broken spoke--how dangerous?
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broken spoke--how dangerous?
I have a pair of Real Design Ultrasonic wheels with about 1000 miles on them. Without warning one of the front spokes broke. Fortunately, I was going slowly and stopped without incident but the wheel warped rather markedly and lodged against the brake pad. The wheel has 20 bladed straight pull spokes. My LBS fixed the wheel, and said they could not find any particular reason. The manufacturer, via e-mail, also felt this was just a fluke. My concern is that given the rather marked and sudden deviation of the wheel that the consequences could have been ugly had I been descending at 45mph. Am I legitimately worried or should I just ride and forget it? The wheel can be viewed at the manufacturer's site (https://www.real-design.com/2005/ultrasonic.aspx).
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Holds trueness better than conventional rims because of reinforced carbon hoop
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It happened to me last October at 40 mph. I was lucky it was the rear wheel but it acted like a giant brake and even chew up a bit in the seatstay carbon.
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I've broken a spoke on my rear Ksyrium and the wheel stayed perfectly true and round. I actually ended up putting an extra 500 or so miles on it while waiting for replacement spokes. After putting the new spoke into place, all I did was tension it. No truing was necessary.
Some low-spoke count wheels are simply that... low spoke count. Other manufacturers overbuild the rim and make them very stiff so they can suffer a spoke failure without warping.
Some low-spoke count wheels are simply that... low spoke count. Other manufacturers overbuild the rim and make them very stiff so they can suffer a spoke failure without warping.
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Spokes fail for a variety of reasons. There is nothing you can do to guarantee an indestructable wheel.
I haven't seen any studies on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if uneven spoke tension turned out to be the greatest cause of spoke failure.
To reduce the odds of spoke failure make sure that all your spokes are evenly tensioned ( + - 10%), for a front wheel. For a back wheel that rule applies separately for drive-side spokes and non-drive-side spokes. (Drive-side spokes are at a greater tension than non-drive side).
Lastly, don't think you can "set it and forget it". You need to continue to routinely check your wheels for rim cracks, trueness, loose spokes, uneven tension, rim wear, etc. Wheels are subject to lots of stresses and need to be inspected regularly.
Bob
I haven't seen any studies on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if uneven spoke tension turned out to be the greatest cause of spoke failure.
To reduce the odds of spoke failure make sure that all your spokes are evenly tensioned ( + - 10%), for a front wheel. For a back wheel that rule applies separately for drive-side spokes and non-drive-side spokes. (Drive-side spokes are at a greater tension than non-drive side).
Lastly, don't think you can "set it and forget it". You need to continue to routinely check your wheels for rim cracks, trueness, loose spokes, uneven tension, rim wear, etc. Wheels are subject to lots of stresses and need to be inspected regularly.
Bob
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That's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of manufactured wheels. Wire spoke wheels are a proven, albeit old school, technology. There is nothing like a wire spoked wheel built by a competent wheel builder.
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Originally Posted by NJWheelBuilder
That's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of manufactured wheels. Wire spoke wheels are a proven, albeit old school, technology. There is nothing like a wire spoked wheel built by a competent wheel builder.
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Originally Posted by khuon
And factory wheels use bubble-gum for spokes? I think the most important thing you can do to ensure good spoke and wheel life is to make sure they are properly tensioned and stress-relieved. Even if you get factory-made wheels, you should get them checked and prepped prior to installing them.
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Originally Posted by khuon
I've broken a spoke on my rear Ksyrium and the wheel stayed perfectly true and round. I actually ended up putting an extra 500 or so miles on it while waiting for replacement spokes. After putting the new spoke into place, all I did was tension it. No truing was necessary.
Some low-spoke count wheels are simply that... low spoke count. Other manufacturers overbuild the rim and make them very stiff so they can suffer a spoke failure without warping.
Some low-spoke count wheels are simply that... low spoke count. Other manufacturers overbuild the rim and make them very stiff so they can suffer a spoke failure without warping.
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Originally Posted by Deanster04
Wow! You must be a feather weight and had ridden the 500miles at about 10mph.
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STP??? Not trying to be a wise guy...just be careful. Stress fractures in aluminum are dangerous. 145# ain't bad. I'm 220# and ride a conventional 32H, 3X, Mavic OP (self built) because the stresses are more evenly distributed over the whole rim. When I brake a spoke on a ride I can get off the bike and relieve the tension on the surrounding spokes to further reduce the stresses on the wheel. But as a matter of self preservation I inspect my wheels quarterly with a magnifying glass. Lots of steep mt roads in my neck of the woods...Boulder, CO and I like speed.
I will have to say of all the wheels I've seen yours are the best and only ones I would coinsider...what stops me is the expense.
I will have to say of all the wheels I've seen yours are the best and only ones I would coinsider...what stops me is the expense.
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Originally Posted by Deanster04
STP??? Not trying to be a wise guy...just be careful.
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What is STP excuse my ignorance? Good idea on the spare spoke and wrench. People laugh at me when I carry the "big" combo tool on rides but they stop laughing when I can fix a broken chain in the wilderness among other fixes. Funny though my bike rarely breaks down (can't remember the last time). Must be an application of Murphy's Law...If I have the tool I won't need it, but if I don't have it, that's when I will need it." Perverse ain't it!
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Originally Posted by Deanster04
What is STP excuse my ignorance?
Originally Posted by Deanster04
Good idea on the spare spoke and wrench. People laugh at me when I carry the "big" combo tool on rides but they stop laughing when I can fix a broken chain in the wilderness among other fixes. Funny though my bike rarely breaks down (can't remember the last time). Must be an application of Murphy's Law...If I have the tool I won't need it, but if I don't have it, that's when I will need it." Perverse ain't it!
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I should have remembered. I lived in Salem, OR in the 1980's and rode up to meet a friend who was doing the ride...So I did the Half/Half STP...I guess. Thanks for the reply. I have a similar background. I bought an original stumpjumper in 1980 and rode it on the logging roads of Oregon for 10 years before I moved to Colorado. More than once I had to dive off the road to avoid one of the maniac logging trucks barrelling down the mt. I laugh when I hear people complain about cars on the highway and harken back to the Oregon woods. Great country where you are. If I wasn't here I'd be there. I would like to do the Ride Oregon someday or the coastal from Astoria to SF. What a hoot!
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Originally Posted by Deanster04
More than once I had to dive off the road to avoid one of the maniac logging trucks barrelling down the mt. I laugh when I hear people complain about cars on the highway and harken back to the Oregon woods.
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Originally Posted by Deanster04
. . . Funny though my bike rarely breaks down (can't remember the last time). Must be an application of Murphy's Law...If I have the tool I won't need it, but if I don't have it, that's when I will need it." Perverse ain't it!
Within a few blocks of leaving the office one evening, I noticed that a front spoke was broken. I returned to the office, took out one of the extra spokes I had just bought, as well as the spoke wrench that had arrived from Performance THAT VERY DAY, and replaced the broken spoke.
I was on the road again 11 minutes after the time I left the office for the first time.
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That is usually the case. Lucky it wasn't an outside spoke on the drive side of your rear wheel. Would have been more than 11 minutes. Seriously, it is great when people can work on their own bikes. Its fun!
I was up in the mountains on one of my older bikes and stopped at a store for a coffee before the return ride. There was this dude all decked out in the latest team gear and a new Madone full campy record looking really forlorn. When I asked him why he looked so unhappy he said he had a flat and didn't know how to fix it. He was a converted runner (yea!!!) and had just plunked the money down the day before. I fixed the tire for him giving him my spare tube and using a dollar bill as a patch to fix the cut in the tire. I suggested that he get a good book by Lenard Zinn on mechanics or buy a triple A card for future rides. I also suggested that he get rid of the paper thin tires and buy a couple of armadillos (bullet proof and rideable when flat) until he learned. He was eternally grateful and I hope he followed my obvious sage advice.
I was up in the mountains on one of my older bikes and stopped at a store for a coffee before the return ride. There was this dude all decked out in the latest team gear and a new Madone full campy record looking really forlorn. When I asked him why he looked so unhappy he said he had a flat and didn't know how to fix it. He was a converted runner (yea!!!) and had just plunked the money down the day before. I fixed the tire for him giving him my spare tube and using a dollar bill as a patch to fix the cut in the tire. I suggested that he get a good book by Lenard Zinn on mechanics or buy a triple A card for future rides. I also suggested that he get rid of the paper thin tires and buy a couple of armadillos (bullet proof and rideable when flat) until he learned. He was eternally grateful and I hope he followed my obvious sage advice.
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Originally Posted by Deanster04
That is usually the case. Lucky it wasn't an outside spoke on the drive side of your rear wheel. Would have been more than 11 minutes.
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