Originally Posted by
szewczykm
Is this common? Is it just my turn to break spokes? Or is this indicative of a problem that won't be fixed by just having the LBS replace the spoke and re-true the wheel?
This is a problem that won't be fixed by just having the LBS replace the spoke and re-true the wheel. They
must check and adjust the tension of
every spoke on the bike, preferably with a spoke tension meter! This would seem to be an obvious step, but when many shops replace a spoke they focus on that spoke exclusively and ignore the rest of the wheel. This often leads to a situation where one spoke after another breaks, because
none of them are at the proper tension.
I'd make sure that whoever is repairing your broken spokes is checking the tension on
all of the spokes when they're truing the wheel. If they're not, then go somewhere else for the repair. Remember: wheels are
not maintenance free, especially for Clydesdales! This might not be a bad time to think about buying a
cheap truing stand, a
tension meter, and a spoke wrench so you can do your own wheel maintenance...