should work ok.

I did learn how to remove the rear wheel on this beastie - the only trick to that is that there are two wire connections that you need to separate and replace - no great trick to that except to match up the white spot on both sides (on one of the connectors, the other is obvious). Plus, there is a tab of metal on the axle that needs to line up with the dropout. The axle goes in first and the tab must follow, then the wheel goes in fine.

So you unscrew the broken spoke from the nipple, run the new spoke through the hub, hold the nipple with a plier and turn the nipple to get the spoke to grab. Then use the proper size spoke wrench to get it to proper tension.

There are two spoke sizes, one for the non-drive side of the wheel and a very slightly longer one for the drive side. Or do I have that backwards? Well, I have two of each size spoke so the next time one breaks I'll check the size against the broken one.

Hmm, I seen Nashbar has a truing stand for $70. Maybe I should just get it.

Got my bike back almost two weeks ago, but I broke another spoke today. Kind of getting annoyed at this point. I hope they can use some stronger spokes on this thing. Back to the shop tomorrow.

Got my bike back Saturday, broke another spoke today. This is getting pretty old. Back to the LBS tomorrow. I'm not sure what's going on, I don't ride on any really rough terrain, and I only ride it 17 miles a day.

that's the key i think, that and a strong rim

When I took it in this morning, the mechanic said that he had been in contact with Trek & they are going to do a complete rebuild of the wheel. Kind of sucks that the'yll have my bike for a week, but hopefully this will solve the problem and I can stop taking it up there every weekend.

good luck! looking forward to the result.

Got my bike back almost two weeks ago, but I broke another spoke today. Kind of getting annoyed at this point. I hope they can use some stronger spokes on this thing. Back to the shop tomorrow.

I've been meaning to post this email from Trek and here's a good place. First, my email:

More questions and such. First, the extra charger I ordered finally arrived. I almost brought it back because the light went to green as soon as I plugged it into the battery. It turns out that the 115/230 voltage switch was set for 230. When selling those in the US, make sure they're set to 115 just to avoid problems. It worked find once I figured that out.

I recently brought my bike into a different dealer (Bicycle Habitat). My normal dealer (Brickwell) has skilled mechanics but very little experience with the ebikes. Miguel at BH fixed some of the problems I was having - caused by my not torquing the wheel correctly when I put it back on following the most recent broken spoke incident. He also upgraded the firmware and set it for Sport mode instead of Economode. I have a list of the standard Bionx codes and know enough not to do anything but set the clock, but I don't see anything about Sport or Econo mode.

The upgrade, or selection of Sport mode, means that the motor does not cut out at 16mph as it has been doing, instead it stays on until 18 at least. That's good. Could you please explain the difference between Sport mode and Econo, and whether I can make that change when needed? I have a feeling that if I'm going on a long trip then I'm going to want it set for Econo mode.

Also, no one seems clear on the best way to preserve battery life. Do I run it down as low as possible each time or is it best to recharge when I can? Since I have two chargers, I can charge at work or at home, or both. I believe that the warranty specifies two years or a certain number of recharges, and the firmware clearly keeps track of the number of charges. If it's better to recharge often, I don't want the warranty to expire because I went over the limit. I can also recharge every other day rather than each day if that's better for the warranty.

I also found that part of my problem with the kickstand was that it was set fairly far out from the bike. Setting it closer to the wheel (so it's closer to the bike when extended) makes it significantly more stable of course. Not greatly stable, but much better than it was.

I'm using the bike a lot and it really is great. I have a few spare spokes and can replace one if need be but would, of course, prefer to reserve that duty for the mechanics. Hopefully you guys are figuring out how to keep them from breaking?

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The reply:
Thanks for writing. Yes, the charger voltage switch issue is something we are aware of and hope to get that taken care of in the future, sorry about that. Bicycle Habitat is great, I’m glad they were able to help you out with that. The Sport/Econo mode is something that is set during a software update and cannot be changed on the bike unfortunately. The Sport mode provides a quicker acceleration and higher assist cutout while the Econo mode is slower overall. As far as battery life goes, it doesn’t really matter but it’s best not to cycle the battery too deeply too often so recharge it whenever you get the chance and that will be best for the battery.

The spoke issue is something we are still looking into to. We don’t have many people breaking spokes but those who do seem to be breaking a few and we haven’t figured out why it’s such an isolated problem. We are working on it though.

So there you have it. Some of us have a lot of broken spokes, others don't. The sport/econo mode is pretty surprising though. Since Miguel made that change I've been going much faster. Maybe the FX was set to Sport mode and the Valencia was set to Econo?

Interesting on the sport/econo mode. I had not heard about that before. You mentioned in your email that you know how to change the clock, is it easy to do? There is nothing about that in the instruction manual I got with the bike. With time change coming up here in the next month and a half, that would be useful to know.

I heard back from the LBS today. I guess after talking to Trek some more, they are actually going to replace the rear wheel. This will be the second time it's been replaced (first time the motor in it stopped working) but hopefully that fixes the problem. I'm glad that this will hopefuly, finally be sorted out, but it is some great late season weather here that I will be missing out riding in. The lbs said it would take about a week to get the new wheel, so hopefully next Monday I'll get it back.

I've got the FX, and it cuts out at 16, so I assume that mine is also set to Econo mode? I've never had a problem with that setting, since the route I take I really just need the assist to get up to speed, and once up there I can cruise, adding a couple mph using good, old-fashioned leg power.

Now the bad news. Trek replaced the entire wheel after I had a flurry of spoke breaks. I thought the wheel was doing great, and I was really getting back into enjoying the bike, but on my way home tonight I broke another spoke. I had it back for about a month and a half, and had put another 400-500 miles on it. *sigh* Another call to the LBS, and probably another couple weeks while they wait for Trek to figure out what to do. This bike is a rollercoaster of emotions that go something like 'man, this bike is great. The assist really gives me consist times on my commute! Oh crap, I broke another spoke. I hate this thing.'

On a side note, the mechanic from the LBS explained to me that the spokes on the rear wheel are not uniform gauge, being thicker at the hub end than at the rim end (single-butted?).

Whatever the spokes are, they aren't doing the job.

Interesting on the sport/econo mode. I had not heard about that before. You mentioned in your email that you know how to change the clock, is it easy to do? There is nothing about that in the instruction manual I got with the bike. With time change coming up here in the next month and a half, that would be useful to know.

I borrowed this from somewhere, but there is really almost nothing that I would be willing to fool with. What I want is that program they used to ugrade the firmware - it shows all sorts of interesting settings but, I have to make do with this for now:

Console Programming Display
• Turn on the system ( “mode” button )
• Simultaneously press on the « chrono » and « mode » buttons for 2 seconds
• Enter the desired console code. N.B. To change a digit, use the “A+” and “G-“buttons. To accept a digit and go to the next one, press the “mode” button.
• Once you are done with your programming, simply press « mode » to go to the original display, then turn the system off to save the changes.

Codes are:
2001: KM or Miles
2002: Generative breaking On or Off
2003: Time Last with Battery
2004: Set Clock
2005: Wheel Size
2006: Programming Brake Sensor (part of generative breaking)
2007: Polarity Throttle (0-5 volts or 5-0 volts)
3771: Wheel Size (different than 2005)
3772: Diagnostic Mode
3773: Speed Limit On or Off (does not seem to work for later firmware version including Trek)
3775: Throttle Max Speed (default is actually off, surprisingly enough) - Treks have no throttle
3776: Speed that Motor will Start (default is 3km, if you set lower..the motor may start running while you are pushing/walking your bike and ride off without you for a bit)
5000: Full System Reset (highly suggest not doing this...doesn't restore the standard defaults, it actually disables just about everything to the lowest settings)
1976: Motor Direction (clockwise or counterclockwise, suggest that you don't change this or your tire will start reversing when the motor kicks in)
1234: Sensor Speed Signal (1 - slow and 5 - fast)
1970: Configuration activation backlight and DCDC automatic
0007: Sensor Signal gain, 0.1 to 4.0 (high means it is more sensitive to your input/more responsive)
0008: Configuration of extra assistance (1.0 to 4.0...I increased this and the system seems to put more assistance per watt of effort I do)
0041: activation of the I2C (not sure what that means)

2004 will set the clock if it's wrong. That's really all that I'm willing to muck with. There were further instructions on how to reset the battery gauge if it isn't showing full when the battery is full. I haven't had that issue, but just in case:

Step 1) Charge the battery
Step 2) Let it cool down for 1 hour.
Ste 3) Check voltage with code 3772 (See console code from the attached)
Step 4) If the battery 36V LiMn is showing 41.0 and more, the battery is fully charged
Step 5) If the battery is fully charged push on mode for 20 sec, that will force the gauge to show full.

On a side note, the mechanic from the LBS explained to me that the spokes on the rear wheel are not uniform gauge, being thicker at the hub end than at the rim end (single-butted?).

Whatever the spokes are, they aren't doing the job.

That's double-butted I think. Single-butted means the same thickness all the way. It's better to be thicker at the ends to take care of the strain. I think all of my spokes have broken at the hub. That's easy to fix since you just need to unscrew them at the rim and you can put in a new one without taking off the wheel or the tire. I just don't know how to true it correctly.

exactely , Treak should come up with engineering solution.
Why spokes on 1000W E+ bike don't snap?
It has more to do whith how controller works if it jerks motor instead of ramping up spped spokes will snap only metter of time and if they are not heavy guage???
No one spoke broke during over 17,000km travel on my Tadial Force, but again TF controller is rump up one, no jerking here very well modulating.
MC

This bike is a rollercoaster of emotions that go something like 'man, this bike is great. The assist really gives me consist times on my commute! Oh crap, I broke another spoke. I hate this thing.'

Those are exactly my feelings with this bike. I love it when it works, but when it doesn't, there do not seem to be any easy fixes, they all take a week or so to fix.

With regards to the spokes, all of mine break at the hub as well. I'm no bike engineer, but it would seem like it would be worth trek's time to use larger spokes on the rear wheel at least to alleviate this problem.

dgk thanks for the codes. When I first got my FX+, the clock was off by 12 hours (I think the shop programmed it in the afternoon & didn't realize it was a 24 hour clock. When I had the bike in one time, they fixed it, but it will be nice to fix the clock for the time change.

Got my bike back from the Shop last week. Trek sent them a new wheel, but the rim was bent. The shop rebuilt the wheel with the same rim (they had one in stock). I've ridden it for 3 or 4 days now & no more problems. The wheel seems to have much thicker spokes now, but I could just be imagining that. At any rate, I hope mine was one with the thinner spokes that were accidentally put on at the factory & that this fix remedies my problems.

Eh, I broke another one yesterday and knocked the nipple into the wheel trying to put the new one into it so now I have to take it off. I think I'll bring it to the shop later today.

Two times that I broke a spoke was when I was really moving quickly over some crappy roads. I was in a rare hurry to get home yesterday and went much faster than normal. I was about to start out this morning and saw the broken spoke. But it has to be able to take some pounding, I mean it's a commuter bike, it isn't like I ride off curbs and stuff.

After I had all my sopkes replaced. I put on over a 1000 miles and have not had a problem.

Here's the story, as I understand it. If you're an early adopter of these bikes, you got one with spokes that simply were not designed to handle the stresses of the motor. The spokes on the rear wheel are custom spokes, having a longer bend at the hub then a normal spoke, and those original spokes are 14 gauge.

The new spokes, which Trek is having some difficulty getting, are also custom to support the longer bend design, but are a heavier gauge (13?) at the hub and tapered to the standard 14.

Trek says the new spokes will get the job done but that I need to be patient. They could be another week or two away from arriving. Easy for them to say since they haven't had to bear the cost of not being able to ride the bike for almost 6 weeks total now since I bought it about 4 months ago, and the numerous trips into the LBS to get it fixed. Could you imagine buying a new car and not being able to drive it for 6 weeks because of a faulty design?

At this point I'll never buy another Trek again, and will seriously discourage anyone I know who asks my opinion about bikes from even considering a Trek. I imagine the internal motto at Trek must either be 'Caveat Emptor' or 'We guarantee our bikes...eventually.'

I was lucky my LBS replaced the spokes with 14 gage spokes which they did not get from Trek. My LBS ate the cost and did not charge me. I personally have no problem with being the gunnies pig on Treks first try at the electric bicycle. The real company to blame is Bion X since it is a Bion X wheel and not Trek. I do know Trek did not expect all these problems since they thought they were getting a high end product by going with Bion X.

Since my first bicycle was a IZip and I also broke plenty of spokes. I found the service was terrible.

However, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I'm happy knowing that there is a fix. I'm not happy with the lack of communication between my shop and Trek. I shouldn't need to find out about the new spokes here.

not everyone who is in the business of selling ebikes and ebike kits is in it for the passion - some are just out there because it's profitable

What wattage is the motor that your spokes keep breaking (just wondering - compare W to breakage)

when you answer

wattage plus spoke breaks per month

it will be interesting to see

I'm happy knowing that there is a fix. I'm not happy with the lack of communication between my shop and Trek. I shouldn't need to find out about the new spokes here.

I'd recommend to keep checking in with your shop, and get them to hound their Trek rep. The Trek rep around here has been pretty crappy about returning messages.

What wattage is the motor that your spokes keep breaking (just wondering - compare W to breakage)

when you answer

wattage plus spoke breaks per month

it will be interesting to see

It's the 350w BionX. I don't know if spoke breaks per month is a valid way to look at it. From my experience, with both the new wheel and the replacement wheel each with a full set of new spokes, all of the spokes have experienced a similar level of stress and fatigue by the time one breaks. In my experience, once one spoke fails it indicates that all of the spokes are approaching failure. I think I described my level of usage of the bike upthread, which will give you a better idea of 'how soon' the spokes start breaking.

I must admit, i didn't expect a 350w to break any spokes....

just by thinking - i thought it would be 500w or more

It isn't the motor turning that's breaking the spokes; I can't imagine any system being smoother on acceleration than the Bionx but other folks have more experience. Still, I'm betting that it's the weight and the amount of wiggle room in the hub. And, of course, spokes just not up to the job.

and the amount of wiggle room in the hub. And, of course, spokes just not up to the job.

actually , that makes sense..... people give their wheels a pounding on mountain bikes - if the hub gives a vibration to the wheel, it is only a matter of time before the spokes break :thumb: