Help - my spokes keep snapping!!

felix500

I bought a Trek 1200 about a year ago with a set of Bontrager SSR wheels, 24 spokes in the rear and 20 spokes in the front. After about 6 months I started snapping spokes in the rear wheel. Its costing me about 13 quid each time and I went through about 8 spokes before finally getting a full re-build which seems to have [temporarily?] cured the problem. Last week I snapped a spoke in the front wheel for the first time. Had it repaired straight away but this morning another ones gone even before I got off my drive.

I'm about 15 1/2 stone so I'm prepared to concede that I'm contributing to the problem but I'm at the point where I think its going to be cheaper in the long run to get a new pair of wheels if it means I'm not continuously handing over £13 to the bike shop. I can probabaly stretch to about £100 a wheel so I'd welcome any suggestions as to what to go for.

AntLockyer

I've been investigating this I'm a little lighter than you but people have recomended 32 spokes on the back even for my weight. Mavic open pro with the hub of your choice.

I'm going to build my own.

maddog 2

get yourself some handbuilts

Paul Hewitt is my choice but there are plenty of good builders out there who can build you a reliable light set

HungryCol

AntLockyer wrote:

I've been investigating this I'm a little lighter than you but people have recomended 32 spokes on the back even for my weight. Mavic open pro with the hub of your choice.

I'm going to build my own.

I second the Open pro's. I too keep on snapping spokes. Funnily enough on the non-drive side of my rear wheel and always at the nipple. I want to get Open Pro's, DT Swiss spokes and Shimaino 105 hubs but it's a lot of money. I'm considering if Aksium's would be strong enough for cheaper.

Mikey1280

HungryCol wrote:

AntLockyer wrote:

I've been investigating this I'm a little lighter than you but people have recomended 32 spokes on the back even for my weight. Mavic open pro with the hub of your choice.

I'm going to build my own.

I second the Open pro's. I too keep on snapping spokes. Funnily enough on the non-drive side of my rear wheel and always at the nipple. I want to get Open Pro's, DT Swiss spokes and Shimaino 105 hubs but it's a lot of money. I'm considering if Aksium's would be strong enough for cheaper.

No DT Swiss spokes but these are cheaper than Aksiums . . . .

Open pros with 105 hubs

felix500

Mikey1280 wrote:

HungryCol wrote:

AntLockyer wrote:

I've been investigating this I'm a little lighter than you but people have recomended 32 spokes on the back even for my weight. Mavic open pro with the hub of your choice.

I'm going to build my own.

I second the Open pro's. I too keep on snapping spokes. Funnily enough on the non-drive side of my rear wheel and always at the nipple. I want to get Open Pro's, DT Swiss spokes and Shimaino 105 hubs but it's a lot of money. I'm considering if Aksium's would be strong enough for cheaper.

No DT Swiss spokes but these are cheaper than Aksiums . . . .

Open pros with 105 hubs

Should I get the anodised CD Open Pro hubs. They seem to ba few quid extra and claim to be harder. Also, is it worth spending a bit more for Durace orUltegra hubs?

geoff_ss

You're about the same weight as me and my camping gear used to be and I wouldn't have dreamt of cycle camping on fewer than 36 spokes in the rear wheel.

I've just built a pair of 32 spoke wheels with 105 hubs, DT spokes and and Mavic Open pro rims. They were the easiest wheels I've ever built probably because of the high quality rims and spokes.

If you've broken spokes in the front wheel, which is quite rare except with pot hole impact, then it looks as though you're using inferior spokes.

I think my wheels cost about £130 for the materials. I've hardly used them - just a quick ride up and down the street to check the gears on my new bike - but I'm hoping for reliability. That's more important than saving a few ounces by minimising spoke count.

Geoff

felix500

Geoff_SS wrote:

You're about the same weight as me and my camping gear used to be and I wouldn't have dreamt of cycle camping on fewer than 36 spokes in the rear wheel.

I've just built a pair of 32 spoke wheels with 105 hubs, DT spokes and and Mavic Open pro rims. They were the easiest wheels I've ever built probably because of the high quality rims and spokes.

If you've broken spokes in the front wheel, which is quite rare except with pot hole impact, then it looks as though you're using inferior spokes.

I think my wheels cost about £130 for the materials. I've hardly used them - just a quick ride up and down the street to check the gears on my new bike - but I'm hoping for reliability. That's more important than saving a few ounces by minimising spoke count.

Geoff

Thanks. I didn't set out to minimise spoke count. It's how the bike came and I was told the wheels would be as strong as a 32 spoke wheel. Is this not the case? From what everybody's saying, it seems that the main thing I need to consider in a new wheel is more spokes. Will this solve my problem?

felix500

Geoff_SS wrote:

You're about the same weight as me and my camping gear used to be and I wouldn't have dreamt of cycle camping on fewer than 36 spokes in the rear wheel.

I've just built a pair of 32 spoke wheels with 105 hubs, DT spokes and and Mavic Open pro rims. They were the easiest wheels I've ever built probably because of the high quality rims and spokes.

If you've broken spokes in the front wheel, which is quite rare except with pot hole impact, then it looks as though you're using inferior spokes.

I think my wheels cost about £130 for the materials. I've hardly used them - just a quick ride up and down the street to check the gears on my new bike - but I'm hoping for reliability. That's more important than saving a few ounces by minimising spoke count.

Geoff

Thanks. I didn't set out to minimise spoke count. It's how the bike came and I was told the wheels would be as strong as a 32 spoke wheel. Is this not the case? From what everybody's saying, it seems that the main thing I need to consider in a new wheel is more spokes. Will this solve my problem?

cookie72

Hi - I bought a Trek 1400 in 2005 with Bontrager Select wheels, I too am on the heavy side and had the same issue although a couple of my spokes pulled through the rim. I went back to my LBS who were excellent (Mike Vaughan). They recommended the Mavic Open Pros and even came to a compensation deal to hel me fund them

Meds1962

I'm about 15st and regularly snapped spokes on my ritchey rear wheel and got fed up with it, the spokes always broke at the hub for me.

I bought shimano 105 wheels (5500 I think), that have fewer spokes than the Richeys and the only problem I've had in two years is one spoke replacement due to the thread stripping at the rim, the spoke was intact.

The Shimano spokes are bladed and and clearly stronger than the round section spokes on the Ritchey wheels. LBS took a couple of weeks to get the correct replacement spoke in but lent me a spare wheel so no problem.

felix500

Thanks for all the advice. I've just placed an order with Ribble for some Mavic Open pro CDs with Ultegra hubs. Threw in a new ultegra cassette, chain, conti gator tyres and tubes for good measure so I will have a fully functioning spare set on standby in the old Bonty wheels (once straightened!) So that'll be an expensive commute today then!

SDP

you can put 64 spokes in & if they are badly built & you are a big boy who creates a lot of torque at the wheel..then you will snap spokes...

i have raced on a pair of shamals ( old style 16 spoke ) & never even had to true it & i have had 36s with a few miles on them fall to bits within 50 miles..( thanks to on yer bike when they were in central brum - priory queensway )

you can buy the best rims/hubs/spokes but if you dont know how to use them they will be as good as a chocolate fireguard...


take advice from your LBS or ring someone like hewitt/ harry rowland or tim at echelon & get the right wheels for you ...

JWSurrey

The added beauty of Ultegra hubs is that you can radial spoke the front wheel - You can allegedly do this with a 105 hub too, though it's not designed for it.
I'm slightly lighter, however I still had the front wheel 32H spoked straight gauge - Most of weight/stress being on the back.

Sapim publish tests of their spokes. Somewhat paradoxically, their bladed spokes are one of their strongest.

Radial, IMHO, gives a tighter more direct feel.
I went for 3x on the rear - both sides - bombproof - and yes, another Open Pro fan.

geoff_ss

SDP wrote:

you can put 64 spokes in & if they are badly built & you are a big boy who creates a lot of torque at the wheel..then you will snap spokes...

i have raced on a pair of shamals ( old style 16 spoke ) & never even had to true it & i have had 36s with a few miles on them fall to bits within 50 miles..( thanks to on yer bike when they were in central brum - priory queensway )

you can buy the best rims/hubs/spokes but if you dont know how to use them they will be as good as a chocolate fireguard...


take advice from your LBS or ring someone like hewitt/ harry rowland or tim at echelon & get the right wheels for you ...

All other things being equal a wheel with more spokes will be the stronger. Some tandem rear wheels have as many as 48 but I've always got away with 40 and, once, 36 on a Campag hub with 18mm tyres for a one off 25.

Geoff

SDP

best if you read my original post again geoff...

:roll:

Fred Steele

Sorry to jump in, but my first ever wheel build was a 32 hole Open Pro rim with a 105 hub and Sapim spokes - it is an extremely reliable and maintenance-free wheel. Spokes did begin to loosen after a week, but that was my fault for not having them tight enough in the first place. Once I gave them some more tension they were fine. Best way to learn is by risking your own neck!