Broke a spoke when I got to work. Do I need to get a ride home?
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Broke a spoke when I got to work. Do I need to get a ride home?
Or can I fix it by wrapping the spoke and truing the wheel? Is that bad for the rim?
Also, why have the only two spokes I've broken popped when I was off the bike? Does that mean anything?
Also, why have the only two spokes I've broken popped when I was off the bike? Does that mean anything?
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Originally Posted by MrCjolsen
Or can I fix it by wrapping the spoke and truing the wheel? Is that bad for the rim?
Also, why have the only two spokes I've broken popped when I was off the bike? Does that mean anything?
Also, why have the only two spokes I've broken popped when I was off the bike? Does that mean anything?
Charles
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If you have a 32 or 36 spoke wheel you should be able to ride home. To get the wheel true enough to ride, tighten a couple of spokes on the same side of the wheel as the broken spoke, and loosen a couple of spokes on the other side. Dont hop any curbs on the way home. When you replace the spoke try and get the tension even on all the spokes.
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How do I know if a spoke is ready to fail?
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Yeah you should be fine riding it home unless you've got like a 50-mile commute over potholes or something.
As for knowing if a spoke is ready to fail: it's going to be hard to tell in all but the very worst cases. I wouldn't even bother with more than a cursory inspection (obvious 'cuts' or other signs of stress, particularly at the bends/heads at the hub).
Instead, ask yourself whether the wheel is old? If so, might be time to rebuild it, or just outright replace it, depending. If it's not old, take it to the LBS and explain the situation and have them retension it and replace spokes as needed.
If this is a rear wheel: has the chain ever gone between the cassette and the spokes? If so you might have damaged the drive side spokes and they should all be replaced, as well as have your derailer inspected and adjusted. This kind of event would be fairly obvious and you'd probably remember doing it.
As for knowing if a spoke is ready to fail: it's going to be hard to tell in all but the very worst cases. I wouldn't even bother with more than a cursory inspection (obvious 'cuts' or other signs of stress, particularly at the bends/heads at the hub).
Instead, ask yourself whether the wheel is old? If so, might be time to rebuild it, or just outright replace it, depending. If it's not old, take it to the LBS and explain the situation and have them retension it and replace spokes as needed.
If this is a rear wheel: has the chain ever gone between the cassette and the spokes? If so you might have damaged the drive side spokes and they should all be replaced, as well as have your derailer inspected and adjusted. This kind of event would be fairly obvious and you'd probably remember doing it.
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The wheel has about 3000 miles on it. It's a stock alex AT450 that comes with a Trek 1000. I broke a spoke at about 2200 miles and now this one.
I commute and my rider + bike weight can reach 260 lbs depending on the day and what I need to carry. I cross one bad RR track each day. So the wheel definitely earns its pay.
I've thought about building a new wheel (within my range of skills).
I commute and my rider + bike weight can reach 260 lbs depending on the day and what I need to carry. I cross one bad RR track each day. So the wheel definitely earns its pay.
I've thought about building a new wheel (within my range of skills).
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Originally Posted by MrCjolsen
I've thought about building a new wheel (within my range of skills).
Patience.
Don't get in a hurry to make the wheel perfect. If you feel like you need to really tweak that one spoke to get done faster, you should probably take a break and come back to it later. The first time I built a wheel, I got rushed and ended up having to start over again.
Good luck.
#8
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Originally Posted by MrCjolsen
How do I know if a spoke is ready to fail?
If two of your spokes have done this now, then there may very well be many others on this wheel that are getting ready to do the same thing. Ideally, it would be best to buy new spokes and rebuild the wheel, making sure to have proper tension. If this wheel is still under warranty, then I'd approach the shop about replacement, or at the very least, spoke replacement and *proper* tensioning. It sounds like maybe the wheel was undertensioned from the get go. And that's the fault of the shop who sold it to you, if that's the case.
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The spokes broke at the nipples.
So now here is a new question. Dollar for dollar how can I get the best wheel:
I can buy a replacement at a bike shop for around $60. It would be basically the same as what came with the bike. Then I would have a spare to use on the trainer. But I don't ride my trainer that much. I mainly use it for bike storage and adjustment.
Or I can get new (and hopefully better) spokes and rebuild my wheel. With the same rim. I might have to pay an lbs to do the final truing and tensioning.
Or I can get a $30 Mavic MA3 and build a new wheel. Would that be better than using the Alex AT450?
So now here is a new question. Dollar for dollar how can I get the best wheel:
I can buy a replacement at a bike shop for around $60. It would be basically the same as what came with the bike. Then I would have a spare to use on the trainer. But I don't ride my trainer that much. I mainly use it for bike storage and adjustment.
Or I can get new (and hopefully better) spokes and rebuild my wheel. With the same rim. I might have to pay an lbs to do the final truing and tensioning.
Or I can get a $30 Mavic MA3 and build a new wheel. Would that be better than using the Alex AT450?
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Originally Posted by MrCjolsen
The spokes broke at the nipples.
So now here is a new question. Dollar for dollar how can I get the best wheel:
I can buy a replacement at a bike shop for around $60. It would be basically the same as what came with the bike. Then I would have a spare to use on the trainer. But I don't ride my trainer that much. I mainly use it for bike storage and adjustment.
Or I can get new (and hopefully better) spokes and rebuild my wheel. With the same rim. I might have to pay an lbs to do the final truing and tensioning.
Or I can get a $30 Mavic MA3 and build a new wheel. Would that be better than using the Alex AT450?
So now here is a new question. Dollar for dollar how can I get the best wheel:
I can buy a replacement at a bike shop for around $60. It would be basically the same as what came with the bike. Then I would have a spare to use on the trainer. But I don't ride my trainer that much. I mainly use it for bike storage and adjustment.
Or I can get new (and hopefully better) spokes and rebuild my wheel. With the same rim. I might have to pay an lbs to do the final truing and tensioning.
Or I can get a $30 Mavic MA3 and build a new wheel. Would that be better than using the Alex AT450?
My solution was to pick up some new pre-built (probably "machine" built) wheels at Performance and have the shop guys inspect and true them before I even rang them up (I just picked them off the rack and said, "hey, would you mind checking this for true before I buy it?" and they willingly obliged).
I have a truing stand in my shop that I use for minor incidents, but for more major stuff it's off to the LBS.