Is This Broken Wheel Common?
03-08-17, 08:16 PM
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Is This Broken Wheel Common?
My Ultegra road bike wheel broke at the nipple. I ride almost exclusively on paved roads and trails, but do hit tree root bumps at pretty good speeds from time to time. I cannot find anyone talking about having this problem and am wondering if anyone else has experienced it. I hesitate to replace the wheel with another Shimano if this is a common problem.
03-08-17, 08:32 PM
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mine did the exact same thing under similar circumstances, but not sure of the brand. It was on a Fuji Absolute 3.0 (2010)
03-09-17, 12:32 AM
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Looks like the spoke had too much tension. I did have a Mavic OP do nearly the sameabout 15 years ago. I heard later they had a QC hardness problem. Could be either. Bontrager also had a problem around 07 (?) With rims cracking around the nipples. So sometimes these things can happen with different lots and batches. Sometimes it is hit and miss.
03-09-17, 07:53 AM
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I have had plenty of rims crack at the spoke hole. I'm not a heavy person nor particularly hard rider. It has been different manufactures. Now I try to look for rims that have a gusset on the spoke hole.
03-09-17, 08:41 AM
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Hmmm, tree roots at speed? So you are on a mt bike with full suspension? Rider weight, bike type, tire size and psi used? Some facts might be helpful. Wait you said road bike. 24 or 28 spokes with a 28? mm tire at high psi? Seems like the wrong tool for tree roots at speed.
03-09-17, 09:02 AM
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Yes, that kind of failure is becoming more common, especially with low spoke count wheels. Fewer spokes mean greater loads are concentrated on the rims at each spoke.
There's also been a change in overall wheel design philosophy. BITD wheels had a certain amount of ductility (for lack of a better word). When subjected to shock loads, or the cumulative effects of smaller abuses, they'd go out of true, and wheel truing was a routine part of maintenance.
However, over time, the need for truing became associated with poor quality instead of forgiving design, and combined with other factors led to wheels which stay truer, but fail this way.
There's also been a change in overall wheel design philosophy. BITD wheels had a certain amount of ductility (for lack of a better word). When subjected to shock loads, or the cumulative effects of smaller abuses, they'd go out of true, and wheel truing was a routine part of maintenance.
However, over time, the need for truing became associated with poor quality instead of forgiving design, and combined with other factors led to wheels which stay truer, but fail this way.
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03-09-17, 09:21 AM
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I say.... the last 3 sets of wheels I purchased, they were all over-tensioned if I am measuring correctly. Re-did all of them.... no problems yet. I just think some machine is making them and the trend like FBin NY says... is tighter spokes and lower counts.
But geees... Open pro/Ultegra combo 32x3 with double butted spokes at 150-160kgf on drive side.... just too high IMO.
But geees... Open pro/Ultegra combo 32x3 with double butted spokes at 150-160kgf on drive side.... just too high IMO.
03-09-17, 10:22 AM
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Thank You
Thank you all for your comments. They are all enlightening. As for body weight, I've dropped about 45 pounds riding and dieting. The irony is that the wheel broke after I lost the weight. I'll check the factory spoke tension before installing the new wheel.
03-09-17, 10:44 AM
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Yes, that kind of failure is becoming more common, especially with low spoke count wheels. Fewer spokes mean greater loads are concentrated on the rims at each spoke.
There's also been a change in overall wheel design philosophy. BITD wheels had a certain amount of ductility (for lack of a better word). When subjected to shock loads, or the cumulative effects of smaller abuses, they'd go out of true, and wheel truing was a routine part of maintenance.
However, over time, the need for truing became associated with poor quality instead of forgiving design, and combined with other factors led to wheels which stay truer, but fail this way.
There's also been a change in overall wheel design philosophy. BITD wheels had a certain amount of ductility (for lack of a better word). When subjected to shock loads, or the cumulative effects of smaller abuses, they'd go out of true, and wheel truing was a routine part of maintenance.
However, over time, the need for truing became associated with poor quality instead of forgiving design, and combined with other factors led to wheels which stay truer, but fail this way.
03-09-17, 10:48 AM
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They rarely need truing, but they bend before breaking. But that's not what the market is asking for.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
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WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
03-09-17, 10:55 AM
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I say.... the last 3 sets of wheels I purchased, they were all over-tensioned if I am measuring correctly. Re-did all of them.... no problems yet. I just think some machine is making them and the trend like FBin NY says... is tighter spokes and lower counts.
But geees... Open pro/Ultegra combo 32x3 with double butted spokes at 150-160kgf on drive side.... just too high IMO.
But geees... Open pro/Ultegra combo 32x3 with double butted spokes at 150-160kgf on drive side.... just too high IMO.
I used to order them custom built from a well known company.
Then with only a few months use, I had one cracking around the spokes.
Bastards would not warranty it, *and* they made me buy new spokes from them again just to replace the rim.
So I bought a truing stand, tension meter, (I already had the Jobst Brandt book).
When they arrived, I put the tension meter on the rebuilt wheel and found the fools had it cranked insanely high.
From that day on, I built my own wheels.
03-09-17, 11:21 AM
#12
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Agree; Side effect of trendy low spoke count wheels with dis proportionally high spoke tensions + Metal fatigue..
It never happens with my DIY 36 spoke 700c wheels, my lower spoke count wheels are also smaller.. 349-35 is 28 spoke.. 16"
Touring I went for more , but now see the wisdom of using wheels that are Not unique, since I see broken wheel rims on bikes passing thru town
during the very busy Summer season , and unless an off the peg wheel works, Hand built replacements will take a week.
It never happens with my DIY 36 spoke 700c wheels, my lower spoke count wheels are also smaller.. 349-35 is 28 spoke.. 16"
Touring I went for more , but now see the wisdom of using wheels that are Not unique, since I see broken wheel rims on bikes passing thru town
during the very busy Summer season , and unless an off the peg wheel works, Hand built replacements will take a week.
Last edited by fietsbob; 03-09-17 at 11:58 AM.
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