Two broken spokes

Jamey

Hot on the heels of my BB problems, crank problems and previous broken spoke and wheel truing problems comes a brand new instalment of drama from Jamey's Bike Problems Inc.

Today it's a double whammy of broken spokes on the way home. Both on the rear wheel and the first one was non drive side. The second one I'm not sure because it was dark and I couldn't be arsed to look by that point.

Guess I'll just take it back to Evans tomorrow, again, and ask them to re-tension it, again. Could try asking for a new back wheel but I'm sure they'll say no.

Dustine

Dont know how helpful this is, not having read any of your other problem-related posts, but i would say that the more you can learn about your bike, and fix yourself, the less likely these problems are to arise. Obviously, sealed bearings in BBs and wheels are going to wear out sooner or later (often sooner i find), but i now try to use shimano or Campag hubs so they can be rebuilt and regreased, and so forth. I also use headsets that dont use sealed bearings so that they can just be stripped, cleaned and regreased. I also now build my own wheels, and try to keep them trued.

I cant say that i have no problems at all, but i can at least identify and repair anything that does go wrong. And i try to prevent rather than cure where possible.

Jamey

Dustine wrote:

...the more you can learn about your bike, and fix yourself, the less likely these problems are to arise.

I agree. That's why I went on a course the other weekend to learn how to do it. Stripped the bike down to the frame and rebuilt it. Unfortunately a lot of the torque figures they supply on that course are wrong, I've since discovered.

Dustine wrote:

Obviously, sealed bearings in BBs and wheels are going to wear out sooner or later (often sooner i find)

True, but the bike is only four weeks old. I bought it mid-September. See here for the full calendar.

Dustine wrote:

I also now build my own wheels, and try to keep them trued.

That's something I'd love to learn but it will have to wait a while. Plus buying a truing jig will cost a fair bit.

At the end of the day, yes, it's great to be able to fix things yourself but I shouldn't have to on a four-week-old bike, not to this degree.

Dustine

I agree, you shouldnt have to. But sometimes when the magazines have bike tests, they have headsets fall apart after 10 miles, and things like that. Ive known people with brand new cars be back to the garage on a weekly basis, and others never have a thing go wrong. Theirs an element of luck involved i think.

Having brought brand new bikes for my kids this year, i have dismantled them and greased headsets and seatposts, trued wheels before they even rode them, and so on. And i tried to buy decent ones in the first place. My own solution is that for myself, i would never buy a complete bike now. It may cost slightly more (and i would doubt it, in the long run) but i nowadays buy the parts and a frame and assemble them myself. If you pick up bits in sales, and are prepared to wait for stuff to be reduced, it can be as cheap as buying a bike complete, and you can pick bits that are reliable and that you can trust for the long haul.

Which of course is not to say you wont have frustrations in getting the stuff to fit or work together, but at least you know exactly whats what!!

el_presidente

Evans should have given you a new wheel on the spot imho. Sending it back to Specialized is ridiculous.