Shimano RS10 wheels - unrideable if a spoke snaps?

Steve I

I've had a set of these for a month now. However, (perhaps too late) I've read a few times online that low spoke count wheels are usually unrideable if a spoke breaks. If that was the case, the wheel would go instantly out of true enough to lock up in the brake caliper causing a skid or potentially far worse. These wheels sound dangerous to me.

Anyone any real life experience of what happens if a spoke breaks on a low spoke count wheel such as these? Am I worrying needlessly? I weigh just over 10st, but I'm not a 10st weakling by any means.

Baytt

had a set of RS10s for over a year, not broke a spoke or gone out of true and im 14-15st and through the bike around a fair ammount.

they seem to be fairly strong so id say dont worry about it to much.

had a set of 26" wheels on a hybrid that i broke 3 spokes on the back wheel in under a year, never locked the wheel up, just tore the mech of

Zendog1

I have had a spoke go on Shimano staight pull wheels - that's one in about 20k miles so not a frequent problem.

The wheel stayed true enough to ride home no problem - didn't even need to open the brake calipers.

I would'nt worry about it.

Ljaydee

I bought a pair of these after reading a review in Cycling +. Done a 1000k on them and no probs. even after a dog ran into the front wheel causing me to crash.

The Hedgehog

Last year I had a pair of these & a spoke went on the back wheel after only approx 200 miles, whilst climbing a very steep hill. It took several weeks to track down a replacement spoke, no-one seemed to stock them. Wouldn't touch them again.

markos1963

Broke a spoke on my R550's and didn't need to even open up the calipers to get home. I'm 13.5 stone and a fairly powerful rider so I shouldn't worry too much.

HillClimber101

my RS10's (given to me by the shop as the old wheels had a fault and a spoke came loose ) are fine afler 1500 miles+,

yet i am only 10 stone

Steve I

Thanks guys, it seems I'm worrying too much. I feel a lot more confident after reading most of the above, cheers.

AlanW

I broke a spoke in the rear of my Ksyrium SL's this morning, the net result was the bike was unrideable. :x

The wheel buckled so badly it would not pass by the frame, let alone the brake blocks!

In saying that, I have been riding Mavic wheels for years and never had a problem til this morning. But it does make you think doesn't it?

What is worrying is that I use the same wheels in my Audax bike and I would certainly not like to be miles away from home and in the middle of no where and have the same thing happen?

Steve I

Were you moving at the time? If so, since the wheel couldn't rotate, I presume the wheel locked up.

AlanW

Indeed I was, on a flat and smooth road as well. The first I knew was that I heard a really loud "snap" that came from the rear wheel quickly followed by a rather expensive sounding rubbing noise!!

I stopped as quick as I could to investigate. I have to admit to being pretty gob smacked as to how much the wheel had buckled due to one spoke breaking. I removed the remains of the broken spoke, (the flash red one) and lifted the rear of the bike to spin the wheel. It was jamming inside the frame by the bottom bracket, and would have caused a fair amount of damage to the carbon fibre. if I would have ridden it.

And despite undoing the brake calipers to the widest point, the wheel was still hitting the brake blocks

So I had not choice but to ring the missus and started to push the bike back home. But I had to carry it, coz without any weight on the bike the wheel just locked in the frame.

Like I said before I have used Mavic factory built wheels for years and never had any problems, but this was certainly a wake up and makes you think.

I ride quite a few long distance events, and quite often a long way from home. So had this happened while on one of these events, Lord knows what I would have done???

I love my SL's and my ES wheels, but I after today I have my doubts if they are really suitable for my own application?

In saying that, perhaps its just a knee jerk reaction, who knows??

Steve I

Ok mate, thanks very much for your input. It would be easy to remove a brake caliper or shoes, but since in your case the tyre was rubbing the frame there was no point. I Hope your frame didn't get too badly marked.

edeverett

I broke a spoke on my rear Shimano R600 wheel going down hill at about 50km/h. The result was alarming but not catastrophic - the wheel was well out of true and rubbing hard on the brakes but not so much as the wheel couldn't turn. If it had been the front it would have been scarrier but wouldn't have thrown me over the bars. I had to loosen the brakes fully and adjust the mudguard to get home, but it was no disaster.

andy_wrx

A nipple broke on my rear R550 and if it weren't for the clattering noise of the spoke flapping about against the other spokes and the hub, I wouldn't have known...
I rode it for another 20 miles after that without any adjustment other than an elastic band to secure the loose spoke.

On the other hand, Mrs wrx had a spoke break on a hire bike in Italy earlier this year (I won't say she broke it, based on the way she rides, gentle as anything, but who knows who'd had it before her...) on the rear Ksyrium Elite and this locked the rear wheel, causing a hairy skid moment.

edeverett

I wonder if the different experiences here might be caused by spokes in different positions breaking. Drive-side rear spokes on these wheels are likely to be under a lot more tension than elsewhere so will have a greater affect on the resulting trueness.

My spoke failure was on the drive-side rear.

whydoesitalwaysrainonme

Don't worry about it, i have broken about four spokes and each time the bike has stopped to a halt, never any loss of control.

N4PALM

I have a pair of RS-10's and personally I think they are rubbish. Wannabe racing wheels that are neither light and stiff enough for racing nor tough enough for high mileage training.

My experience with them was the rear going out of true within 50 miles. Despite them being re-trued a couple of times, them never staying in true. The bladed spokes twisting thus defeating the idea of the bladed spoke design. They creak and ping and flex. They are just cheap heavy wheels designed to look fancy more than perform fancy.

I had a spoke break on the rear, I had to losen the brakes to get the wheel to spin freely. I managed to get home ok but I didnt feel confident doing so. By the time I got home the wheel had gone even more out and was again rubbing the brakes. Despite this my LBS assured me the wheel was still rideable, although I shouldnt go on any epic rides until it was fixed.

I chose not to get these crappy wheels fixed, instead I replaced them with Mavic Open Pro rims on 105 hubs.

keef66

Mine are fine after a year of riding. No broken spokes, in fact all still very evenly tensioned, and both wheels still completely true. I'm no heavyweight though, and don't race.

wastelander

Lost a spoke on a rear Fulcrum Racing 3 ealier this year - the only give away was a little flex creak from the other spokes when out of the saddle. Rode home no problems.

Sundayrider

Cheers,

I now have tyre blowouts and spoke breakage to think about on fast downhills :shock:

dennisn

I think just about any wheel has the chance of being unrideable when a spoke breaks.
It's just that the fewer the spokes the greater the chances of it being so out of true that getting home could be problematic.

edeverett

Sundayrider wrote:

I now have tyre blowouts and spoke breakage to think about on fast downhills

Have you ever noticed how much carbon forks bend when you hit a bump? That's what you should really worry about :-)

Sundayrider

edeverett wrote:

Have you ever noticed how much carbon forks bend when you hit a bump? That's what you should really worry about :-)

:shock:

benvickery

I was 40 miles into a club ride about a month ago when I had a spoke go on my rear RS-10 wheel. I had to loosen my brakes so the wheel could turn and had to ride the 50 miles home really slowly as the wheel was all over the place. I'm still waiting for the bike shop to get hold of a spoke so they can fix the wheel.

I should just buy a new wheel.

Helmsdini

I will toss my two cents in here as well. I am a pretty heavy and aggressive rider. I weigh in at about 185lbs and put out a great deal of wattage on the wheel. I like to sprint, short-climb, attack and time trial.

Long story short, I was on a training ride about 50 miles from home (unsupported) and on a flat section I broke a rear RS-10 spoke. The wheel went pretty seriously out of true, but i was able to open up the calipers and nurse the bike back home with the broken rear spoke. I obviously didnt hammer on it or push my luck, but I got back home. The bad news is that the spoke has been backordered for 3 months now and I am sick and tired of waiting on it. The bike shop that sponsors me was generous enough to give me a loaner rear training wheel, but Id like to be beating my own wheels to death instead of someone else's.