Spontaneous spoke failure -- retraction

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Elliott said:

A few weeks ago I posted about how a spoke on my wife's road bike
spontaneously snapped at the point where the spoke met the nipple. This
started a long thread about defective spokes, and which eventually
devolved into a technical pissing match replete with name-calling.
Tut-tut, I say. Let's show some manners! We are cyclists, the gentlemen
of the roadways.

But, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I hadn't
investigated the problem more fully. For if I had done so, that whole
regrettable mess might have been avoided.*

Had I been wearing my reading glasses when I was studying the wheel, I
might have noticed that the spoke was intact: it was the nipple that had
failed. Split in half. The nice young man at the LBS pointed out
several others that were also splitting. "Aluminum nipples," he said.
"Salt air tears them up."

Ok, so let's reset and restart a long thread flaming defective nipples
and a technical pissing match replete with name-calling... 🙂
--

On Mon, 11 Sep 2006 14:26:47 -0700, Mike Elliott <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

A few weeks ago I posted about how a spoke on my wife's road bike
spontaneously snapped at the point where the spoke met the nipple. This
started a long thread about defective spokes, and which eventually
devolved into a technical pissing match replete with name-calling.
Tut-tut, I say. Let's show some manners! We are cyclists, the gentlemen
of the roadways.

But, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I hadn't
investigated the problem more fully. For if I had done so, that whole
regrettable mess might have been avoided.*

Had I been wearing my reading glasses when I was studying the wheel, I
might have noticed that the spoke was intact: it was the nipple that had
failed. Split in half. The nice young man at the LBS pointed out
several others that were also splitting. "Aluminum nipples," he said.
"Salt air tears them up."

I blamed innocent spokes and feel terrible about it.

-- mike elliott

* Of course, the accurate description of the problem may very well have
simply started a different, equally acrimonious, pissing match.

Actually no. Among the very few things that are generally agreed around here is
that alloy nipples tend to fail prematurely and are more trouble than the weight
savings are worth.

I recently replaced all the nippless on a pair of wheels. Tedious, but not
difficult with a cordless driver.

Ron
Outside of this group it's usually noted that cyclists tend to be wound a bit
over tight.

On 9/11/2006 3:15 PM RonSonic said:

On Mon, 11 Sep 2006 14:26:47 -0700, Mike Elliott <[email hidden]>
wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

* Of course, the accurate description of the problem may very well have
simply started a different, equally acrimonious, pissing match.

Actually no. Among the very few things that are generally agreed around here is
that alloy nipples tend to fail prematurely and are more trouble than the weight
savings are worth.

And there we have it. Due to my carelessness, a pointless flame war was
started. I must make amends.

Quoted message said:

I recently replaced all the nippless on a pair of wheels. Tedious, but not
difficult with a cordless driver.

Ron
Outside of this group it's usually noted that cyclists tend to be wound a bit
over tight.

Beware the cordless driver.

-- mike elliott

On 9/11/2006 3:00 PM Artoi wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Ok, so let's reset and restart a long thread flaming defective nipples
and a technical pissing match replete with name-calling... 🙂
--

I like a good dustup as well as the next fellow, but don't start one
just because I can't tell a nipple from a spoke. Even with a flashlight.

-- mike elliott

Mike Elliott said:

A few weeks ago I posted about how a spoke on my wife's road bike
spontaneously snapped at the point where the spoke met the nipple.
This started a long thread about defective spokes, and which
eventually devolved into a technical pissing match replete with
name-calling. Tut-tut, I say. Let's show some manners! We are
cyclists, the gentlemen of the roadways.

Quoted message said:

But, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I hadn't
investigated the problem more fully. For if I had done so, that
whole regrettable mess might have been avoided.*

Quoted message said:

Had I been wearing my reading glasses when I was studying the wheel,
I might have noticed that the spoke was intact: it was the nipple
that had failed. Split in half. The nice young man at the LBS
pointed out several others that were also splitting. "Aluminum
nipples," he said. "Salt air tears them up."

Quoted message said:

I blamed innocent spokes and feel terrible about it.

Not at all. The point is that the failure occurred while the wheel
was stationary with no external input. That the spoke nipple failed
has no bearing on the failure mode, that of a growing crack under
constant load. From your description, this was not a wheel that had
been parked for weeks in a caustic atmosphere.

I propose the salt air is a dodge. The strength of aluminum nipples
being poor, they are loaded near yield and easily fatigue by cyclic
loading as a wheel typically generates in its spoke complement. I
think you had a fatigue failure much like one that occurs in spoke.

Quoted message said:

* Of course, the accurate description of the problem may very well
have simply started a different, equally acrimonious, pissing match.

I sense that urination is from people who don't want their religious
attachment to myth and lore of the bicycle to be disturbed. You
should note which of the respondents are on a verbal jihad, not
addressing the subject but rather attacking the bringer of bad news.

Jobst Brandt

Mike Elliott said:

And there we have it. Due to my carelessness, a pointless flame war was
started. I must make amends.

OK... drop and give me fifty!

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

Mark Hickey said:

Mike Elliott said:

And there we have it. Due to my carelessness, a pointless flame war was
started. I must make amends.

OK... drop and give me fifty!

Fifty?!? Jeez, a fellow makes one mistake . . .

-- mike elliott

flaming defective nipples

Sounds like a good name for a band!

Artoi said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Elliott said:

A few weeks ago I posted about how a spoke on my wife's road bike
spontaneously snapped at the point where the spoke met the nipple. This
started a long thread about defective spokes, and which eventually
devolved into a technical pissing match replete with name-calling.
Tut-tut, I say. Let's show some manners! We are cyclists, the gentlemen
of the roadways.

But, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I hadn't
investigated the problem more fully. For if I had done so, that whole
regrettable mess might have been avoided.*

Had I been wearing my reading glasses when I was studying the wheel, I
might have noticed that the spoke was intact: it was the nipple that had
failed. Split in half. The nice young man at the LBS pointed out
several others that were also splitting. "Aluminum nipples," he said.
"Salt air tears them up."

Ok, so let's reset and restart a long thread flaming defective nipples
and a technical pissing match replete with name-calling... 🙂
--