Originally Posted by
bajaking
Hi all, 46yo, 280lb at 6' but not super-hideously unfit, just mostly. Was a regular weekend warrior MTB rider at 230-ish lbs throughout my 30s. These days, trying to get a few 60-90 minute rides per week on a Cannondale Quick-Disk 5 "fitness" bike in the endless quest to lose the 70+ lbs my doc and I want to see gone.
Problem is, I keep breaking spokes on the rear wheel. Just had a shop custom build me a rear wheel, and after maybe 50 miles it's already shot. Everything else about the bike seems to have no problem with my fatness and I quite enjoy the bike's fit and feel. Zero spokes ever broken on the front wheel.
I'm tired of it. Certainly there are more robust wheel options, aren't there? Double wall, titanium spokes...the shops have recommended these incremental changes and we've tried some, but it hasn't worked. I think the shop mechanics have a hard time thinking outside the box of a 140lb road rider obsessed with ounces and riding on smooth roads. I'm just a fatso trying to run errands and climb a few hills on imperfect urban asphalt. I don't care if I'm riding a mullet or the wheel adds a couple pounds or looks funny. I just want a reliable ride.
The bike currently has 32h wheels. I've read that 36 or 40h wheels are of course stronger, but is it genuinely significant enough to make a difference? I'd hate to go to 36 and find I'm only getting a little more time between failures.
Any suggestions? Maybe I should give up on the stock "fitness" style bikes and get a 29" hardtail MTB, lock the fork, and put on slicks? Or invest in something like a Surly Long Haul Trucker? Or?
I also can't help but think bigger tires will reduce road impacts (WTB 700x32cm are on it now) but a couple mechanics have dismissed that idea as making a real difference.
Your problem is using the wrong spokes. I’m not quite your weight but I’ve been known to load up a bike with extra stuff and go ride in silly places. A bike shop convinced me to try DT Swiss Alpine III in a build around 1998. The wheels lasted more than 10 years before someone who borrowed the bike managed to shift into the spokes. I’ve been building with them since than and my spoke breakage problems have decreased from several per year to essentially zero…even with a load on the bike
and during rugged off-road touring.
Frankly, you might want to learn how to build your own wheels since finding someone to build for your needs may be difficult. That’s the main reason I started building my own roughly 40 years ago.