Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I've seen this kind of failure frequently and it's not a function of the rider's weight nor of the conditions that the bike has been ridden in, although road conditions do contribute to the failure. It's not a warranty problem but a wear and tear issue. A poor build probably contributed to the problem as well.
Sorry, but you are wrong. It is absolutely a warranty issue, assuming the warranty exists. Even absent a warranty, its a failure caused by poor work -- the spokes were insufficiently and unequally tensioned -- or it's a failure cause by defective materials -- they fail under the tension required to keep the wheel true -- or it's a failure of the seller to sell the buyer suitable goods (they're not capable of dealing with a 260 lb rider in the normal course of riding). (It's also possible it's a failure of the buyer to take the seller's advice, but it doesn't sound like that's what happened here.)