So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event? -- mike elliott
There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there were some casualties.
Caustic environments, such as living near the sea/beach, and household cleaning solutions and pool chemicals like chlorine can wreck even stainless steel spokes. Look around the bike's storage area to see if there's anything like that. -- Phil Lee, Squid
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Dear Mike,
I had a few rear spokes apparently break overnight with the bike upside down, wheels off the ground. The wheel spun fine before I turned the garage light off, but was jammed solid the next day.
Replacing the original spokes (whatever Schwinn used) with Sapim spokes seems to have cured the problem.
Shakespearean scholars are curious whether your wife's will leaves you her second-best bike.
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Dear Mike,
I had a few rear spokes apparently break overnight with the bike upside down, wheels off the ground. The wheel spun fine before I turned the garage light off, but was jammed solid the next day.
Replacing the original spokes (whatever Schwinn used) with Sapim spokes seems to have cured the problem.
Shakespearean scholars are curious whether your wife's will leaves you her second-best bike.
LOL . . . your comment made my day!
Phil (Squid) remarked about a bad batch of spokes this past 5 months, but this bike has been in my wife's possession for at least a year. I humbly suggest that simple mechanical faults or metal failure cannot explain this phenomenon, and that we would be remiss if we did not consider the supernatural.
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Dear Mike,
I had a few rear spokes apparently break overnight with the bike upside down, wheels off the ground. The wheel spun fine before I turned the garage light off, but was jammed solid the next day.
Replacing the original spokes (whatever Schwinn used) with Sapim spokes seems to have cured the problem.
Shakespearean scholars are curious whether your wife's will leaves you her second-best bike.
LOL . . . your comment made my day!
Phil (Squid) remarked about a bad batch of spokes this past 5 months, but this bike has been in my wife's possession for at least a year. I humbly suggest that simple mechanical faults or metal failure cannot explain this phenomenon, and that we would be remiss if we did not consider the supernatural.
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
Just a data point here: I've had spokes break on a ride and not noticed them until I get home. Is it possible that this spoke got broken on a ride and not even noticed when putting the bike away?
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
Just a data point here: I've had spokes break on a ride and not noticed them until I get home. Is it possible that this spoke got broken on a ride and not even noticed when putting the bike away?
Good question, but the wheel is so deformed that it can not even complete a rotation without jamming against the inside of the chain stays and the brake pads, so I'd say probably not. Unless, of course, the wheel didn't deform immediately, and sort of crept into its present potato chip shape while we were watching Greg The Bunny.
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Did you ever transport the bike on a trunk-mounted rack? I've seen lots of "mystery" rear wheel tweaks that are the result of driveways entered or exited with bikes slung low on a trunk-mounted rack. . .
There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there were some casualties.
It started with bikes sold at least 2 years ago. I had a bunch of spokes snap in the middle when the bike (MTB) was parked for several weeks.
On 20 Aug 2006 18:45:03 -0700, "Ron Ruff" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Phil Lee said:
There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there were some casualties.
It started with bikes sold at least 2 years ago. I had a bunch of spokes snap in the middle when the bike (MTB) was parked for several weeks.
Dear Ron,
Here's a post with links to one batch of bad spokes:
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Dear Mike,
I had a few rear spokes apparently break overnight with the bike upside down, wheels off the ground. The wheel spun fine before I turned the garage light off, but was jammed solid the next day.
Replacing the original spokes (whatever Schwinn used) with Sapim spokes seems to have cured the problem.
Shakespearean scholars are curious whether your wife's will leaves you her second-best bike.
LOL . . . your comment made my day!
Phil (Squid) remarked about a bad batch of spokes this past 5 months, but this bike has been in my wife's possession for at least a year. I humbly suggest that simple mechanical faults or metal failure cannot explain this phenomenon,
yes it can - stress corrosion cracking is a common flaw in many chemically stressed environments. you may not be aware of the particular agent, but there's almost certainly one there.
Quoted message said:
and that we would be remiss if we did not consider the supernatural.
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Did you ever transport the bike on a trunk-mounted rack? I've seen lots of "mystery" rear wheel tweaks that are the result of driveways entered or exited with bikes slung low on a trunk-mounted rack. . .
Hmmm . . . I can't remember the details of the last trip with that bike. There might have been a vehicle rack involved, but it would have either been the rack on the back of my VW bus, or the strap-on trunk rack which we use on our sedan, and they both sit pretty high. And while it's not impossible that I banged the bike, I would have noticed a wheel bent this badly when I rolled the bike into the garage (we don't actually use our garage for /cars/) because the wheel is so deformed it can't turn while on the bike. I'm still leaning toward the haunting theory.
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Wheels by BFWG said:
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event?
-- mike elliott
Did you ever transport the bike on a trunk-mounted rack? I've seen lots of "mystery" rear wheel tweaks that are the result of driveways entered or exited with bikes slung low on a trunk-mounted rack. . .
Hmmm . . . I can't remember the details of the last trip with that bike. There might have been a vehicle rack involved, but it would have either been the rack on the back of my VW bus, or the strap-on trunk rack which we use on our sedan, and they both sit pretty high. And while it's not impossible that I banged the bike, I would have noticed a wheel bent this badly when I rolled the bike into the garage (we don't actually use our garage for /cars/) because the wheel is so deformed it can't turn while on the bike. I'm still leaning toward the haunting theory.
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Wheels by BFWG said:
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I > built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite > bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. > The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I > popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and > the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some > time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, > no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is > broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- > Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the > spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while > riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event? > > -- mike elliott
Did you ever transport the bike on a trunk-mounted rack? I've seen lots of "mystery" rear wheel tweaks that are the result of driveways entered or exited with bikes slung low on a trunk-mounted rack. . .
Hmmm . . . I can't remember the details of the last trip with that bike. There might have been a vehicle rack involved, but it would have either been the rack on the back of my VW bus, or the strap-on trunk rack which we use on our sedan, and they both sit pretty high. And while it's not impossible that I banged the bike, I would have noticed a wheel bent this badly when I rolled the bike into the garage (we don't actually use our garage for /cars/) because the wheel is so deformed it can't turn while on the bike. I'm still leaning toward the haunting theory.
-- mike elliott
I've heard that Elvis hated bikes. . .
Dear Wheels,
"The year is 1946 in Tupelo Mississippi and Elvis is 11 years old. His parents can’t afford a bicycle that Elvis wants, so his mother Gladys talks him into accepting a guitar instead. Elvis’ first guitar costs $12.95 and is purchased at the Tupelo Hardware company. Elvis’s bicycle would have to wait until Christmas 1947. Do you suppose that if the Christmas presents had been reversed Elvis might have been a Tour de France winner and Lance Armstrong would have been the King of Rock and Roll?"
On 20 Aug 2006 18:45:03 -0700, "Ron Ruff" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Phil Lee said:
There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there were some casualties.
It started with bikes sold at least 2 years ago. I had a bunch of spokes snap in the middle when the bike (MTB) was parked for several weeks.
Dear Ron,
Here's a post with links to one batch of bad spokes:
Okay, entirely possible. I bought the bike for her birthday, which is in June, and I can't recall if it was 2004 or 2005. The article says the spokes break in the middle, like yours, but even though hers broke at the nipple -- no comments, she's my wife -- a faulty spoke could break anywhere along its length, I bet.
I think I better just replace 'em all. Don't want her to have an accident because I didn't take care of her bike.
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Wheels by BFWG said:
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I > built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite > bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. > The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I > popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and > the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some > time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, > no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is > broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- > Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the > spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while > riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event? > > -- mike elliott Did you ever transport the bike on a trunk-mounted rack? I've seen lots of "mystery" rear wheel tweaks that are the result of driveways entered or exited with bikes slung low on a trunk-mounted rack. . .
Hmmm . . . I can't remember the details of the last trip with that bike. There might have been a vehicle rack involved, but it would have either been the rack on the back of my VW bus, or the strap-on trunk rack which we use on our sedan, and they both sit pretty high. And while it's not impossible that I banged the bike, I would have noticed a wheel bent this badly when I rolled the bike into the garage (we don't actually use our garage for /cars/) because the wheel is so deformed it can't turn while on the bike. I'm still leaning toward the haunting theory.
-- mike elliott
I've heard that Elvis hated bikes. . .
Lemme get this straight: you're proposing that my wife's bike is haunted by Elvis?!? I don't know how I'll ever explain /that/ to her.
On 20 Aug 2006 18:45:03 -0700, "Ron Ruff" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Phil Lee, Squid wrote: > There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer > about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there were > some casualties. It started with bikes sold at least 2 years ago. I had a bunch of spokes snap in the middle when the bike (MTB) was parked for several weeks.
Dear Ron,
Here's a post with links to one batch of bad spokes:
Okay, entirely possible. I bought the bike for her birthday, which is in June, and I can't recall if it was 2004 or 2005. The article says the spokes break in the middle, like yours, but even though hers broke at the nipple -- no comments, she's my wife -- a faulty spoke could break anywhere along its length, I bet.
I think I better just replace 'em all. Don't want her to have an accident because I didn't take care of her bike.
-- mike elliott
Dear Mike,
Just to clarify, it was Phil who had spokes break in the middle.
I've never even had a spoke break at the nipple end, which is where about 10% of them fail.
Even when my spokes broke while sitting overnight, they broke at the elbow, just like all the others.
"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Wheels by BFWG wrote: > "Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in > message news:[email hidden]... >> So I'm moving our bikes from the garage to a new covered storage area I >> built next to our house, and I notice that my wife's second-favorite >> bike, an entry-level Specialized road bike, isn't rolling worth a darn. >> The rear wheel is rubbing on the brake pads so badly it won't turn. I >> popped the bike on the workstand and tried turning the rear wheel, and >> the wheel is bent like a potato chip. I think back . . . did I at some >> time in the past, run into her rear wheel with my car or anything? But, >> no, nothing comes to mind. Then I notice that one of the spokes is >> broken right at the nipple. The wheel is whatever came with the bike -- >> Alexrims AT400. I reckon that sometime, when no one was around, the >> spoke just went "P-twang!" and broke. I've had spokes break while >> riding, but never like this. So, is this an odd event? >> >> -- mike elliott > Did you ever transport the bike on a trunk-mounted rack? I've seen lots > of "mystery" rear wheel tweaks that are the result of driveways entered > or exited with bikes slung low on a trunk-mounted rack. . . Hmmm . . . I can't remember the details of the last trip with that bike. There might have been a vehicle rack involved, but it would have either been the rack on the back of my VW bus, or the strap-on trunk rack which we use on our sedan, and they both sit pretty high. And while it's not impossible that I banged the bike, I would have noticed a wheel bent this badly when I rolled the bike into the garage (we don't actually use our garage for /cars/) because the wheel is so deformed it can't turn while on the bike. I'm still leaning toward the haunting theory.
-- mike elliott
I've heard that Elvis hated bikes. . .
Lemme get this straight: you're proposing that my wife's bike is haunted by Elvis?!? I don't know how I'll ever explain /that/ to her.
On 20 Aug 2006 18:45:03 -0700, "Ron Ruff" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
Phil Lee, Squid wrote: > There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer > about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there > were > some casualties. It started with bikes sold at least 2 years ago. I had a bunch of spokes snap in the middle when the bike (MTB) was parked for several weeks.
Dear Ron,
Here's a post with links to one batch of bad spokes:
Okay, entirely possible. I bought the bike for her birthday, which is in June, and I can't recall if it was 2004 or 2005. The article says the spokes break in the middle, like yours, but even though hers broke at the nipple -- no comments, she's my wife -- a faulty spoke could break anywhere along its length, I bet.
I think I better just replace 'em all.
that's the best plan.
Quoted message said:
Don't want her to have an accident because I didn't take care of her bike.
On 20 Aug 2006 18:45:03 -0700, "Ron Ruff" <[email hidden]> wrote:
> Phil Lee, Squid wrote: >> There was a bad batch of spokes supplied by a Chinese wire manufacturer >> about 5 months ago, I believe. Many bikes were affected, and there were >> some casualties. > It started with bikes sold at least 2 years ago. I had a bunch of > spokes snap in the middle when the bike (MTB) was parked for several > weeks. Dear Ron,
Here's a post with links to one batch of bad spokes:
Okay, entirely possible. I bought the bike for her birthday, which is in June, and I can't recall if it was 2004 or 2005. The article says the spokes break in the middle, like yours, but even though hers broke at the nipple -- no comments, she's my wife -- a faulty spoke could break anywhere along its length, I bet.
I think I better just replace 'em all. Don't want her to have an accident because I didn't take care of her bike.
-- mike elliott
Dear Mike,
Just to clarify, it was Phil who had spokes break in the middle.
Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to put Phil's words into your mount. Say -- didn't Phil used to be a Squid in training? When did he achieve full squidliness?
