Fat Boy Wheel Warranty Advice Needed

OwenB

Hi,
I got a Defy 1 in June this year and have been in the main totally made up with it, however I keep having issues with spokes loosening on the rear wheel (non drive side).
Now I'm a big guy at 273 lbs however I was told when I bought the bike that my weight wouldn't be an issue and that there was no upper weight limit on the wheels.

Should the loose spokes be repaired as a warranty issue? Or do you think I should be repairing this myself? Also Is it usual for the spokes to keep loosening like this?
It's happened a couple of times now, first time about 7 spokes went loose all at the same time on a tight bend on a downhill section which was a frightening experience, I thought the rear wheel was collapsing on me!

cattytown

I was a similar size when I got defy 2. I also had issues with the spokes loosening. basic truing is something that may occasionally be needed, and with wheels carrying more weight it will need doing more often.

I found it needed less adjustment after I went round all the spokes and added tension to them all before fine tuning.

I can't say I noticed them going loose at any particular point though.

You are close to the limit on a defy - http://www.shopgiant-bicycles.co.uk/363 ... -red-.aspx so I would expect a little more fettling to be needed, but I would not expect sudden fails.

Paul.

OwenB

I've been in to my LBS this morning with the wheel, they're going to refit the spokes in a different pattern to the one Giant originally fitted apparently it was a lighter way of lacing the spokes but not particularly strong. And when they do that they're replacing the nipples with pro lock ones so they shouldn't loosen.

So hopefully a reasonable result, I can't afford new wheels at the moment so if this doesn't fix it I'm off the road

ugo.santalucia

OwenB wrote:

I've been in to my LBS this morning with the wheel, they're going to refit the spokes in a different pattern to the one Giant originally fitted apparently it was a lighter way of lacing the spokes but not particularly strong. And when they do that they're replacing the nipples with pro lock ones so they shouldn't loosen.

So hopefully a reasonable result, I can't afford new wheels at the moment so if this doesn't fix it I'm off the road

They should also replace the spokes... if you change the pattern you need a different length.
Your weight is significant and although they might not have a nominal weight limit, for the future think in terms of a set built with you in mind. Your set has 28 spokes at the rear, ideally you want 36

OwenB

ugo.santalucia wrote:

OwenB wrote:

I've been in to my LBS this morning with the wheel, they're going to refit the spokes in a different pattern to the one Giant originally fitted apparently it was a lighter way of lacing the spokes but not particularly strong. And when they do that they're replacing the nipples with pro lock ones so they shouldn't loosen.

So hopefully a reasonable result, I can't afford new wheels at the moment so if this doesn't fix it I'm off the road

They should also replace the spokes... if you change the pattern you need a different length.
Your weight is significant and although they might not have a nominal weight limit, for the future think in terms of a set built with you in mind. Your set has 28 spokes at the rear, ideally you want 36

They'll be putting new spokes in, apparently they have a different spoke pattern on both sides of the wheel currently so he's looking to match them up with a stronger pattern.

I do intend to get some decent wheels in the near future but with 4 kids and 2 step kids and Christmas fast approaching I can't really afford the outlay. Hopefully for next summer!! No doubt then I'll be on asking for advice on what to go for.

ugo.santalucia

OwenB wrote:

They'll be putting new spokes in, apparently they have a different spoke pattern on both sides of the wheel currently so he's looking to match them up with a stronger pattern.

Yes, at the moment you have a radial NDS, which is a fancy pattern invented in combination with tiny left hand flanges by wheels manufacturers to have one length only for front and rear wheels and so cut costs... of course it has been sold as an upgrade on the grounds (completely made up) that it makes for a stiffer wheel and a more durable one (as you found out yourself). Hopefully a 2 cross NDS will resolve the issue. Interesting the shop took the time to make a modification, instead of flogging more of the same crap... worth dealing with them

cattytown

Indeed - sound like a decent shop.

Decent wheels may not cost silly money, and may be worth considering suggesting to family they club together and get you a set for christmas, rather than socks & jumpers :-)

Paul.

wishitwasallflat

cattytown wrote:

Indeed - sound like a decent shop.

Decent wheels may not cost silly money, and may be worth considering suggesting to family they club together and get you a set for christmas, rather than socks & jumpers :-)

Paul.

plus one to this - I was very heavy when I got my bike (21st plus!) and had no end of trouble with OEM and warranty replacement wheels. Fortunately for me Specialized were super about warranty replacements and repairs. After a year or so of that SH7t I gave up and got a set of 105 Hubs 36 hole front and rear handbuilts from Harry Rowland (cost £250 a year ago). 3.7k miles later I have only had to tweak one nipple once to true them. Never got more than 1k on any other factory wheels. As soon as you can afford it I recommend similar change and if you can do it now before you ruin the OEM wheels you can sell them to offset the costs.

kajjal

wishitwasallflat wrote:

cattytown wrote:

Indeed - sound like a decent shop.

Decent wheels may not cost silly money, and may be worth considering suggesting to family they club together and get you a set for christmas, rather than socks & jumpers :-)

Paul.

plus one to this - I was very heavy when I got my bike (21st plus!) and had no end of trouble with OEM and warranty replacement wheels. Fortunately for me Specialized were super about warranty replacements and repairs. After a year or so of that SH7t I gave up and got a set of 105 Hubs 36 hole front and rear handbuilts from Harry Rowland (cost £250 a year ago). 3.7k miles later I have only had to tweak one nipple once to true them. Never got more than 1k on any other factory wheels. As soon as you can afford it I recommend similar change and if you can do it now before you ruin the OEM wheels you can sell them to offset the costs.

This is good advice.

OwenB

Yeah they're a good shop and the guy who said he's going to do the rebuild has a good reputation as a really good wheelbuilder locally so I'll save up and ask his opinion on what would work for me.
I don't need anything lightweight and my bike is a bit of everything for me at the moment as I use it for commuting and weekend rides when I get the chance. So they do need to be durable yet easy to maintain as I'm technically challenged.

ugo.santalucia

OwenB wrote:

I don't need anything lightweight and my bike is a bit of everything for me at the moment as I use it for commuting and weekend rides when I get the chance. So they do need to be durable yet easy to maintain as I'm technically challenged.

This could be a good starting point then

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... i-rear-hub

OwenB

ugo.santalucia wrote:

OwenB wrote:

I don't need anything lightweight and my bike is a bit of everything for me at the moment as I use it for commuting and weekend rides when I get the chance. So they do need to be durable yet easy to maintain as I'm technically challenged.

This could be a good starting point then

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... i-rear-hub

They look ideal from your report, and they seem to be quite reasonably priced too, a quick scan of the web and the cheapest I've seen so far is £70, if I were to go down this route what kind of rims and spokes would you suggest?

ugo.santalucia

OwenB wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

OwenB wrote:

I don't need anything lightweight and my bike is a bit of everything for me at the moment as I use it for commuting and weekend rides when I get the chance. So they do need to be durable yet easy to maintain as I'm technically challenged.

This could be a good starting point then

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... i-rear-hub

They look ideal from your report, and they seem to be quite reasonably priced too, a quick scan of the web and the cheapest I've seen so far is £70, if I were to go down this route what kind of rims and spokes would you suggest?

For you probably something like Velocity Deep V or even Velocity Chukker if you fancy something wider, comfier and even stronger. 36 spokes at the rear and 28/32 or 36 at the front. Chukker only if you have enough clearance on your bike to fit 25 + mm tyres though.
Your shop should be able to get hold of everything, including Miche hubs of un-matched hole count

OwenB

Excellent, I suppose the best thing for me to do is call in and ask for a quote to get them built up. I know he can be very cheap for the actual builds though as he did some rebuilds for a friend recently and only charged £15 a wheel so the labour cost isn't a concern to me.

ugo.santalucia

OwenB wrote:

Excellent, I suppose the best thing for me to do is call in and ask for a quote to get them built up. I know he can be very cheap for the actual builds though as he did some rebuilds for a friend recently and only charged £15 a wheel so the labour cost isn't a concern to me.

That is indeed very cheap... :shock:

OwenB

Just picked up the wheel, they've laced it in a 3 cross pattern and fitted it with DT Swiss Champion Spokes and DT Swiss Pro Lock nipples.
Asked him about getting a build on the wheels and he's suggested to wait and see how I get on with these and if they go again we can discuss an alternative build. I've always supported this LBS, I think they're great but in this case they're really doing themselves proud!

ugo.santalucia

cattytown

Indeed. I think the service warrants a name check.

Paul.

OwenB

Top Mark Cycles in Barrow in Furness.