Third time this year I will have to take the bike in. I went for a ride tonight and about 5 miles out I noticed the rear wheel was not running straight. I pulled over and @!#$@%&* I had another spoke broken. The last time this happened the guy at the LBS whose opinion I trust said that he had only seen this happen with one other bike (Last time it was multiple spokes 2, this is the third time this year with less than 700 miles in the last two months or so). His opinion was that the tubes I am running may be causing the issue (thicker tube). Has anyone out here had any problems like this? I started running thicker tubes because I kept getting flats. I can't seem to run a month straight without a problem. Is this really normal? For the record I don't consider 600 to 700 miles in two months a LOT of riding. Am I wrong about these distances? Maybe I am riding too much...I did hit a sidewalk hole hard once and I jumped a curb once since the last incident but I don't know, maybe a hybrid is not built for this city riding I am doing...

What wheels are you running and how much do you weigh?

**********

that is not an lbs guy you should trust
spokes break all the time
usually on wheels where the spokes are not properly tensioned

you need to go to a different lbs
and have them re lace the wheel with new spokes
and make sure they are properly tensioned
and stress relieved

or buy a new wheel
and have a knowledgeable person
ensure it is properly tensioned and stress relieved

I can see how spokes could cause inner tubes to puncture but I don't see how tubes could cause spokes to break.

The reality is that your rear wheel, for whatever reason, isn't up to your style of riding. You can wait for the spokes to break one-at-a-time or you can have the wheel rebuilt properly once and for all.

Once you've broken 2-3 spokes on a WHEEL (not tire), the rest follow soon afterwards.
Get the wheel relaced with new spokes at a DIFFERENT LBS, because that guy is an idiot.

If a wheel is a tire, then a tube is a . . . who knows?

Tube causing spoke issues**********

No way. The only way a thicker tube could cause spoke issues, is by preventing pinch flats so that you're more willing to bounce in and out of potholes, or hop curbs.

I have a 3 step rule for spokes. One broken spoke is a fluke, 2 are bad luck, and 3 are a pattern. You should stop replacing spokes and build fresh. But you should also look for a cause, so you don't have the same poor luck with the next wheel.

I suspect you may not have enough tire width for your weight (see chart here). That combined with rough use is hard on spokes and rims.

BTW- I suggest you consider another dealer. One who doesn't say yours is a unique problem and he's only seen it once (code for I don't want to fix it free). You want one who'll take the time to find a real reason for the problem; weight, rough use, poor quality OEM wheels, lack of tension,....and work with you to addrss it, plus buid you a wheel suited to your specific needs.

How do I tell what wheels they are?
Oh and I weigh between 174.5 and 178 as of yesterday. At 5'7"

At the time I was told that the tube is thicker and that this may be the issue. Take it easy on me folks, I don't really understand what is going on yet.

Would this be an option?

Well yes, it is an option, but all you need is a decently built wheel.

Brad

i appologize if i in any way
insulted or insinuated you were to blame
for the most part i think you have been regarded
with a mixture of pity and amusement

pity because you have been somehow convinced
that your lbs guy is much more knowledgeable than he is
and because irt must be very frustrating
to have repeated failures and told by an 'expert' that the cause is a mystery

and amusement because the advice he have you
is hilariously ignorant

i weigh between 250 and 270 lbs
i ride standard spoked wheels thousands of kms per year
on badly paved potholed and rough gravel roads
as well as rough rooty and rocky singletrack
and i havent broken a spoke yet this decade

your problem is one of either an improperly tensioned wheel
or a wheel that is very old and well beyond its useful life
and if there isnt over 10000 km on the wheel
then it is the former and not the latter

William - I'm a novice, who's decided to take out my (30 yr. old) bike out and ride it daily. First trip a spoke broke. Then new tires-went from cyclo-cross to road tires on 700c wheels, then another season with no breaks. This summer, first 5 rides of just 20 miles resulted in 3 with a broken spoke. I take it in-$22. I ride, and another spoke breaks, and another $22 to replace. Evidence: just the older spokes are breaking. I'm about 240 pounds, like you, but the wheel was made for cyclo-cross, so I don't think my road commute is the cause. I'm off to have it relaced with new spokes today, but, since no front spokes have broken, can I get away with not fixing the front wheel, too? Thanks.

Which spokes are breaking?

I'm going to guess the LEFT side spokes are breaking at the elbow. That was fairly common in the mid-90's era. The issue was the left side spokes often were undertensioned which allowed them to flex and eventually break at the elbow. If that's the case (and I've never seen your bike much less tested the spoke tension) your front wheel is probably OK.

i assume you are asking me
but my handle is wilfred
not william
you get one warning
ONE


my answer

the proof is in the pudding

if spokes arent breaking
then spokes arent breaking

spoke breakage on front wheels is much much less common than on rear wheels
front wheels carry significantly less load than rear wheels
and they are not usually dished
that is
the spokes exit the hub at the same angle from both sides
as there are no cogs that need space
this results in more evenly tensioned spokes
and i think less of a max to min stress cycle for each wheel revolution

the max to min to max stress cycle is the cause of most spoke breakage
and this is more pronounced on spokes with less tension than with more
so a wheel lacking in tension will be more prone to break spokes

You're not that heavy. On most wheels you can find a maker's mark or a decal that tells the maker, what model it is, and so forth. Araya, Bontrager, etc.

It'd be a lot easier if you would post a picture of your wheel, perhaps of the broken spoke(s) as well.

I've seen wheels ruined by LBS morons who don't know how to true a rim, so if the shop has already done work on your wheels, that might be part of the problem. At your weight, you should be able to use most wheels without much concern, unless you are abusing them.

1. Any "mechanic" that has not seen multiple spokes break over a period of time has not seen much.
2. As has been mentioned, once you've broken a few spokes it's an indication you need a new wheel, or rebuild if cost, rim and spokes justify it and if the builder is skilled.
3. Tubes have absolutely nothing to do with spoke breakage. If the "guy at the LBS" believes that he has probably developed other pet theories that are unsupportable and that distract from proper diagnosis and resolution of problems.

You need to find a better shop or a real mechanic at that one.

Riding too much? I wish I had your problem these days. For perspective, I rode 3000 miles in 3 months in 1976, did not have a single spoke breakage and perhaps 3 flats. Multiple flats also call for proper diagnosis in order to determine the proper fix. The combination of location and appearance of a puncture determines the cause.

Wheel replaced. THAT problem is addressed for now.
Don't worry about anything said here.
I'd really have to care, for it to bother me much.