"Fortune, good night .... turn thy wheel!"
 

"Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis....."

- Carmina Burana codex

Paisan and I heard the snap simultaneously.

"Sounds like you broke a spoke, Neil."

"It doesn't feel like I broke a spoke. I don't feel resistance when I pedal."

And so we continued down the Pine Creek Rail Trail towards Jersey Shore, fist-pumping as we went. But soon enough the wheel began to drag. We pulled into a trailhead. I removed my panniers and Paisan spotted the problem immediately.

"You didn't just break a spoke. You broke the hub flange. See here, it's broken at two spokes on the drive side."

"So I guess the ride is over. We drove four hours so I could ride a bit more than nine miles."

"It is what it is. I'll get the truck."

"We didn't even make Jersey Shore. What a situation....."

Later Paisan inspected the wheel and felt that the rim and the intact spokes could be used in the rebuild. He gave me specific advice on how to proceed, but since it's not the topic I want to discuss I'll keep it to myself.

My questions for the group:

The wheel is a 36 spoke 700 cc build my shop did for me Spring of 2009. It has 2500 miles on it. I've used the bike both on and offroad, on paved surfaces and bumpy canal towpaths. I've broken one spoke in 2009 and one in 2010. Is the hub failing a case of abuse on my part? Or am I victim of Fortune's wheel?

Google translate sucks...

Google search awesome. What an appropriate poem. I know how yall feel.

"Fate – monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
stand malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing...."

Twp years and 2500 miles doesn't seem like enough for a flange to fail on a wheel, but sometimes it just happens. Many of your miles have been loaded touring, or at least with a trailer.

I'm not sure if tow path surfaces would contribute or not. I don't have any experience in that arena.

Seems a little early for failure like that if you ask me. Did you ever take the wheel back after a few hundred miles for retentioning?

I see what you did there...


I was driving through PA down Route 15 last week and saw a sign for Jersey Shore. I laughed.

Certainly doesn't seem like 2500 miles is enough to expect from a hand built wheel that was built to your specs by a shop that knows your size, etc. I'd contact the shop and if they pass I'd contact the hub manufacturer and express your concern about a potential manufacturing defect.

Yes, it has been retrued as part of the bike's yearly maintenance.

It's really a hard one to call.

That isn't many miles, although they were hard miles, loaded with weight!

I would say it's Fortune's Wheel!

I might as well let them know. Even if the hub is replaced, I need to have the wheel rebuilt.

Jersey Shore might be a sleep PA town with a funny name, but it's near the location of the declaration of independence from Great Britain. Not the important one, but the one by the landgrabbers known as the Fair Play Men:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Play_Men

Just contacted my shop via email about the wheel. Let's see what they say.

What kind of hub?

Maybe it's time to upgrade to something more suited to the type of riding you do. Seems like you do some loaded touring, so a hub that's build to withstand that is probably what you want.

"Oh, Fortuna, blind, heedless goddess, I am strapped to your wheel!"

+1 !!!!!!

Shimano Deore 36 spoke.

Funny but I did a few centuries with another rider about my size. I used the 32 and he used the 36 spoke wheels. He preached over and over the importance of the 36 hole hub.

I wondered if they were really not as strong since there is less material between each spoke hole since there were more holes. Tandems have more holes but have enlarged flanges to accommodate for the amount of holes and less material between each.

As an inspector, I always wondered why they did not use a slightly large flange as well on the 36. Most parts specify minimum material allowances for durability and integrity requirements.

His 36 hole hub lost a chunk of material between the spoke holes as well. Maybe I was correct in my choice to avoid the flanges with less material between the holes. :D