nag champion

I've done a cursory forum search and it seems that spokes breaking on the rear wheel is correlated to the rider's weight. I'm 6'2" and hover around 275 lbs. I'm a power lifter and I expect to maintain this weight or get heavier. I've popped 2 spokes in as many weeks, so I thought I'd get some opinions from the community.

As stated in the post title, my bike is a Jamis Citizen. I generally ride to work and back (6 miles, 7 days a week), and put in another 80 recreational miles weekly on a paved trail. From what I've read here, it doesn't sound like I'm doing anything the bike wasn't built to handle. Do I need to look into a new rear wheel? A different bike?

mdohertyjr

I have a trek 7.2 fx. Spoke issues, twice the LBS tightened and trued the wheel. The third time they warrantied the wheel. If you bought it from the LBS I suggest you ask them to warranty the wheel.

marvelous

It's possible that as a power lifter you might be exerting to much force for the spokes to handle not by virtue of you're weight but by that you push so hard on the pedals creating excessive driving force. This is actually not un common. You should only need to switch to wheels with more spokes a 36 count wheel set should do it.

Laserman

If you haven't already you should check out some of the wheel posts on the Clydesdales/Athenas forum. We larger folks quickly find out that wheels are the weak point of most any bicycle.
While going to 36 spoke wheels will get you about a 12% increase in wheel strength, all other factors being equal, nothing is as important as proper tensioning of the spokes.
Spokes will most often break at the bend because of insufficient tension allowing them to flex repeatedly. Any metal which is bent back and forth will eventually break.
Custom built wheels will help, learning to true and tension your own wheels is a good idea too.

2dog

Im also 6'2 " and was 280 pounds . I started breaking spokes on my rear wheel on a regular basis. Finally I got a wheel with 36 spokes and that seemed to solve the problem for me.

coffeecake

Replaced rear wheel on my hybrid pretty quick after popping some spokes. For me, it wasn't the weight (I think, I am sub 200, but I have a rear rack) but my cavalier attitude towards curbs, drop-offs and other road obstacles, a result of only riding MTBs beforehand. It would be a good idea to have a solid 36 hole wheel built (and to avoid any curbs or potholes you may encounter.)

pierce

i have two sets of hybrid style 36 spoke wheels. set 1 is a late 90s taiwan wheelset with a steel taiwan brand hub, its broken several spokes under my 230 lb frame, while riding on city streets and bike paths, on 42c tires inflated to a mild 50 psi.

I got an inexpensive 36 spoke wheelset with very-cheap shimano hubs, that have machined alloy flanges, and haven't broken a spoke yet, even though I stepped up to 38C tires at 60psi.

If you can afford it, get some proper wheels, like something with double wall rims that have grommets on the spoke holes, 36 (or even 40 spokes) in the back, and some better grade Shimano hubs. they should use wheelsmith or DT spokes. have a shop expert tune them up nice and stiff, even if they are factory built. Velocity's Dyad rims look like they would make a great hybrid wheel (meant for 29er mtn biking, extra strong). don't be surprised if good wheels cost $150 or even $300 a set new.

cyclistbrian

The quality of wheels on a lot of bikes, especially under $1000.00 is simply horrid. I find more problems with 700C wheels perhaps because there is less cushioning from the tires along with 700C being generally a bit less robust than 26". I think it's a combined issue of inexpensive spokes laced and improperly tensioned by machine. Generally after 800 to a 1000 miles I start breaking them. It's getting harder to readilly find good hand made wheels. Many shops won't or can't build wheels any longer. But if your local shop will, or you can afford to order from someone like Peter White Cycles, a set of hand built wheels is well worth the investment. Upgrades to better manufactured wheels such as from Mavic or Shimano can also be good choices depending on your intended use. If like me you are a bit overweight, ride on crummy roads, and do some touring or commuting, high spoke count hand made wheels can't be beat. If you are a speedier mostly road rider, Mavic and such like could be the way to go.

pierce

Velocity makes some very nice wheels. you can get Synergy or Dyad rims on a 32, 36 or even 40 spoke, they are built to order, so any combination you want. The only gotcha is $$$. I think they run $150 to $200 per wheel. more for fancy/exotic.