Over the past few weeks I seem to have broken 3 or 4 spokes and another has gone tonight.

After each one has broken I have replaced the broken spoke, and then trued it up the best I can.

I’m only 12 stone, its not rocky terrain.

Is something up with the tensioning that’s causing others to break?

When one snaps more load goes onto the others, they get weakened so you can get more and more after…

Is something up with the tensioning that’s causing others to break?

Probably. With a well built wheel, even a couple of broken spokes woun’dt cause major issues. I’d take he wheel in to a reputable wheel builder to have looked at.

How old is the wheel? The forces that have overstressed the broken spokes have generally also affected the unbroken ones- when a spoke goes from a big hit, impact damage or another specific event that’s usually cool but if it’s “just riding along” it suggests fatigue or other long term wear and tear and it’s often the case that other spokes are just as shagged out.

Thanks all.

Its the rear wheel of my Genesis Latitude – its only a couple of years old. (just basic model so Alex rims and deore hubs)

They seem to be going at the hub-end rather than the threaded end.

will enquire locally about cost to check tension or maybe cost to re-lace the whole wheel.

Everything has a finite life, spokes are all stretched and then stretched more every time your wheel goes around.

If you aren’t smashing stuff into it and particularly if you have cheap spokes once a couple have gone IMHO it is time for a new set of spokes and potentially a new rim.

This is mainly so you can start enjoying trouble free riding again.

Everything has a finite life, spokes are all stretched and then stretched more every time your wheel goes around.

Well, not quite – spokes always stay within their elastic limit, so while they do fractionally stretch and relax, they always relax back to where they were, they don’t permanently stretch over time. A properly built wheel should last for ever.

99% of broken spokes are down to too low tension. The problem is flexing – with tension too low, the spokes can flex at the elbow, this flexing causes fatigue and eventually snaps spokes. Since the spokes fatigue at similar rates, if one goes then the rest are going to go soon. My general recommendation is that if more than two spokes snap in a wheel, it’s time to rebuild with all new spokes.

Agree with the permanent stretch statement – my poor English.

Agree on most of the rest.

However in the real world most wheels especially cheap ones will not last infinitely unless they are never ridden. Anything with elastic properties (even spokes) will fail eventually through the stress/relax cycle.

They seem to be going at the hub-end rather than the threaded end.

You’ve not had any damage to them have you, perhaps from a chain over shifting the cassette? or a mech hanger going?

Is it only on the Outside spokes?

99% of broken spokes are down to too low tension. The problem is flexing – with tension too low, the spokes can flex at the elbow, this flexing causes fatigue and eventually snaps spokes. Since the spokes fatigue at similar rates, if one goes then the rest are going to go soon. My general recommendation is that if more than two spokes snap in a wheel, it’s time to rebuild with all new spokes.

This, except it’s not just ‘at the elbow’ as a couple of weeks ago I had two go in my straight-pull spoked front wheel on a night ride. Took it to my local chap and he put two more in – and others snapped as he tensioned up.

His recommendation – full rebuild with new spokes.

Although in the OP’s case it may not be worth it with that rim/hub combo – new wheel maybe more ‘economical’.