# Help!!! my spokes keep breaking on my Bike.



## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

HI, 

I'm a Newbee here. I've been riding a Specialized crossroads for a few weeks now. I've a little on the heavy side. My spokes in rear broke twice and I'm thinking of buying a differant wheel. what can i buy so this won't happen again. Do you guys have any suggestions? 

One more thing,what's the Pro and cons of riding with a leather seat or its just preference. 

Thanks,


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

miamibiker said:


> HI,
> 
> I'm a Newbee here. I've been riding a Specialized crossroads for a few weeks now. I've a little on the heavy side. My spokes in rear broke twice and I'm thinking of buying a differant wheel. what can i buy so this won't happen again. Do you guys have any suggestions?
> 
> ...


Do you inflate your tires to proper pressure and do you get your wheels serviced (for trueness and spoke tension adjustment) regularly?


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## dougydee (Feb 15, 2005)

miamibiker said:


> I've a little on the heavy side.


How heavy and what type of wheels?


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## rward325 (Sep 22, 2008)

Crosstrail, Crosstrail sport, Crosstrail Elite or Crosstrail Comp? This is apretty Heavy Duty bike and should not be popping spokes. Can you give us some measurements, Height and weight would be a good start. 

All of the bikes in this series come with Alex Crosstrail, 700c, alloy double wall w/ machine sidewalls, 32h and 15g Stainless spokes.


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

Properly built and tensioned wheels don't need regular service, unless damaged. Spoke breakage indicates a poor build, innapropriate components, and/or defects.

Have the offending wheel respoked with DT Competitions and tensioned and stress relieved by someone that knows what they're doing (not necessarily found at your LBS), or buy a new wheel (or set) that has been built to suit your weight and budget (probably not found on the wall at your LBS).


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## rward325 (Sep 22, 2008)

fallzboater said:


> Properly built and tensioned wheels don't need regular service, unless damaged. Spoke breakage indicates a poor build, innapropriate components, and/or defects.
> 
> Have the offending wheel respoked with DT Competitions and tensioned and stress relieved by someone that knows what they're doing (not necessarily found at your LBS), or buy a new wheel (or set) that has been built to suit your weight and budget (probably not found on the wall at your LBS).


I will admit these are machine made wheels on a lower end Specialized bike but they should still be fairly bullet proof at 32h 15g stainless spokes. 

Telling the person that they need to put out a big chunk of change to buy new wheels or have them respoked on a bike that is likely under warranty is a pretty silly thing to do.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

rward325 said:


> I will admit these are machine made wheels on a lower end Specialized bike but they should still be fairly bullet proof at 32h 15g stainless spokes.
> 
> Telling the person that they need to put out a big chunk of change to buy new wheels or have them respoked on a bike that is likely under warranty is a pretty silly thing to do.


Meh. When I was a noobsauce, I had a Specialized Sirrus hybrid. Wheels were Ritchey hubs, laced to CXP22 rims, with double butted spokes. Those wheels were crap and started breaking spokes left and right within 500 miles or so.

Being a major bike label doesn't prevent you from selling poorly made wheels.


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

rward325 said:


> I will admit these are machine made wheels on a lower end Specialized bike but they should still be fairly bullet proof at 32h 15g stainless spokes.
> 
> Telling the person that they need to put out a big chunk of change to buy new wheels or have them respoked on a bike that is likely under warranty is a pretty silly thing to do.


I didn't say anything about a big chunk of change, but yeah, if it's under warranty he should take advantage of that first. That didn't occur to me since I don't buy complete new bikes, or prebuilt wheels. 

If he's lucky, the LBS will realize that he'll likely continue to have problems with a prebuilt replacement wheel out of the box, and someone with some skills will at least retension and stress-relieve it before they send him back out. If he's very heavy, or abusive, they could put a stiffer inexpensive rim and new high quality spokes on the OE hub for a fair bit less than $100, I would hope. Better still might be to buy a good replacement wheel from a specialist for about the same money.


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

I had a specy wheel bust spokes within the first 1000 miles.. LBS got spec to pay for them to rebuild the thing. Was a much better wheel after being hand laced.


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

Hi, thanks for all responses . a little info about me might help. I'm 5'10 weighting about 310. i bike ride 2-three times a week for about 2 hrs roughly 20 or so miles. Both times my spokes broke on my way home back. I went to the bike shop where i bought the bike. there weren't much of a help. i felt they were more interested in my $$$$ then helping me with my problem. He wanted 30.$$ to fix my spoke and he couldn't give me any advice how to prevent my occurring problem. I've been to a few bike shops around Miami i had not found one that i feel they know what they are doing. Thats why i'm trying to learn and do research and speak to others online, so i'll be able to help my self and save myself the frustration of searching for a good shop.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Hi, the weight will come down. just keep riding. meanwhile you need a really HD set of wheels. old school 36 spoke laced to open pros or similar. find someone who can do this. good luck.


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

where can i find such a set of tires ???


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*That's the ticket.*



bikerjulio said:


> Hi, the weight will come down. just keep riding. meanwhile you need a really HD set of wheels. old school 36 spoke laced to open pros or similar. find someone who can do this. good luck.


google wheel builders. Colorado Cyclist used to do this. Hand built 36 spoked "touring" wheels would handle the load best, with no less than 28C tires, 32C if possible.


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

Thank you !!


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## GerryR (Sep 3, 2008)

Before buying anything, contact Specialized and tell them bluntly that the LBS won't do anything. The bike is under warranty and Specialized has a money back guarantee. Or just go to the LBS and demand a refund, in full and go somewhere else and buy another brand.

And increase your riding to at least 4 days a week and drastically change your diet, forget meat, dairy and egg products and concentrate on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. No fast food of any kind.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

GerryR said:


> Or just go to the LBS and demand a refund, in full and go somewhere else and buy another brand.


I can't think of any bike label sold in stores that sells roadbikes with 36h wheels. To get those you pretty much have to get custom handbuilts.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

GerryR said:


> And increase your riding to at least 4 days a week and drastically change your diet, forget meat, dairy and egg products and concentrate on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. No fast food of any kind.


...whatever. I wouldn't cut out meat and dairy. No way. And, you don't need to. Simply continuing to ride will make a huge difference in the long-term.


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

What type of wheels should i buy ? 
Does it make sense to buy only one rear tire?


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*Heavier Duty*

I hate to say it, but, no factory-built wheelset, on any OE road bike will be suitable to your weight.

I don't think you necessarily need 36 spokes -- 32 will do -- but you need high-end spokes. The wheelbuilders I know would say to get Sapim CX-rays if you can afford them, Dt Comps if you want to go a little easier on your budget.

Where are the spokes breaking? If it is at the nipple, that is what you would expect from a fatigued spoke. Warranties cover defects, and even if Spec. is willing to send you replacement wheels, they will likely send another pair of same.

In my tele-opinion, what you are describing does not SEEM the result of a defective condition -- that is, unexpected materials failure. Your wheels just seen unable to support the load supplied.

I also note that you are in Miami. The climate there is VERY hard on spokes, especially less expensive OE ones, which tend to be either painted / chrome plated non-stainless steel, or else a lower grade of stainless. 

Nicer spokes will resist corrosion better, but it would not hurt to wipe down your spokes after riding.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Good points.*



Argentius said:


> I hate to say it, but, no factory-built wheelset, on any OE road bike will be suitable to your weight.
> 
> I don't think you necessarily need 36 spokes -- 32 will do -- but you need high-end spokes. The wheelbuilders I know would say to get Sapim CX-rays if you can afford them, Dt Comps if you want to go a little easier on your budget.
> 
> ...


Machine built wheels can't tension the spokes exactly the same all the way around the rim, so some spokes flex too much and break, or others don't flex at all and break. If the spokes are hand tensioned all the same, the load is distributed evenly on all the spokes, and they are much less likely to break.

I'd build with 14 ga. stainless steel spokes. With brass nipples. Stay away from aluminum! DT has worked superbly well for me over the years. Never broke one. And I'm witness to the longevity of 36 spokes. A set on my commuter, which I bought from Colorado Cyclist in the late 80s and trued and re-tensioned maybe twice, I"m still riding, at least 50,000 miles later. The rims will have to be replaced soon because the sides are getting thin from the braking, and might very well split sooner or later on a hard bump.

It is true, the more spokes in a wheel, the stronger it is. I think loading up 300+ pounds on a 32 spoked rim might be flirting with the limits, and would therefore add those 4 extra spokes. Back when rims weren't as strong, 40 spoked rear wheels weren't uncommon for serious touring bikes. They hardly ever broke, and if one did, you'd make it home just fine..


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## hfc (Jan 24, 2003)

If the bike is new I would get the wheels warranty repaired or replaced. I would guess that there is no "official" weight limit on the warranty on the bike/wheels. If you bought it from that shop, they could see how big you are and should stand by the sale. That being said, you might be happier with higher quality, heavier duty wheels. Do some searches in the wheels forum. Mavic CXP 33 or DT Swiss RR 1.2 (not 1.1) would be my choice for rim, Sapim Cxray spokes are very light, very strong, but expensive. I'm not sure if they make a cheaper, heavier duty spoke. A Shimano 105 hub should also work well. 

I'm glad you're taking charge of your health. Stick with it, these little hiccups at the start will eventually smooth out!


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

Thank you for your response. The bike is a 
Specialized hybrid and when i went back to the 
shop when my first spoke broke they told me that
the warrenty didnt cover the spokes. I didnt want 
to get in a fight with the guy so i had it fixed there
thinking it was a one time deal. This past weekend, 
i broke my second spoke and i'm looking for a new wheel. 

Do i need to buy them in pairs or can i just buy 
one ? ?


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

Fredrico said:


> Machine built wheels can't tension the spokes exactly the same all the way around the rim, so some spokes flex too much and break, or others don't flex at all and break. If the spokes are hand tensioned all the same, the load is distributed evenly on all the spokes, and they are much less likely to break.


Even though you seemingly have a limited grasp of the mechanics involved, your conclusion that even spoke tension is desireable is correct.



> It is true, the more spokes in a wheel, the stronger it is. I think loading up 300+ pounds on a 32 spoked rim might be flirting with the limits, and would therefore add those 4 extra spokes. Back when rims weren't as strong, 40 spoked rear wheels weren't uncommon for serious touring bikes. They hardly ever broke, and if one did, you'd make it home just fine..


There have always been plenty strong rims available, but spoke materials used to be much poorer than what we have available, today. Better spokes are why we see more wheels that perform reliably with lower than traditional spoke counts, but for higher loads, 36 and 40 spoke rear wheels are still beneficial.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

miamibiker said:


> Thank you for your response. The bike is a
> Specialized hybrid and when i went back to the
> shop when my first spoke broke they told me that
> the warrenty didnt cover the spokes. I didnt want
> ...


You can buy single wheels...but... Not warrantying the spoke repair is one thing and somewhat understandable, as bad spokes happen. But when the problem is chronic and as a result a wheelbuild inadequate to the rider, or a poor wheelbuild I'd be a grumpy consumer.

Which Spec Crossroads specifically did you buy? Can you post a linky? Are the wheels 32-spokes each?

What would you do if you bought a pickup truck from a car salesman...went to load up the back with gear...only to have the suspension bottom out because the springs were not rated for anything more than 3 people sitting in the cab?


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Yes, you can buy just one wheel. Usually a discount for buying a pair, but not a very large one.

The rear tends to suffer far worse than the front, so I'd start there, if budget is limited.

Warranties are tough to call, they typically cover defects but not "wear and tear." A single spoke breaking under load is often a grey area.

For reference I am 140lbs and have broken 5 spokes in the last season of hard commuting. 3 were on a factory wheel that I'm pretty sure was bad from the get-go, but one was a name brand wheel and one was a nice handbuilt, those were just the way it is.




miamibiker said:


> Thank you for your response. The bike is a
> Specialized hybrid and when i went back to the
> shop when my first spoke broke they told me that
> the warrenty didnt cover the spokes. I didnt want
> ...


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Fredrico said:


> I'd build with 14 ga. stainless steel spokes. With brass nipples.


14/15 butted spokes result in a more durable wheel. With straight gauge spokes the stresses concentrate in the elbows so you're more likely to have fatigue failures.

Nickel plated brass nipples won't weld themselves to the spokes or eyelets through galvanic corrosion, don't distort or round-off from a sub-optimally placed spoke-wrench, are included in the price of the spokes, and are better in all ways apart from being a few grams per wheel heavier which is irrelevant.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Argentius said:


> For reference I am 140lbs and have broken 5 spokes in the last season of hard commuting. 3 were on a factory wheel that I'm pretty sure was bad from the get-go, but one was a name brand wheel and one was a nice handbuilt, those were just the way it is.


I've weighed 145 to 215 pounds and haven't broken any spokes in the fifteen years following my switch to hand built wheels.

Properly stress-relieved and tensioned wheels don't break spokes. Jobst Brandt claims to have a set of wheels with "far more than 100,000 miles" on DT 15/16 gauge spokes.

If you don't stretch spokes enough when stress relieving (or neglect it entirely) some metal in the bend is left near its elastic limit thus resulting in radically reduced fatigue life.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

fallzboater said:


> Even though you seemingly have a limited grasp of the mechanics involved, your conclusion that even spoke tension is desireable is correct.


Huh? Care to expand on the first part of that assertion? 



> There have always been plenty strong rims available, but spoke materials used to be much poorer than what we have available, today. Better spokes are why we see more wheels that perform reliably with lower than traditional spoke counts, but for higher loads, 36 and 40 spoke rear wheels are still beneficial.


I'm doubtful most of these new spokes are any stronger than the 14 ga. stainless steel ones DT has been marketing for over 30 years. I have observed, however, that rims have gotten exponentially beefier to compensate for the dwindling spoke counts. :shocked:

I'm here to testify from 150,000 miles on three sets of 36 spoked wheels on two bikes, that they hold up superbly well, if trued and spokes evenly tensioned. I used to break spokes regularly on a previous set of wheels that I had fiddled with without systematically going around the rim and evenly tensioning the spokes. The spokes may have been inferior in strength, but they broke at the bends because some were taking too much of the load and others weren't taking any of the load. Others were also "wound up." They broke from being twisted, then bounced along the road with lateral tension, waiting for a nice bump to untwist on, and break.. 

When I replaced these wheels with hand built and evenly tensioned wheels, in one case Ambrosio Elite Durex rims laced to Campy hubs with DT 14 ga. spokes, and in another case, Wolber Super Champion 58 rims laced with DT 14 ga. spokes to Campy hubs, I haven't broken a spoke. The rear Elite Durex rim cracked around the spoke holes. A dog ran into that same wheel resulting in a cracked spoke eyelet in the rear Campy hub, but still, no broken spokes. I finally replaced the whole wheel.

I weigh 160-165 lbs. But if I were carrying 300 lbs. on a bike, I would certainly forget about any wheel of less than 36 spokes, and would probably go with 40 spokes on the rear. Plus, I would not ride on tires skinnier than 28C, and I'd air them up to 105 psi. Their superior shock absorption compared to 23C, will lessen the chances of breaking a spoke, too.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*True.*



Drew Eckhardt said:


> 14/15 butted spokes result in a more durable wheel. With straight gauge spokes the stresses concentrate in the elbows so you're more likely to have fatigue failures.
> 
> Nickel plated brass nipples won't weld themselves to the spokes or eyelets through galvanic corrosion, don't distort or round-off from a sub-optimally placed spoke-wrench, are included in the price of the spokes, and are better in all ways apart from being a few grams per wheel heavier which is irrelevant.


DT nickle plated brass nipples are what I've been using on these wheels. :thumbsup:

I've been told that butted spokes are longer lasting than straight gauge, as you point out. But I've shied away from them when building wheels. You have to turn the nipples further, then back them off to untwist the spokes. IME, they're way harder to tension than straight gauge. Straight gauge don't "wind up" nearly as readily when twisting the nipples, and they "de-tension" more readily when pressing on the sides of the rim. :frown2:

Correction: You said it below, "stress relieving," not as I termed it above, "de-tensioning." :lol: Thanks.


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## freethinker (Sep 10, 2009)

So where are the spokes breaking? I am guessing at the elbow, on the non-drive side, especially the "pushing" spokes. This indicates inadequate spoke tension. The spokes break because they are repeatedly loaded and unloaded, causing fatigue at the eblow, where stress is concentrated. The non-drive side spokes are more susceptible because they have lower tension, due to the wheel dish. The pushing spokes are more susceptible because they get unloaded more from the pedaling torque. 

You should get the wheel rebuilt, probably with new spokes at least on the non-drive side, and properly tensioned. You can use #14 straight gauge spokes on the drive side, and 14/15 butted spokes on the non-drive side. And, like others have mentioned, use brass nipples.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Fredrico said:


> Huh? Care to expand on the first part of that assertion?


I think he's being picky about your statements re:evenness of spoke tension. If you have ideal spokes laced to ideal rims laced with ideal spokes, then yes the spoke tension should be even all the way around the rim. 

IRL though: If you make a wheel with the appropriate level of tension with the tension even all the way around, you're going to end up with a very off-round off-true wheel that you probably cannot even ride on. This is simply due to how imperfect the components are. For round and true, at the end if you have a variance of +/-10% tension on each wheel side you've done your job quite well.

The point here is that having spokes with identical tension is not desirable.


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## valleycyclist (Nov 1, 2009)

I would get the wheels replaced under warranty.

Then, maybe you can convince the bike shop to make sure the spokes on the new wheels are tensioned/balanced properly before you ride.

As previously mentioned, double-butted spokes will make a more durable wheel, but straight gauge spokes shouldn't fail so quickly if the wheel is properly built.


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

Fredrico said:


> I've been told that butted spokes are longer lasting than straight gauge, as you point out. But I've shied away from them when building wheels. You have to turn the nipples further, then back them off to untwist the spokes. IME, they're way harder to tension than straight gauge.


Very little wind-up with DT Comps (2.0/1.8). During the final rounds of tensioning I turn the spoke wrench approximately an extra 1/8 turn, and back. Very easy. With DT Revs (2.0/1.5), there is a ton of wind-up, and it's definitely a PITA. One benefit of CX-Rays (bladed), is that you can hold them with a slotted tool (I use a quarter), and you can tell visually that there's no windup. Due to their expense, I've only used them on one 20-spoke front wheel, so far.


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

Fredrico said:


> Huh? Care to expand on the first part of that assertion?


From your earlier post: 
"Machine built wheels can't tension the spokes exactly the same all the way around the rim, so some spokes flex too much and break, or others don't flex at all and break. If the spokes are hand tensioned all the same, the load is distributed evenly on all the spokes, and they are much less likely to break."

What do you think you mean by "flex too much" or "don't flex at all"? Also, "the load is distributed evenly on all the spokes"? These statements show to me a limited understanding of the wheel structure or engineering terminology. I don't want to try to write a book here about mechanical engineering or how wheels work, since it's already been done better than I could by others. If you've read Jobst Brandt's "The Bicycle Wheel" or something similar, or have any specific questions, I'd be glad to try to explain. Don't feel put out, there are many more people that don't have a good grasp of these concepts than those that do. 

There are also good explanations available for why butted spokes are superior for fatigue resistance (wheel durability) than straight gage, although if you've had good results with straight gage, there's no reason you shouldn't continue to use them. I've never broken a DT Comp (2.0/1.8) spoke unless it was mechanically damaged, and reuse them when rims are damaged or worn out, unless I'm changing the ERD (which I tend to do, since I like to try something new). They cost a little more than straight gage, but are lighter, as strong, and theoretically more durable.


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## daniell (Apr 12, 2002)

I have been building my own wheels for years without a single broken spoke. A couple of years ago my spokes started to break. I emailed DT. I was told to increase the tension. I did. That seemed to help. I also heard that DT changed their spoke. They added a few mm in the elbow so they could be machine built. Some people contend that because of this there is too much play and causing spoke breakage.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*That may be a bit overstated, Marc.*



Marc said:


> .. If you make a wheel with the appropriate level of tension with the tension even all the way around, you're going to end up with a very off-round off-true wheel that you probably cannot even ride on. This is simply due to how imperfect the components are. For round and true, at the end if you have a variance of +/-10% tension on each wheel side you've done your job quite well.
> 
> The point here is that having spokes with identical tension is not desirable.


I don't know, man, I've always been able to get the spokes to sound the same note easily on a quality rim that's round and true to begin with. I've found it easy to tighten a spoke that plucks a dull thud on a perfectly trued rim, without affecting true, if the other spokes are nicely tensioned and holding it in place.

But then again, my experience has been with 36 and 32 spoked wheels. I would think equal spoke tension would be even more important on a 16 or 24 spoke wheel, as each spoke is carrying a much larger percentage of the load.. :shocked:

Heck, if the wheel can't be trued with a variance of spoke tension within 10%, some spokes will be too tight, others too loose, the rim will take a "set" away from the looser spokes, where spoke tensions become more equalized, or the spokes will eventually start breaking. :frown2:


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Well, I THINK I mean....*



fallzboater said:


> ..What do you think you mean by "flex too much" or "don't flex at all"? Also, "the load is distributed evenly on all the spokes"?


As freethinker says below, a loose spoke will load and unload as the wheel goes around (MORE THAN a properly tensioned spoke, thanks Jobst Brandt!), flexing at the bend against the hub flange, and be much more susceptible to snapping against the momentary high stress of a bump. :biggrin5: how'zat?

A spoke that's too tight relative to the others can also break! I can tell you from experience, after trying to true a bent rim! :shocked:

With all the spokes properly tensioned, the wheel is a very strong structure, so each spoke easily handles the compression and stretching (the load) as the wheel rolls around. Is that clearer?


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I've been riding for a very long time & I've always been hard on wheels. I had custom wheels built for my bikes with identical components. If you're from Miami it's very likely there's a good bike store in the area. Find one by asking other cyclists what shop has a good wheel builder. My wheels are 32 spoke, Velocity Deep Vee rims. You can easily have just 1 made. The mechanic will use your original hub and will add spokes & lace them to the rim. Velocity Deep Vees are tremendously strong, in fact, I can't thing of any rim that equals it in strength or durability. My suggestion is to buy the rim, take it & your bike to the shop & have it built. The front wheel can wait. There's less weight and stress on the front. If it were me I'd wait until it gave me trouble before even thinking about it.

Here's a link to Velocity rims. http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=583


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

Hi, 

I've been searching Ebay for Velocity wheels. would a wheel like this work for me ??? 

http://cgi.ebay.com/VELOCITY-AERO-D...Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35a6ff5c50


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## gongdiwa (Jun 18, 2010)

Hi I have a Crosstrail...Nice Bike but a bit heavy...Thats why I was thing about the Super Dew. The Crosstrail with just a bit of stuff..fenders,,back rack...is 40 lbs

PS: My Crosstrail broke a spoke as well and I am not heavy.


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

would the bike run smooth if i put a strong road bike tire in the the rear and the front is a hybrid/cruiser tire ????


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*No.*



miamibiker said:


> would a wheel like this work for me ???
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/VELOCITY-AERO-D...Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35a6ff5c50


That's a single speed rear wheel. It takes an old style screw on freewheel. You need a rear hub that takes a casette. The gears are all joined together as a unit, and slide on the freewheel body, which comes on the wheel.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

miamibiker said:


> would the bike run smooth if i put a strong road bike tire in the the rear and the front is a hybrid/cruiser tire ????


The bigger the tire, the more cushioning and the less likely a spoke will break from a sudden shock. But the spokes will still flex as they load up and unload while rolling along. That's what breaks them. Go with big tires, sure, but the more spokes in the wheel, the stronger it is.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

If it were me I wouldn't look on Ebay for wheels, especially since you don't seem to have the experience needed to make a solid choice. I'm not trying to put you down or to be condescending. In fact I honestly admire you for starting an exercise program. Way too many people in your condition just seem to give up and say that's the way I was meant to be. You've made a brave and tough choice. Good on you!

Since you may only need one wheel it might be cheaper to have it made locally. If you're not certain where to have the work done search or start a new post asking about good bike shops or wheel builders in your area.


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## dhfreak (Sep 12, 2009)

miamibiker said:


> HI,
> 
> I'm a Newbee here. I've been riding a Specialized crossroads for a few weeks now. I've a little on the heavy side. My spokes in rear broke twice and I'm thinking of buying a differant wheel. what can i buy so this won't happen again. Do you guys have any suggestions?
> 
> ...


You nailed it; " . . . I've a little on the heavy side." Lose weight fatty!!

Mike


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Objection!*



dhfreak said:


> You nailed it; " . . . I've a little on the heavy side." Lose weight fatty!!
> 
> Mike


We're talking about wheels, chump. How many pounds overweight are you? :frown2:


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

miamibiker said:


> HI,
> 
> I'm a Newbee here. I've been riding a Specialized crossroads for a few weeks now. I've a little on the heavy side. My spokes in rear broke twice and I'm thinking of buying a differant wheel. what can i buy so this won't happen again. Do you guys have any suggestions?
> 
> ...


Get your ass off of the saddle when going over bumps.

Stop trying to buy a solution. Fix the problem - riding style/finesse.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Hey, ok. Sorry.*



dhfreak said:


> It was a JOKE, rain man. Besides, the OP admitted to being overweight. But, it is very cute that you are coming to the rescue of your internet boyfriend (no offense OP)!! By the way, I'm WAY overweight that's why I make jokes at the expense of others; it makes me feel better about myself!
> 
> Mike


That's why I asked. :biggrin5: Now I see the possibly humorous connection with your user name if it's "downhill freak." I'm just enough overweight to testify its a definite aid in descending! You know, "I get dropped on the climbs but catch up on the descents!" To OP, all the more reason for really stout 36 spoked wheels. High speed downhills are murder on wheels! You couldn't pop a spoke at a worse time.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

dhfreak said:


> You nailed it; " . . . I've a little on the heavy side." Lose weight fatty!!
> 
> Mike


A joke? That's your idea of a joke? IMO if that isn't the most hurtful, insulting thing I've ever seen on these forums, it's certainly in the top 5. IMO, you owe the OP an apology.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

PlatyPius said:


> Get your ass off of the saddle when going over bumps.
> 
> Stop trying to buy a solution. Fix the problem - riding style/finesse.


Stop trying to argue based on intuitive observations (like stars rotating across the sky suggesting the earth is the center of the universe). Learn a little - physics (spokes don't fail from bumps - it's the last fatigue cycle where tension increases again after being relieved by a bump).

Bicycle spokes which aren't defective fail due to fatigue which occurs after a large number of stress cycles (over 750 per mile). Wheels are stressed structures with bumps and loads only reducing the tension in the bottommost spokes with minor increases elsewhere. Occasional bumps don't make any difference to the spokes themselves (although bumps big enough to eliminate a spoke's tension remove the wheel's lateral support which can lead to collapse when combined with side loads).

High mean stress reduces the number of fatigue cycles possible without failure.

Increased variation in stress (as from a heavier rider) further reduce the number of fatigue cycles.

Inexpensive machine-built wheels don't get stress relieved, leave parts of the elbows near the elastic limit with high residual stress, and have failures after too few cycles especially when ridden by heavier people.

With insufficient tension, non-drive side spokes can go slack and also experience radically reduced life.

Bringing a machine-built wheel to uniform high tension and stress relieving it will produce a durable wheel, just like a competent wheel builder starting from scratch.

Starting with an existing wheel experiencing spoke breakage won't work until you've replaced the spokes, because you can't undo the fatigue which has affected all of the spokes on a side nearly the same.

I'm not a mechanical engineer, although I can make spokes last over a decade even after becoming a Clydestale.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Fredrico said:


> DT nickle plated brass nipples are what I've been using on these wheels. :thumbsup:
> 
> I've been told that butted spokes are longer lasting than straight gauge, as you point out. But I've shied away from them when building wheels. You have to turn the nipples further, then back them off to untwist the spokes. IME, they're way harder to tension than straight gauge. Straight gauge don't "wind up" nearly as readily when twisting the nipples, and they "de-tension" more readily when pressing on the sides of the rim. :frown2:
> 
> Correction: You said it below, "stress relieving," not as I termed it above, "de-tensioning." :lol: Thanks.


Put a piece of tape (blue masking tape being easiest to remove) on a spoke.

Watch what sort of windup you're getting and compensate appropriately.

It's not a big deal even if you've been silly enough to use 14/17 gauge DT Revolutions (15/16 gauge are a better idea; live and learn).


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## Pieter (Oct 17, 2005)

Drew Eckhardt said:


> It's not a big deal even if you've been silly enough to use 14/17 gauge DT Revolutions (15/16 gauge are a better idea; live and learn).



Interesting point. I have only ever used Revolutions on the NDS rear, where windup is not really an issue. 

But the lack of windup with Wheelsmith DB15 (15/16 gauge) in various locations has been a revelation.

Of course, the correct lubrication is essential.


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

miamibiker said:


> Thank you for your response. The bike is a
> Specialized hybrid and when i went back to the
> shop when my first spoke broke they told me that
> the warrenty didnt cover the spokes. I didnt want
> ...


Was the bike new when they sold it to you?
If so they should have realised that at 300lbs+ you'd need a better wheel from the outset. They should have pointed out that you would have this problem as the stock wheels would not be built with your build in mind.
If it was new call Specialized direct.


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## miamibiker (Jun 8, 2010)

Hi, 

Guys thanks a lot for all your comments it was a big help i learned a lot. The end result is i got a velocity wheels road bikes wheels for my Specialized hybrid bike. I took it for its first ride and i was felt Awesome. it was a smooth ride and also i go alot faster with road bike wheels. 
Thank you Guy again for your help. I just wanted to inform everyone of my decision


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