Black Spoke Query

jedi_master
jedi_master Posts: 888
edited March 2014 in MTB workshop & tech
Are black spokes worse then silver? I ask as my brothers rear wheel had a spoke snap about a year ago, after owning them for about a year. First ride after the spoke getting replaced, another snapped. Merlin replace the spoke and the second time they re-laced the wheel. A year on and another spoke has snapped. Where it has snapped, the visible metal looks grey and fatigued. The spokes are ACI db black spokes.

Before these wheels he had the standard wheels that had silver spokes that came with the bike, and they never had a problem, even after 4-5 years. They riding style hasn't changed either.

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Not in itself, but as they were different wheelsets, you can't compare.
    I don't do smileys.

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  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    ACI are good spokes I had a pair of Mavic XM719 rims on Shimano XT hubs with ACI spokes built by Merlin about 4 years ago. I have passed the wheels onto a mate when I sold my Canyon but for 3 years I battered them and only broke one spoke and badly bent 4 others when a rock smashed my derailler into the rear wheel.

    Wheels are funny things I had a pair of fancy wheels from a very highly rated well known builder (no names) that spent more time in a wheel jig than on the frame and ended up in the small claims court. I have seen wheels on budget bikes that just refuse to break no matter the abuse.
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  • mattv
    mattv Posts: 992
    Not all spokes are the same materials and lacing patterns, spoke tensions, initial true-Ness of the rim etc all make a difference. Black spokes are generally as strong if not stronger than silver with the same quality steel. Your snapping more spokes could also reflect a deteriorating road network, something we've seen in Leicester!
  • Depends if the black ones are stailess steel under the surface, they probably are, so should be the same strength.
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  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Colour has nothing to do with it.
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    supersonic wrote:
    Colour has nothing to do with it.

    Red spokes make you go faster
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  • stubs wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    Colour has nothing to do with it.

    Red spokes make you go faster
    +1
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  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    stubs wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    Colour has nothing to do with it.

    Red spokes make you look like a poser
    FTFY
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  • 02gf74
    02gf74 Posts: 1,171
    stubs wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    Colour has nothing to do with it.

    Red spokes make you go faster

    surely it is blue spokes as blue light has shorter wavelength.
  • gt-arrowhead
    gt-arrowhead Posts: 2,507
    02GF74 wrote:
    stubs wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    Colour has nothing to do with it.

    Red spokes make you go faster

    surely it is blue spokes as blue light has shorter wavelength.

    Thats true. Because blue light is when something is moving towards you so the wavelength is compressed, and red is moving away, so its stretched. Llike stars, they have "red light" because the universe is expanding and they are moving away from us.

    But red = speed. Its an unproven part of physics :P
  • thelonegroover
    thelonegroover Posts: 1,073
    They're moving at the same speed, they just appear to be different.
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  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    The Rookie wrote:
    stubs wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    Colour has nothing to do with it.

    Red spokes look crap
    FTFY

    FTFY!
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    I do like a red spoke in amongst black. Spokes should only be black (save for one red in some cases)
  • benpinnick
    benpinnick Posts: 4,148
    I reckon theres some tasty Industry Nine wheels with red spokes thrown in for good measure out there.
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  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    Nah, green I9 is where it's at.
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    Any colour that's applied through anodising will weaken the spoke? Not alot I grant you, but a bit.
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  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    Probably a good job that spokes are steel, and aren't anodised then.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Actual lol
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    I have Mavic and Fulcrum wheels with black spokes, and I'm pretty sure they are painted.
    Anodised steel is effectively rust.
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  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Obviously I am poor, so look at the more pauper end of the spectrum.
    I don't do smileys.

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  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    But as they're not available in an unfinished state it's a completely moot point in the context of the point being made.

    But yes, forgive me for not caveating my response by saying:

    "good job spokes are steel except Mavic Zircal, Fulcrum bladed, Marwi ti, Pillar ti, Mavic R-Sys carbon, Mad Fiber carbon, Lightweight carbon, Industry 9 Torch spokes, among others".
  • Neil_aky
    Neil_aky Posts: 211
    I had a couple of spokes break on a wheel a year ago and, as they happened to be black, I came across loads of stuff on the interweb about black spokes being weaker...

    It is all just a web rumour, there is no difference between black and silver stainless spokes. Replace the broken spokes with good quality, traditional spokes (e.g. DT Swiss Champion / DT Swiss Competition); if you keep getting broken spokes then consider replacing all spokes as they can be weakened if you have been riding with a broken spoke of the wheel could have been badly built in the first place.