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Tips for riding with broken spokes

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Tips for riding with broken spokes

Old 10-20-22, 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
If he got two wheels for $275 and had them trued (assuming there were not straight and round when the shop got them .... ) then those are some .... inexpensive wheels.
Yep. Two new wheels, some truing of old wheels, swapping over parts and a couple tubes and tires -- all for $275? Given that Larry complained that "Stuff is getting so expensive," I think there must be something else going on.
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Old 10-20-22, 09:21 PM
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Sorry, both wheels were trashed, by "true things up" I meant he did some wrenching and tuning of the bikes when installing the new wheels. I got a good deal especially since I got 4 free tires (2 were installed for free on the wheels and 2 were given to me out the door because I asked for an old tire back which they threw away.) I think I was charged 75$ for one wheel, 50$ for another wheel and 100$ for labor. 50 was tax and 3 tubes. Its a high end road bike store and they gave me some of the cheaper stuff they happened to have on hand. They also realigned my mechanical disk brakes on the bike that I rode in to pick up the other 2 for free, the front was barely functional and the back was literally just zip tied to the frame after I gave up. Ooh and they swapped out my seatposts to make my 47 cm frame bike somewhat safe to ride.

I have a good relationship with the shop so they take care of me, my father is buying a carbon road bike from them so I give back in my own way
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Old 10-21-22, 03:37 AM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
I have a good relationship with the shop so they take care of me, my father is buying a carbon road bike from them so I give back in my own way
Totally changed my perception of The Sellerz.
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Old 10-22-22, 07:11 AM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
Total bill for 2 new wheels (2 bikes had broken spokes) + labor to swap over the cassette and true things up and 3 tubes? 275$ Stuff is getting so expensive, at least they gave me a couple extra tires and tubes for free.
Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
I got a good deal especially since I got 4 free tires (2 were installed for free on the wheels and 2 were given to me out the door because I asked for an old tire back which they threw away.) I think I was charged 75$ for one wheel, 50$ for another wheel and 100$ for labor. 50 was tax and 3 tubes.
Did you get a good deal, or is stuff getting so expensive? I'm getting sooo confused.
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Old 10-22-22, 11:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Did you get a good deal, or is stuff getting so expensive? I'm getting sooo confused.
both
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Old 10-22-22, 12:54 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
I get that these posts are entertaining for some but come on Larry...are you really that clueless?
I can't imagine. The only place I would ride with a broken spoke is home and very carefully.

Hi CX!
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Old 10-22-22, 07:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Lombard
I can't imagine. The only place I would ride with a broken spoke is home and very carefully.

Hi CX!
what are you afraid of, your wheel tacoing? A wheel wont just suddenly fail
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Old 10-22-22, 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
what are you afraid of, your wheel tacoing? A wheel wont just suddenly fail
If the tension is low enough, wheels can definitely suddenly fail. Especially if one or more spokes are already broken, but even without broken spokes. Saw it happen. Riding behind a guy who was on a cheapish Raleigh---when he went into a tight turn, his rear wheel was fine one moment and then instantly turned into a potato chip. His weight probably contributed, though---he must have weighed nearly 200 pounds.
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Old 10-22-22, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
what are you afraid of, your wheel tacoing? A wheel wont just suddenly fail
Didn't you mention you can break more spokes. So a moderate wobble becomes a severe wobble.

You can sometimes get away with removing your brake pads to get home. But break 2 or 3 spokes, and you're rubbing paint, perhaps even grinding into the frame.

You can potentially rip a spoke through the rim. So now you've gone from a $2 repair to a $100+ repair.
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Old 10-23-22, 05:34 AM
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Sorry .... I tried .... but even after a cup-and-a-half of coffee I just cannot take LarrySellerz seriously anymore.

Maybe if i still drank bourbon or something .... but not worth it.
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Old 10-23-22, 07:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Sorry .... I tried .... but even after a cup-and-a-half of coffee I just cannot take LarrySellerz seriously anymore.
You are just now realizing this?
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Old 10-23-22, 09:11 AM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
what are you afraid of, your wheel tacoing? A wheel wont just suddenly fail
In 1987 I had a front wheel collapse when the rider behind me touched my rear wheel. This pitched me slightly sideways and the wheel just bent in half sending me into the pavement.
A few years ago I was riding Ksyrium wheels and a spoke ripped out of the rim. These were the wheels where the nipples thread into the rim. I limped it along until 2 more ripped out and then I couldn't even push it. I walked a couple miles carrying the bike until someone called a cab for me.

Twice I have seen the brake track blow off of a rim on the road. Once I saw a hub split open and a spoke pulled out of the hub. On my bikes I have had sections of the rim pull away from the brake tracks.

I never raced track but I have seen wheels collapse under men and women on the velodrome.

These are just the first ones that I remember when I read your post.
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Old 10-23-22, 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Did you get a good deal, or is stuff getting so expensive? I'm getting sooo confused.
Is the vodka bottle half-full or half-empty?

Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
both
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Old 10-23-22, 06:41 PM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
I have a good relationship with the shop so they take care of me, my father is buying a carbon road bike from them so I give back in my own way
See if you can get a free shop Jersey out of them next time. They love the free advertising.
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Old 10-23-22, 07:12 PM
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It's pretty simple. Ya just switch to your back up wheel set till ya fix the broken spoke.

There is no leaving it at the shop or even taking it to the shop. Ya fix it yourself. Granted the first time I replaced a broken rear spoke it took me about 2 1/2 hours. Half of that time was getting the wheel true after replacing it.

Now days its a one hour job if that. Plus the satisfaction of knowing it was done right because ya did it yourself.

Bike shops? We don't need no stinking Bike Shops... But then again I sure wish there was one close by. It would also be nice if they served Coffee and Beer... Ha
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Old 10-24-22, 05:36 AM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
what are you afraid of, your wheel tacoing? A wheel wont just suddenly fail
Spokes break for a reason. On a high spoke count wheel, you could probably get away with adjusting adjacent spokes to make the wheel true and keep riding. But on a lower spoke count wheel, you are putting much greater stress on the existing spokes leading to greater chances of breaking more spokes. Key words here are "probably get away with".
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Old 10-24-22, 06:52 AM
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Larry, I have not broken a spoke in ages but this is what I do. Assume we're talking the rear wheel. Widen the brakes up as much as possible. I've ridden many hundreds of miles that way when no recourse was possible. Ride slow and don't pedal hard. Evaluating individual risk is difficult because nobody knows what components are involved. YMMV

What I do generally is to have the spokes bought in advance. I carry them either on the left chain stay or if it is a pretty bike, they go inside right handlebar.

Replacing a spoke takes minutes. I cannot believe how *****ty bike shops are nowadays.
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Old 10-24-22, 08:08 PM
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It takes me more than two minutes to get the cassette off ..... and I don't carry the tools.
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Old 10-24-22, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
What I do generally is to have the spokes bought in advance. I carry them either on the left chain stay or if it is a pretty bike, they go inside right handlebar.
I'd like to see this handlebar.
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Old 10-25-22, 12:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
I'd like to see this handlebar.
I'd like to see the bike. What makes a pretty bike? Flowers in a basket?
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Old 10-25-22, 05:28 AM
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Larry, I have not broken a spoke in ages but this is what I do. Assume we're talking the rear wheel. Widen the brakes up as much as possible. I've ridden many hundreds of miles that way when no recourse was possible. Ride slow and don't pedal hard. Evaluating individual risk is difficult because nobody knows what components are involved. YMMV

What I do generally is to have the spokes bought in advance. I carry them either on the left chain stay or if it is a pretty bike, they go inside right handlebar.

Replacing a spoke takes minutes. I cannot believe how *****ty bike shops are nowadays.
I'd forgotten about the practice of storing spokes inside handlebars. Some of the guys I rode with in the local bike club in 1964 and thereafter kept spare spokes in their handlebars. Didn't understand why they bothered until I broke a few spokes. Spokes were generally of lower quality back then and wheels were rarely tensioned to the levels common today. Hence, do enough miles training, touring, or racing, and you were likely to begin breaking spokes.
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