When to replace a wheel?

Xommul

Hi Folks,

More noob questions if i may.

I have had my DT Swiss 1500R wheels for 3 years now. In that time i have broken 3 spokes on the rear wheel and the 4th went today after i was forced into a large pothole at speed by a bin lorry. I have had them replaced by the LBS like for like and they re true and tension the wheel.

I can still see the dots on the breaking surface but i have noticed a little play in the hubs.

Can i just keep replacing the spokes and get a hub service done or is there appoint when new wheels will have to be bought?

Cheers

Xom

ai_1

I'm not familiar with the wheels: Are the hub bearings cartridge type or cup and cones? If they use a cup and cone then play can probaby be eliminated easily with a small adjustment of the cones which you can do yourself in a few minutes. As long as the brake tracks are not excessively worn and the rims are undamaged I don't think you need to replace an entire wheel. If they're running true then a bearing adjustment, lubrication or replacement, depending on type and condition, to remove play and keep them running smooth is probably all that's needed.

keef66

My RS10's are 7 years old and have been ridden through 6 winters. I don't do much braking though, and the wear indicators are still easy to spot when cleaning the rims. Broke my first spoke a couple of months ago, but it was on the rear drive side at the hub, and I suspect related to an incident a while ago when the chain jumped off the largest sprocket and jammed briefly. New spoke fitted and it seems to be staying true, so I'm going to carry on riding them with a periodic clean / regrease / adjust of the (cup and cone) bearings until the rims are worn out or the spoke breakages become frequent (they aren't cheap)

ugo.santalucia

Your wheels are fully re-buildable, as the hubs use J bend spokes.
Having been built for weight, they used Dt revolution spokes, which are not very durable under load (rear wheel). It's just a matter of rebuilding them with Dt competition at the rear and you should get plenty of mileage.

The hub shouldn't have play... are you sure the freehub assembly is packed tightly and the end cap sitting correctly?

It's all good stuff and worth maintaining

simon_e

I recommend you report the pothole to your council and state that it broke your wheel. I do it via http://www.fillthathole.org.uk

Xommul

Thanks for the advice. Im slowly chaining the spokes to tougher ones.

The LBS said there is no play on the hubs thankfully. When the bank allows i will get some new wheels but thats not for a while.

Cheers