Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Bicycle Mechanics
Reload this Page >

Three broken spokes. Should I give up on the wheel?

Notices
Bicycle Mechanics Broken bottom bracket? Tacoed wheel? If you're having problems with your bicycle, or just need help fixing a flat, drop in here for the latest on bicycle mechanics & bicycle maintenance.

Three broken spokes. Should I give up on the wheel?

Old 06-15-19, 02:33 PM
  #1  
gary10509
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Fort Wayne, IN
Posts: 17

Bikes: 2015 Giant Defy Advanced 1, 2014 Trek 7.4 FX, 2010 Giant Defy 3, 1984 Schwinn Voyageur

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Three broken spokes. Should I give up on the wheel?

2014 Trek FX 7.4 hybrid bike with Bontrager Nebula 32-hole rims. The bike has between 3 and 4k miles on it. Broke a spoke on the front wheel last fall. Had it replaced at LBS. Broke a spoke on the same wheel in April. Had it replaced. Broke another spoke on the same wheel about two weeks later. Rather than having the third broken spoke replaced, I replaced the wheel. All three spokes broke while riding on smooth city streets, within a few hundred miles at most.

I'd really like to have the wheel repaired, but should I? I've not had a problem with broken spokes on any other bike. Is this indicative of a wheel problem, or just bad luck? Would you fix it or not?

Thanks.

Last edited by gary10509; 06-15-19 at 02:38 PM.
gary10509 is offline  
Old 06-15-19, 02:38 PM
  #2  
Cyclist0108
Occam's Rotor
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times in 1,164 Posts
If the rim and hub are ok, and worth something, have the wheel rebuilt with new spokes. But if you already replaced it, and the old wheel isn't of any use to you, just keep it for the hub and rim if you have room to store spare parts.
Cyclist0108 is offline  
Old 06-15-19, 03:16 PM
  #3  
Bill Kapaun
Really Old Senior Member
 
Bill Kapaun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Mid Willamette Valley, Orygun
Posts: 13,822

Bikes: 87 RockHopper,2008 Specialized Globe. Both upgraded to 9 speeds.

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1774 Post(s)
Liked 1,230 Times in 851 Posts
It sounds like a bad batch of spokes and/or possibly bad build.
New spokes & a competent build and it would be better than new.
Bill Kapaun is offline  
Likes For Bill Kapaun:
Old 06-16-19, 06:57 AM
  #4  
Moe Zhoost
Half way there
 
Moe Zhoost's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,955

Bikes: Many, and the list changes frequently

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 985 Post(s)
Liked 879 Times in 526 Posts
Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun
It sounds like a bad batch of spokes and/or possibly bad build.
New spokes & a competent build and it would be better than new.
Agree
Moe Zhoost is offline  
Likes For Moe Zhoost:
Old 06-16-19, 07:52 AM
  #5  
DaveSSS 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Loveland, CO
Posts: 7,212

Bikes: Cinelli superstar disc, two Yoeleo R12

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1090 Post(s)
Liked 554 Times in 443 Posts
I'd compare the cost to rebuild to the cost for a new wheel. LBS labor isn't cheap and you could pay more for a rebuild than a new front wheel of similar quality.
DaveSSS is offline  
Likes For DaveSSS:
Old 06-16-19, 09:12 AM
  #6  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
thousands of miles of wire goes into making spokes some flaws are inevitable ...

ever thought you would like a dynamo hub front wheel, for lights in the dark seasons ?

this might be the time to buy it, now, rather than keep fixing your current front wheel..







...
fietsbob is offline  
Likes For fietsbob:
Old 06-16-19, 02:27 PM
  #7  
Brocephus
Professional amateur
 
Brocephus's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Ga.
Posts: 665

Bikes: Does a Big Wheel count ?

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 295 Post(s)
Liked 133 Times in 89 Posts
Originally Posted by DaveSSS
I'd compare the cost to rebuild to the cost for a new wheel. LBS labor isn't cheap and you could pay more for a rebuild than a new front wheel of similar quality.
My thoughts exactly. A 4th spoke replacement is just good money after bad, (been there), and it's only worth a full re-build if it's a fairly high-end hub and rim (I haven't looked up that bike, but being a hybrid bike, I'm thinking it probably ain't).
A full re-build, with some quality spokes, is probably gonna cost around $80, and you'll still just have a (I assume) low-end wheel.
For around twice that money, you can get a complete (matching) wheelset from someplace like BicycleWheelWarehouse, with better Shimano hubs, and some Sapim or DT spokes, which might be a good idea. If you're popping spokes on the front (kinda unusual), then I wouldn't be surprised if the rear wheel isn't far behind.

Last edited by Brocephus; 06-17-19 at 06:55 AM.
Brocephus is offline  
Likes For Brocephus:
Old 06-16-19, 04:37 PM
  #8  
blamester
Blamester
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,043

Bikes: Peugeot teamline

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 264 Post(s)
Liked 122 Times in 101 Posts
Unusual on a front wheel so likely it's badly built.
New wheel.
blamester is offline  
Likes For blamester:
Old 06-17-19, 09:09 AM
  #9  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,842

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2575 Post(s)
Liked 1,900 Times in 1,192 Posts
Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun
It sounds like a bad batch of spokes and/or possibly bad build.
New spokes & a competent build and it would be better than new.
Agreed.

Material flaw might cause one spoke to break. After the third failure (and an accelerated rate), you've probably got a cheap machine-built wheel with undertensioned spokes. The spokes have cyclic stressed, and many if not all the original spokes are close to failure.

If you want to tackle this yourself, tighten all the spokes a quarter turn (if you're a musician, see if they're now near an A above middle C). Put on some heavy gloves, and squeeze the dickens out of adjacent pairs on each side. If more break, replace and re-squeeze until the wheel is solid. That's not economically viable if you don't do it yourself.

It's worth asking the source of your new wheel if they checked the tension. Probably not, and it would be well to get a competent wheel builder to properly tension and stress-relieve the new wheel. (Once you've found that competent builder, you might get him or her to check on your rear wheel, too.)
pdlamb is online now  
Likes For pdlamb:
Old 06-17-19, 10:51 AM
  #10  
Bill Kapaun
Really Old Senior Member
 
Bill Kapaun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Mid Willamette Valley, Orygun
Posts: 13,822

Bikes: 87 RockHopper,2008 Specialized Globe. Both upgraded to 9 speeds.

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1774 Post(s)
Liked 1,230 Times in 851 Posts
We never did ask where the spokes were breaking, but assumed it was at the elbow.
All of the other spokes have gone through the same number of fatigue cycles, although some probably weren't "over stressed" as much.

Keep in mind, 3-4k miles probably isn't that bad for a machine built wheel.
Before rebuilding with this rim, make sure the brake tracks have enough "meat" to justify.
Lay a straight edge across the brake track and see if it is concave. If you can see daylight.....

The point about having the tension checked on the rear (and new front) is very valid. If the wheels had been properly tensioned when new, you'd probably still be riding them without issue.
Bill Kapaun is offline  
Likes For Bill Kapaun:
Old 06-17-19, 07:38 PM
  #11  
Retro Grouch 
Senior Member
 
Retro Grouch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: St Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30,225

Bikes: Catrike 559 I own some others but they don't get ridden very much.

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1572 Post(s)
Liked 642 Times in 363 Posts
Are you lucky!

This is your big chance to learn to build your own wheels. That's what I would do. Actually, that's how I got started building wheels.
__________________
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
Retro Grouch is offline  
Likes For Retro Grouch:
Old 06-19-19, 11:40 AM
  #12  
Wilfred Laurier
Señor Member
 
Wilfred Laurier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 5,065
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 648 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times in 215 Posts
There are three parts/sub-assemblies that make up a wheel - rim, hub, and spokes. The wheel is not trash, but the spokes are.
Wilfred Laurier is offline  
Likes For Wilfred Laurier:
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
americanlt2
General Cycling Discussion
9
04-20-17 10:01 AM
Vlaam4ever
Bicycle Mechanics
16
08-30-12 01:23 PM
JusticeZero
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
9
08-12-11 01:39 PM
semax10
Bicycle Mechanics
9
05-10-11 03:36 PM
spock
Bicycle Mechanics
11
05-07-10 12:42 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.