Homebrew01

There's a 10 post minimum to be able to post pictures. It can be inconvenient, but has been very effective at blocking spammers & scammers that would flood bike forums with junk.

Andrew R Stewart 

No, The Al hub shell is already softer then the steel spoke. The spoke will embed into the flange initially. This is part of a wheel's life, the spokes indent the flange slightly. In the beginning this is a good thing as it reduces the point stress on the spoke, by increasing the spoke/flange surface contact area. However over time the slight flexing of the spokes (with every pedal stroke or bump, as examples) do cause this indentation to very slowly grow. If abrasive or corrosive (dirt/grit/salt) is allowed to collect at this interface the wear will increase. This is what I think I see. Again pretty common stuff.

Now if you were to build up new spokes and rim on this hub (in it's self not a bad idea) care to maintain the spoke/flange orientation is needed. This way the original indents will again line up to the new spokes. Flanges break more readily when the second set of spokes don't line up as the originals did.

For the flange's material to have changed it's softness would require enough heat to change the metal's basic grain structure. I think you'd know if your rear hub got up to 1000* F Andy

davidad

Stress relieving for al is around 400 F and it melts at 1400F. I would guess, without a pic, that the spoke head broke off.

Ilovemyride

I included 3 pics ,maybe someone can give me an idea on what happened , and maybe a place to buy online a new hub quickly .Can't find the broken one ,I looked for the broken spoke because I cut it off in the dark , I could of sworn it was in my cycling shirt rear pocket. Here are some more pics of the hole. One or two things happened ( neither ever in my life ) . The mushroom end wore down and pulled thru or the hole wore bigger and it pulled thru.

Ilovemyride

Well I have already posed 10 posts and it still isnt allowing me to show pics.

Ilovemyride

Someone also without my consent changed my password , sheeeesh !!!!!!!!!!!

Ilovemyride

pics.

Ilovemyride

Ok , all good , got them posted .

ThermionicScott 

That spoke did NOT pull through the hub. Just get the spoke replaced and let this theory go.

tFUnK

Thanks for the pics. Still looks like the spoke head failed. Hub hole looks typical for a previously laced hub.

Ilovemyride

Ohhh k , soooo how/why would the mushroom end ( lack technical wording ) fail , never seen that happen ? Then if it did, its only time till the rest do the same .

Trevtassie

Look like no name brand spokes... cheap and nasty. Get some good spokes. Sapim, DT, etc....

Ilovemyride

I wish that was true that they were cheap and nasty but it is not the case. Strong solid spoke and nipples , laced it myself about 5 years ago . Never one spoke broken.

tFUnK

Well, you mentioned that you built them yourself...🤣
Joking aside, I assume it's probably suboptimal tensioning during the build compounded by years of hard use leading to fatigue at the spoke head, resulting in failure. Very possible that more spoke failures will follow. Time for a new wheel or rebuild.

Ilovemyride

So if someone educated ( in that kind of thing ) could take a look at the hub holes and give me your thoughts if its time to get a new hub ,probably is . I like my wheel and guessing I will probably need to find a identical hub and new spoke and nipples. I've been searching online for a 24 hole 10 speed rear hub cant seem to locate one , well one I can afford .

Ilovemyride

@tFUnK Ok I hear ya . Have you ever seen a spoke ( mushroom end ) pull thru a hub ? I never have ( unless the hub is ruined somehow ) and Im 50yo. Worked at bike shops when I was younger , never happened on any of my bikes , its baffling. As I mentioned in an early post I recently switched from a 23 mm tire to never before 25 mm tire . It definitely seemed heaver and bulkier even though its the same brand , maybe that was enough to put new type of pressure on the spokes , idk .

tFUnK

Here is a prime example of a spoke head failing. This looks more probable than a widened hub hole. If you have an extra spoke it would be easy to check your hub to determine whether it's worth rebuilding.

davidad

What brand of spoke are those? I can't quite make out the ID mark on the heads. I think you can replace the spoke and check the tension of the others. When the wheel dies replace it with one with more spokes properly tensioned. 32 is good, 36 is better.

Ilovemyride

So I have put another spoke in thru the hole and of course at the moment not under pressure it seems ok, but the hole looks all chewed up. I do not have any nipples to pull it tight.

Ilovemyride

Why is 32 or 36 hole better ? I just found the box with some spokes in from quite a while ago . It shows a brand on the outside the seller sent me , but then it says the color is black on the other end and these are silver , so idk how to identify what brand im using are .

davidad

The id on the head of your spokes don't look like DT's. Spoke Head Identification Chart
If you want a reliable long lived wheel you need at least 32 spokes unless you are a 140 pounder.

Ilovemyride

That was a good link , thank you. I tried to snap a photo , still not sure what brand.

Ilovemyride

So hear is a good question , how long should spokes last ? If I buy replacement spokes /and a few extra on hand, Im thinking I will just loosen all them and have a shop tru up the wheel and see how that goes. At the moment the wheel is completely wonky(not straight at all ), but its missing a spoke that was probably over tension .

Oneder

Looks like you got ripped off, the DT swiss are always black so far as I can find anyway.

Ilovemyride

Just need someone to answer my question up top there , and or also give me a link for a good deal on a rear hub or wheel/hub combo that is black rim/black hub. Thanks!