dannwilliams

Just got a new front wheel to match the rear wheel I had built last year. My Sutra was starting to eat spokes like crazy, 5 on the rear wheel in 800 mile span before I replaced it. When it ate one on the front last fall, I had a new one built to match the rear. Old wheels were 32 spoke silver and new are 36 spoke black. Completely changes the look of the bike. What do you think?



I know some have given this bike a bad rap, but I have enjoyed it the 4 years I have had it. A very comfortable ride and the stopping power of disc brakes when fully loaded is fantastic.

Bacciagalupe

Spokes can go bad on any bike. What probably happened was one spoke broke, you didn't notice it for awhile, the other spokes got strained, which led to further busted spokes. A 36 spoke wheel, assuming the quality is the same, is less likely to break though.

For future reference, you can just get the wheel rebuilt, unless it turned out there was something seriously wrong with the rim or hub (or want a higher spoke count).

BigBlueToe

I'm torn. The black spokes go with the black racks, seat stays, stem, saddle, seatpost, and fork, but silver spokes would have gone with the frame.

What do I know? If my daughter knew I was commenting on color choices, she'd laugh her head off.

Do you have a tensionmeter for the spokes? I had one bike with broken spoke problems that ruined a tour. I had a good builder build my next rear wheel and no problems. On the LHT I built last year I built my own wheels. I used double butted spokes (36 per wheel), Mavic 719 rims, XT hubs, and used a Park tensionmeter to set the tension. I think that last was a crucial step. I survived a tour on the Northern Tier with no broken spokes. I'm going to push my luck and take the same wheels on the Lewis and Clark trail this summer.

I have a feeling I'm going to have to try out disc brakes someday.