Originally Posted by
LV2TNDM
Once more than one spoke breaks in a wheel, this is the SURE SIGN that the spokes are at the end of their fatigue life. I say this as someone who managed multiple LBS's over the last 40 years. One of the BIGGEST complaint at the service counter was this very same scenario. Customer breaks spoke, comes into shop and the shop charges said customer for spoke replacement. The following week, the customer returns VERY unhappy with ANOTHER broken spoke. This is why I directed my staff to qualify the wheel repair with:
1) Have you broken a spoke before?
2) If so, if more than one, it's time for a new wheel. If we replace this one, another one will break. Probably on your first ride.
3) If the customer says it's the first failure, we agree to fix it with the caveat: "There is NO guarantee another spoke won't break on your next ride." Replacing failure #1 is merely a way to address the "fluke" failure.
Re-tensioning the OP's wheel with the original spokes is a fool's errand. Surely, the person doing this will experience additional failures. And once THOSE are replaced, the OP will soon have more break. Suggesting using the old spokes is beyond irresponsible. All to save $50? Plus, the wheels should be rebuilt with butted spokes, far superior to the original straight gauge Dreck that they were built with.
My co-op is the place where people take that wheel your shop rejects because they generally can’t afford the replacement wheel. If the wheel has evidence of multiple failures, we will try to get them a used wheel
and if they are big and/or are carrying heavy loads we try to get them a high spoke count wheel.
I agree that trying to fix SamSam77’s current wheel is a fools errand. It should be replaced under warranty and preferably with a higher spoke count wheel. But if that isn’t possible or the turnaround time is too long, relacing with something like DT Alpine III will gain some strength in a wheel that is marginal for his application.
Stainless steel is already an alloy. You think there's only one? Hardly.
Although for bicycle applications 304 (or 18-8, same thing) is the alloy they use.
Quality spoke producers have proprietary "treatment" that allows them to achieve the highest tensile strengths & fatigue lives they can. (This is why GCN was not allowed to film in much of DT's production works.) Cold working their alloy of choice improves strength and fatigue life. This is why DT, Sapim and Wheelsmith have proven to provide excellent performance for decades.
All too often people who are looking into building wheels (and most of the people who give them advice on how to do so) will concentrate on a good hub and a strong rim. When, and more often “if”, the topic of spokes come up the answer is usually “whatever”. That’s the problem with most OEM wheels. Some project manager has said to source the least expensive spoke available and we end up with OEM wheels that would make Orville Redenbacher proud. It’s not the product manager’s problem anymore so why should they care? Light riders who don’t carry weight on the bike will probably never notice. Large riders and riders of all sizes that carry loads for utility or touring most certainly will notice.
Assuming the wheels are still new (they are, per the OP), rebuilding with quality, butted spokes is the most cost-effective and reasonable solution.
Exactly.