Broken Spokes

Toby Barrett said:

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year (and
before that a number of other times). Any ideas why this
keeps happening?

Wheel specification may not be strong enough for you, or
wheel was built badly and spokes were not stress-releived.

Quoted message said:

It's a cheap touring rim (Zac 2000 or something) on a
touring bike. I mainly use the bike for for commuting on-
road (one 50 mile round trip once a week.) I carry two
reasonably laden panniers.

Is there any point in getting a stronger back wheel? Any
suggestions?

Depends what you have now. 36 double butted spokes on Mavic
MA3 or similar/better rim should be fine for you.

Quoted message said:

Another possibility is the frame of the bike is slightly
out of true (but not noticeable to the naked eye)
following a shunt from a car a few years back. Is this
contributing?

I doubt it.

Quoted message said:

All spoke repairs have been done by (several different)
bike shops. Don't suggest building my own wheel. I have
neither the time not manual dexterity! But thanks for any
other ideas.

You could get a handbuilt one mail order from www.parker-
international.co.uk/wheels.htm

~PB

"Toby Barrett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year (and
before that a number of other times). Any ideas why this
keeps happening?

Almost certainly down to poor build quality (and yes there
are a lot of bike shops out there that do not know how to
build a wheel properly). If you don't want to do it
yourself the only answer is to find a good builder to do it
for you. Ask around at the local club or some of the mail
order places do a good job. For MTB wheels Merlin do a good
job and others here can probably suggest good ones for
other types.

Tony

"Toby Barrett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year (and
before that a number of other times). Any ideas why this
keeps happening?

It's a cheap touring rim (Zac 2000 or something) on a
touring bike. I mainly use the bike for for commuting on-
road (one 50 mile round trip once a week.) I carry two
reasonably laden panniers.

Is there any point in getting a stronger back wheel? Any
suggestions?

Another possibility is the frame of the bike is slightly
out of true (but not noticeable to the naked eye)
following a shunt from a car a few years back. Is this
contributing?

All spoke repairs have been done by (several different)
bike shops. Don't suggest building my own wheel. I have
neither the time not manual dexterity! But thanks for any
other ideas.

Toby

Once one goes, the stresses will build up on the others, and
one after another they will go as well. Always on the side
with the rear block of course. Bike shops can replace the
broken spokes, but not the damage done to to the others. And
it would be cheaper to get rear block removing tools and
nipple adjusting tools, and do the job yourself - although
you would need a workbench to get the rear block off and
hold the wheel while you adjusted the neighbouring spokes.

Worth paying that bit extra for a good quality hand build
wheel though. I haven't had a broken spoke for years since I
did, after going through about three wheels in as many
months. That was commuting about 100 miles a week. Cheap
mass produced wheels just can't cope with any significant
amount of riding - particularly on potholed roads.

Don't know where you live, but in Manchester the Bicycle
Doctor in Rusholme is very good. Look at the FAQs page.

bicycledoctor.co.ukbicycledoctor.co.ukOpen ↗

Brian

Tony Raven said:

"Toby Barrett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year
(and before that a number of other times). Any ideas why
this keeps happening?

Almost certainly down to poor build quality (and yes there
are a lot of bike shops out there that do not know how to
build a wheel properly). If you don't want to do it
yourself the only answer is to find a good builder to do
it for you. Ask around at the local club or some of the
mail order places do a good job. For MTB wheels Merlin do
a good job and others here can probably suggest good ones
for other types.

Tony

Condor cycles in London made my touring wheels in 1990,
they've done over 10000 loaded miles and needed nothing
more than a clean. Not cheap but worth it for trouble
free touring.

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year
(and before that a number of other times). Any ideas why
this keeps happening?

Quoted message said:

Almost certainly down to poor build quality (and yes there
are a lot of

bike

Quoted message said:

shops out there that do not know how to build a wheel
properly). If you

don't

Quoted message said:

want to do it yourself the only answer is to find a good
builder to do it

for

Quoted message said:

you. Ask around at the local club or some of the mail
order places do a

good

Quoted message said:

job.

Seconded. As is I think common around here, I have wheels
built by my favourite wheelbuilder which have done many tens
of kilofurlongs without a single spoke failure. Once a year
or so I true them up, they are usually about 1mm out. I have
always ridden handbuilt wheels and have yet to break a
spoke. Bikes, yes, I break them alright, but not spokes.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

In "]news:[email hidden],
Just zis Guy, you know? <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Seconded. As is I think common around here, I have wheels
built by my favourite wheelbuilder which have done many
tens of kilofurlongs without a single spoke failure.

Urm, that's a long way, Guy. A very long way. I humbly
submit you haven't. (10 kilofurlongs=2 million odd kms)

Ambrose Nankivell said:

In "]news:[email hidden], Just
zis Guy, you know? <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Seconded. As is I think common around here, I have wheels
built by my favourite wheelbuilder which have done many
tens of kilofurlongs without a single spoke failure.

Urm, that's a long way, Guy. A very long way. I humbly
submit you haven't. (10 kilofurlongs=2 million odd kms)

1 Furlong ~= 200m 10 kilofurlongs = 2000000m = 2000km

Not that far.

Colin
--

In "]news:[email hidden],
Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Ambrose Nankivell said:

In -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de, Just zis Guy, you know?
<[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Seconded. As is I think common around here, I have
wheels built by my favourite wheelbuilder which have
done many tens of kilofurlongs without a single spoke
failure.

Urm, that's a long way, Guy. A very long way. I humbly
submit you haven't. (10 kilofurlongs=2 million odd kms)

1 Furlong ~= 200m 10 kilofurlongs = 2000000m = 2000km

Doh! I thought there was a brainfart in there somewhere but
couldn't spot
it. I think it was a good idea of mine to focus on non-
intellectual tasks today.

A

Reply to Colin Blackburn

Quoted message said:

1 Furlong ~= 200m 10 kilofurlongs = 2000000m = 2000km

Not that far.

Or, to put it another way -

1 furlong = an eighth of a mile

10 furlongs = 1.25 miles

10 kilofurlongs = 1250 miles.

(I'll have one from the top, Carol...)

--
Mark, UK. Nobody can be lucky all the time; so when your
luck deserts you in some fashion don't think you've been
abandoned in your prime but rather that you're saving up
your ration.

Ambrose Nankivell said:

In "]news:[email hidden], Colin
Blackburn <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Ambrose Nankivell said:

In "]news:[email hidden],
Just zis Guy, you know? <[email hidden]>
typed:
> Seconded. As is I think common around here, I have
> wheels built by my favourite wheelbuilder which have
> done many tens of kilofurlongs without a single spoke
> failure.

Urm, that's a long way, Guy. A very long way. I humbly
submit you haven't. (10 kilofurlongs=2 million odd kms)

1 Furlong ~= 200m 10 kilofurlongs = 2000000m = 2000km

Doh! I thought there was a brainfart in there somewhere
but couldn't spot
it. I think it was a good idea of mine to focus on non-
intellectual tasks today.

It only struck a chord because I remember the racing
commentators getting excited when horses entered the final
furlong, 200km to go wouldn't exactly be exciting on a
horse. A bike maybe.

Colin
--

Mark McN said:

Reply to Colin Blackburn

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

10 kilofurlongs = 2000000m = 2000km

Quoted message said:

10 kilofurlongs = 1250 miles.

And thus 125 miles = 200 kilometres, one of the most useful
things to remember when cycling abroad.

Other than 1 inch = 2.5 centimetres when cycling abroad and
your pants rip.

Colin
--

"Colin Blackburn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

And thus 125 miles = 200 kilometres, one of the most
useful things to remember when cycling abroad.

Call me soft, but I'd prefer to know that 100km is a bit
over 60 miles.

Another useful one: In french villages, when all else is
shut, the cemetery will have a tap.

Pete Biggs said:

Toby Barrett said:

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year
(and before that a number of other times). Any ideas why
this keeps happening?

Wheel specification may not be strong enough for you, or
wheel was built badly and spokes were not stress-releived.

As Pete says, it sounds as if your spokes may not have been
properly stress relieved. This is a simple enough procedure
- you just grip pairs of spokes in your hand, and squeeze
them hard: the great Sheldon Brown's website gives more
precise instructions & the underlying metallurgical
reasoning.

If you don't want to buy a new wheel, you could replace the
spoke, stress relieve the wheel, and then re-true it. It may
be that the spokes are too far gone already, but this may be
a way to get a bit more life out of the wheel that you have.

AC

"anonymous coward" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Pete Biggs said:

Toby Barrett said:

I have just noticed _another_ broken spoke on my rear
wheel. I've had this repaired twice already this year
(and before that a number of other times). Any ideas
why this keeps happening?

Wheel specification may not be strong enough for you, or
wheel was built badly and spokes were not stress-
releived.

As Pete says, it sounds as if your spokes may not have
been properly

stress

Quoted message said:

relieved. This is a simple enough procedure - you just
grip pairs of

spokes

Quoted message said:

in your hand, and squeeze them hard: the great Sheldon
Brown's website gives more precise instructions & the
underlying metallurgical reasoning.

Excellent web site:

sheldonbrown.comharrisOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

If you don't want to buy a new wheel, you could replace
the spoke, stress relieve the wheel, and then re-true it.
It may be that the spokes are too far gone already, but
this may be a way to get a bit more life out of the wheel
that you have.

AC

Colin Blackburn said:

Mark McN said:

Reply to Colin Blackburn

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

10 kilofurlongs = 2000000m = 2000km

Quoted message said:

10 kilofurlongs = 1250 miles.

And thus 125 miles = 200 kilometres, one of the most useful
things to remember when cycling abroad.

Last summer it seemed that the euro:sterling rate was the
same as the kilometre:mile rate.

Which was nice.

Tim

Thanks for all the advice.

I've just ordered a handbuilt rear wheel from St
John's Street Cycles. Expensive - but I hopefully it
will be worth it.

Toby