Can you buy stronger spokes?

mallorcajeff
mallorcajeff Posts: 1,489
edited May 2012 in Workshop
Hi i have broken three spokes in three weeks. I bought three spokes at the cost of 15 quid and eaxh time i go out within 100 miles its broke again? The wheel is an s80 i bought a pack of three sapim spokes but do they make a stronger one i could relace the whole wheel with but must be cheaper than 15£ for 3! Always the driveside as well? Any tips as dobt want to sell the wheels as i love riding them and want them on my tt bike but getting a real pain now. The shop does a good job so wobt be the mechanic fault? Any help? Thanks

Comments

  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Sounds to me like you need a better wheel-builder...
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • Yossie
    Yossie Posts: 2,600
    Sorry to say it but yup - I think its down to the shop unless you have some really bad luck.

    Sorry ........
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    You don't need stronger spokes, they never break for "weakness" but for metal fatigue or becuase the tension is excessively low onthe non drive side. You need a better build
    left the forum March 2023
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    + lots

    Even if you're >20st it's not the spokes if they're breaking at that rate.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    You need to find the SRAM specification for driveside spoke tension and use a tensiometer to set it correctly.
    For traditional wheels, you can ping and there is a fair degree of latitude. For fancy-pants wheels, the tolerances are much tighter.
  • mallorcajeff
    mallorcajeff Posts: 1,489
    Thanks guys different shop tonight it is then hey ho thanks all fingers crossed
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    mallorcajeff wrote:
    Thanks guys different shop tonight it is then hey ho thanks all fingers crossed

    Are you sure? LBS typically don't investigate the problem, just do a quick fix, but the problem remains.

    Last week I was sent a mysterious wheel that kept going out of true... the reason turned out to be excessive tension, simply the rim could not cope with that tension... a bike shop will simply re-true it, charge 10 pounds and send you back on the road. I have never seen an LBS using a spoke tension gauge, which is any builder's best friend... getting it wrong is easy without, a full turn of a nipple can load up to 300 extra Newton on a rim, which is a hell of a lot of extra tension to bear.
    My advice is to walk in the shop and ask them to check the tension, if they think they know better and start squeezing spokes with their thumbs as if they knew tension by hand, save your money and go somewhere else
    left the forum March 2023
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    The wheel needs backing off and retensioning from scratch by a different wheelbuilder. Preferably with new spokes as so many are being broken.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}

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