Broken spoke on Mavic Aksium - Can't true wheel because nipples are glued on.
 

One of the rear drive side spokes broke on my Mavic Aksium with 1000km on it. I think it's kind of ridiculous that it broke with so few km but that's not the main problem.

I replaced the spoke, but when time came to true the wheel I noticed that all the other spokes have some kind of rubbery blue goo on the threads/nipple. I almost rounded off a nipple trying to get one free. I got the wheel true enough to clear the brake pads by just tensioning the new spoke, but I don't know what to do with the rest. Should I try to free the other spokes from the blue stuff so I can adjust them? Why is the blue stuff there in the first place? I thought it wasn't necessary to glue the nipples onto the spokes on a properly built wheel. Should I be gluing my new spoke too?

Could the blue stuff be Loctite Blue? I can't begin to imagine spokes being glued to nipples.

If Loctite Blue, then you only need the spoke wrench to loosen the nipple.

Those should not be "glued" in. Did you buy the rims new or used? If used and the previous owner was having problems with the spokes loosening and decide to use so Loctite on the spokes then that could be the reason. But as Jed19 said just use a spoke wrench and the Loctitie will break free.

The wheels came on a new bike and were brand new. When I picked at the blue stuff it was rubbery and stretchy. From my experience locktite dries solid and brittle so I don't think that was it.

It's there for two reasons. It helps keep the very stiff spokes from unscrewing themselves, and it also prevents corrosion.

So how old is the bike? if under warranty; suspect it will be, as 1000Km should only be a few weeks riding, you should be taking this issue up with the bike shop who sold it to you, rather than attempting to fix yourself, and possibly voiding the warranty

The bike is 6 weeks old! The shop (Mountain Equipment Co-op in Vancouver) wouldn't fix it. They said that I'm too big for those wheels. I'm 6'4", 220lb. The bike was marketed to fit people my height and I don't think 220lb for a guy my height is unusual. I personally think that the whole situation is BS. I've been careful with the bike. I avoid potholes, don't take it off road and don't jump curbs. What can I do besides not giving them any more of my money to fix it for me and ranting about it on bikeforums?

Regardless of height, 220#s is heavy for a rider of competition type equipment. Some wheels have suggested rider weight limits, so you might go to Mavic's site and see what they have to say about weight.

If 220#s is above the limit Mavic spec'd, it brings up another question. Why would a bike company spec them on a large frame bike without considering or informing buyers of the limit? And why would a conscientious dealer sell it to a customer knowing he's big, and might be heavy?

Understand that I'm not saying the wheels are defective, after all things happen to wheels. What I am saying is that maybe somewhere along the line someone might have dropped the ball and sold you equipment that wasn't well suited to your needs.

It's like walking into a car delaership, and telling them you have a large property and often have to move large quantities of soil, mulch or pavers, and they say "OK" and sell you a sports car instead of a light truck.

MEC is usually preeetty good about fixing stuff. I would try MEC again or talk with the manager to work out a deal.

6 weeks old, if you paid by Credit Card, can you claim from them? if not, and the Bike shop is refusing to work with you, time to go direct to the bike manufacture

Most of us are too big for this sport. Andy Schleck is 6'1" and 150# (soaking wet). Cyclists built like that at 6'4" might weigh 160#. You (and me) are a little over that.

Nobody is too big for the sport, but folks weighing over 180#s need to be more careful about choosing equipment appropriate to their size and weight. Just as a 6'4" rider couldn't ride a 52cm frame, he shouldn't ride equipment made for someone weighing 2/3rds of his weight.

Everyone wants a lighter, faster bike, but if manufacturers have to design all equipment to be suitable for street use by 240# riders, than lighter riders would be riding bikes much heavier than necessary. The problem isn't the hardware, but with the folks who sell bikes and other equipment that's unsuitable to their customers' needs.

I can not find any mention of weight limits on the Mavic web site.

They do mention this however. http://www.mavic.com/en/product/whee.../wheels/Aksium
Self Lock
The special shape of the spoke end, on the thread, makes it impossible to loosen.The spokes stays tightly screwed into the nipple, no tension loss is occuring. As a benefit, the wheel ...

Unfortunately they are the manufacturer. It's a chain of co-op stores in Canada that sells all sorts of outdoor gear. They're usually great as far as quality and customer service. They design their own frames. I knew I was taking a bit of a chance buying a bike from them but I was counting on their reputation and my past experience if something went wrong.

I've always ridden mountain bikes and converted mountain bikes as commuters so being too heavy wasn't an issue. This is my first road bike. Maybe I should have done more research before I bought it, but it would have been nice if someone at the store warned me before I bought it.

Thanks for the info on the "self lock" feature, bhchdh. Sound like a great idea until you try to true the wheel.

So what the bike shop is saying is that the sales rep sold you a bike that they should have known not to just to make a profit and screw you if the bike can't handle your weight? That's exactly what their telling you! They failed to do their job. Either that or their lying to you now and they can handle the warranty problem but don't want to. I would go back to the LBS and asked them why they sold you a bike they knew wouldn't work for you. And if they say you wanted that bike, then you reply that it was their job to consult with you in a professional matter that the bike is not suitable for you and why, and then offer to show you another bike or two that would handle you. They failed to do their job correctly.

I bought a used bike from a guy who bought the bike in 86 and the sales guy told him that the bike fit perfectly. He rode it 5 miles and it was so uncomfortable he put in the attic and never rode it again. I bought this bike about 3 months ago and discovered just looking at him and the bike that the bike was about 1 inch too tall, in other words if he let his crotch rest on the top tube his feet could not reach the ground and that was why he was so uncomfortable. The bike shop only had a couple of sizes left in that model and was trying to get rid of the end of the season models and sold this man a bike that they knew would not fit him and told him that was the way people rode road bikes!

The guy above was dealing with con-artists and so are you.

con artists? A 220lb rider put 1000km on the brand-new wheelset and ONE spoke broke and from what I gather he then went to town "fixing" it himself. Yes MEC could help him, but something tells me there is missing information here.

1000km is not that much, in America that's only about 621 miles, I do that in 1 1/2 months of riding and I don't ride as much as others who could easily see that in a month. There may be something missing he hasn't told us, but if indeed it did just snap then he should run not walk back to the LBS for an adjustment under warranty without the games being played...if games are being played.

I only "went to town" fixing it after they refused to do anything about it. I tried talking to several people over the course of a couple of days and they flat out said that they wouldn't touch it. My choices were to pay them to do it or go to town. I used to work as a bike mechanic and I don't feel like paying someone else to do it, so I fixed it. I agree with you that MEC is usually great at this kind of thing but not this time. That's why I'm complaining about it on bike forums.

are you sure you're using the right size spoke wrench? the blue stuff is spoke prep and wouldnt glue a nipple to the spoke.

Update: After emailing MEC customer service explaining the issue. They called me back and said they would fix it under warranty.