Never seen this before
05-27-12, 08:08 PM
#1
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Never seen this before
We did 45 miles on the tandem today. I always check the rear wheel spokes after each ride. We've broken one in 1000+ miles. Today I found this:
I suppose one reason for this is that the hub flanges are quite large so the spokes come off the rim with a significant tangential angle instead of almost radially. That would create an angled pull where the nipple seats into the eyelet.
I can only guess that this happened when we hit a pothole today toward the end of the ride. And we were climbing a significant hill in our lowest gear so the wheel torque was pretty high.
Fortunately the fix wasn't too bad. Remove the wheel (not a trivial task), pop off the tire and tube, unwind some of the rim strip, fit a new nipple, tighten as seems appropriate, replace everything, true wheel.
I suppose one reason for this is that the hub flanges are quite large so the spokes come off the rim with a significant tangential angle instead of almost radially. That would create an angled pull where the nipple seats into the eyelet.
I can only guess that this happened when we hit a pothole today toward the end of the ride. And we were climbing a significant hill in our lowest gear so the wheel torque was pretty high.
Fortunately the fix wasn't too bad. Remove the wheel (not a trivial task), pop off the tire and tube, unwind some of the rim strip, fit a new nipple, tighten as seems appropriate, replace everything, true wheel.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
05-27-12, 08:23 PM
#2
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yeah, always best to keep a close watch on tandem rear wheels. As captain you've always got a good view of the front.
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05-27-12, 08:32 PM
#3
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That break is a classic sign of a too-short spoke. The spoke needs to do all the way through the nip to provide adequate support, and if it doesn't, then this happens.
05-27-12, 08:33 PM
#4
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I once bought a garage sale bike for my daughter that had a spoke like that. For what I paid, I did't mind fixing a spoke.
05-27-12, 08:41 PM
#5
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Is that brass or alloy? If the former, than too short a spoke may have contributed. If the latter - there are probably 39 more where that one came from. 
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05-27-12, 08:51 PM
#6
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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But we did hit a pothole pretty hard today while grinding up a hill. Can't miss 'em all.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
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05-27-12, 09:22 PM
#7
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Id relace. maybe its time
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05-27-12, 09:33 PM
#8
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05-27-12, 09:50 PM
#9
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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I'm leaning that way. Need to find the time. Of course, if I was retired...
It is possible that the shop sticker was on the rim from a previous build and someone else later rebuilt it wrong. Even so, it's pretty obvious. I'll have to examine the flanges for wear grooves and see if there is some incompatibility issue. Still, off by one is hard to understand.
It is possible that the shop sticker was on the rim from a previous build and someone else later rebuilt it wrong. Even so, it's pretty obvious. I'll have to examine the flanges for wear grooves and see if there is some incompatibility issue. Still, off by one is hard to understand.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
05-28-12, 05:51 AM
#10
What??? Only 2 wheels?
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Thanks for the suggestion. I've been pondering this. Clearly the spoke didn't extend into the head, because the threads in the head weren't stripped. On the other hand, the fear I've always had about too-short spokes is that the threads would strip. After all, they are little, small ridges of thin metal, even if there are a bunch of them.
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Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
