pgjackson

Broke a spoke on my new Giant last week. Took it in to the shop thinking they would fix it for free since it's still within 30 days of buying it. They charged me $13 to fix it saying it was normal wear and tear and not covered under any warranty. Whatever. Got it fixed. Rode yesterday no problems with the wheels. Went out today and broke another spoke, same wheel. Something has to be wrong with the wheels. Should I pitch a fit to the LBS or is it normal wear and tear?

svtmike

Sounds like poorly built, improperly tensioned wheels to me.

So, no, I certainly wouldn't call it that.

Rowan

Warranty problem.

And if they are Alex wheels, I would run. Run very fast. Run very far.

I've done 3,000km and Machka has done similarly on wheels I built myself. No spoke breakages and no out-of-true.

Grasschopper

Wait...what? 2 broken spokes within 30 days of purchase of a new bike? Even crap machine built wheels last longer than that.

STP

Well, I wouldn't "pitch a fit," as you say, but I would definitely take it back in and ask them to check the tension on that wheel. You shouldn't break spokes that easily on ANY wheel, unless you're too heavy for it. I assume you have 32 hole rims so you're probably not too heavy, are you?

If the wheel isn't tensioned properly and they fix it, then I'd respectfully ask them to credit you the $13 dollars you paid earlier. If you don't like their service either way, feel free to walk away and never return but don't "pitch a fit."

spock

One spoke said to the other, "Why are you so tense? I'm very relaxed".

pgjackson

I think I'll call the shop and tell them that I don't expect wheels to come apart with less than 400 miles on them. Their service is pretty crappy, but the price on the bike was rediculously low...still, I have a feeling I just have a bad wheel. The wheels are made by Giant (Giant P-R2). The spokes themselves aren't broken, just the little thing on the end of one of them keeps coming off and rattling around inside the rim.

STP

The nipple is what you're referring to and there are two places that a spoke will break; at the nipple (because of the thinning of the cross section of the spoke in the threadding process) or at the 90 degree bend at the hub end. You may just have bad spokes. Who knows. If a spoke fails under tension, then at the break it's look like the metal has been stretched to failure. If it fails under shear, then it will be a "clean" break straight through the material.

spock

It's an improperly tensioned wheel. Not enough tension to keep the spokes in place and keep them from loosening. LBS should be responsible for that.

pgjackson

I'm 175lbs..I'm no 135lb racer, but I don't think I'm too heavy for the wheels. Maybe "pitch a fit" wasn't the best way to describe it...perhaps "forcefully demand a free repair" would be better. To explain my frustration further, after the first spoke broke on Wednesday I took it in on Thursday to get it fixed and get it's free 30-day tune-up. Other than the spoke the bike was running PERFECTLY. Got the bike back and went for a ride Friday. Went to pump the rear tire up and noticed the valve was jammed up inside the rim. When I loosened the little screw thing the valve failed and all the air came rushing out. Replaced the tube and then noticed that they reset the rear brake cable so tight that it was rubbing the rim. I mean it wouldn't make one complete rotation. So, readjusted the rear brake. Got out on the road and about 3 miles later...POP...flat rear tire. Took the tire off and noticed tha the rim tape was crooked and one of the spoke holes was exposed just a very tiny bit. Adjusted the rim tape and got back on the road. Realized that the RD now shifts like crap. Hit the button and there is about a 2-second delay, grind, grind, CLICK and there it is. Now I have another broken spoke. I'm kind of affraid to take the bike back to this shop because they are a bunch of clowns. A bunch of dopey surfer dudes and an older guy who always acts like you are bothering him.

Machka 

Find someone who knows how to true wheels properly ... or learn to do it yourself.

ultraman6970

PG... i think you should consider just spend money in a set of reliable wheels, those wheels started snapping spokes so now u have to start by thinking in replace all the spokes and nipples. What I would recommend you if you are in a budget is to get something like easton ea 70 or something in that class, reliable, for some people are heavy but those will last centuries.

I'm heavier than you and all the time I look for reliable wheels, u can't ride w/o good wheels you know. Probably is time for you to learn how to fix wheels aswell, you can save a lot of money doing it.

Sadly u are at the other side or i would have relaced those wheels for free.

Good luck.

ps: for me is not normal wear and tear, have 30 years old wheels in here that never gotten broken spokes ever.

Rowan

Ah... cheap price on the bike, but the real cost comes later.

Ditch the shop and find one that knows what they are doing. It seems to me you paid the shop to do nothing.

An alternative is to learn how to work on your bike so you can avoid LBSsaltogether.

pgjackson

Father's Day is coming up. Plan on getting some new wheels. I had Forte Titans on my other bike and they were indestructible. Not the lightest, but the price is right and I NEVER had a problem with them. I'm going to see if the LBS will either replace the wheel or at least fix it for free. If they keep on with the "normal wear and tear" routine I will express my displeasure with their shop and never go back. I might ask them to redo the RD as well.

Bacciagalupe

The wheel doesn't need to be replaced. However, it does need to be rebuilt.

Generally speaking, when a spoke breaks it puts additional stress on the other spokes. If you didn't notice it right away, it probably did enough damage that all the spokes have to be redone.

I don't think that usually qualifies as a warranty issue, unless there is a known issue with an entire production run. (I did have that happen once, and had to send the wheel back to the manufacturer.)

The shop should give you a deal on the rebuild though.

jamesdak 

Yep, try to get this wheel issue worked out and then find another shop for doing your services. I kept trying to give my local LBS work to but reality was that their mechanic kept screwing things up.

I've learned to do much of my work myself and otherwise make a 40 minute drive to another shop that does good work. Heck this shop replaced a broken spoke for free on a set of 12 year old wheels that I obviously did not buy from them.

For most work park tools site has awesome directions. Never worked on a headset before and had play in mine. A quick peak at Parks directions,2 minutes of work, and problem fixed.

thcri

To me if a spoke broke in the first 30 days the LBS should have just taken care of it. Second time around they should do a full going over of the wheel and spokes free. My dealer who I didn't get my bike from gives me better service than that.

STP

Nah, you're not too heavy (again, I'm assuming you have 32 hole, 3 cross wheels).

The rear derailleur and the brake cable adjustment are just "growing pains" that a new bike goes through in the first miles of it's life. That's usually why bike shops gives you two or three "tune ups" for free because they know it's going to happen.

That being said, I'd probably take this bike to another shop that has a level of service that you expect and give them your business. Each person expects different levels of service and you need to find a shop that you're comfortable with. I would if I were in your shoes.

Good luck with everything. Soon this will be behind you and you'll have a machine that will give you years of (annually maintained) faithful service.

CNY James

+1 for this idea. even if it isn't covered in writing, they should suck it up and fix the wheel for you. if they don't, they don't deserve your business.

M_FactorX19

this is why i work on my own bikes. i trust most of the guys in the shops around my area but i still know ill take more care and do a better job. heck when i buy a bike from a shop i take it home still in the box.

Rowan

As long as this one isn't stolen as well.

pgjackson

Man, I hope not. I really, really like this bike.

pgjackson

The problem is that it was running perfectly before sending it in. I had actually replaced the brake calipers myself when I got the bike and they were spot-on. They went and adjusted it way too tight and totally gooned up the RD, which was also functioning perfectly before. They are open tomorrow. I'll call and be nice and ask that they fix everything for free. If they give me a hard time, I'll just tell them how disappointed I am with the shop, that I will advise my riding friends to NOT frequent their shop and that I will take my business elsewhere. Kind of sucks because the shop is right on my way home from work.

tcarl

I'd say get the wheel properly tensioned and retrued. I've been riding more than 40 years now and have been building my own wheels for about 35 of them. Why? I don't think I've ever had a new bought wheel that was anywhere close to being properly tensioned. While it's rare for me to buy pre-built wheels, the first thing I do with them is check the spoke tension, discover it's way off, and then re-true/tension it. (This was even true with a many hundreds of dollars pair from a name brand aero carbon wheel building company, which I won't name.) If you don't know how to do it yourself, have the/a shop do it.

urbanknight

fixed.