Originally Posted by
old's'cool
So Sixty Fiver is wrong on this one, a 40 year old wheel with low miles and that is not unduly corroded has a long life ahead of it, assuming it is correctly built in the first place.
Fail.
I said:
"The bike is almost 40 years old and if these are the original wheels the spokes are probably at the end of their useful lifespan... 3 broken spokes is an indication that they are suffering from fatigue, either through improper tension or simply from old age."
But I will agree that a well built 40 year old wheel that has
not been used will probably be just fine... but it would appear that this one has seen some miles and if it was poorly built from the start it may have not taken much to cause spoke failure.
There is nothing that suggests that this bicycle was new old stock and was more than likely ridden before.