H all,
I m a very big guy weighing in at 19st but love the mountain biking and am trying to shed the weight. Ive had a Giant trance for 3 years now and love it, having upgraded lots of parts. I still have the cheapo wheels on and recently every ride I snap a spoke! Wondering if the wheels are just past their best and I need to look at a new set? Might have been next on the upgrade list anyways..Any advice appreciated 😆

18 stone here, and ride Hope Pro IIs with Mavic Rims built up by Merlin..

Not snapped a spoke once.

Ride Mavic on my Road bike, again, bombproof…

You need to get the wheels rebuilt or get some new ones. If one spoke goes in isolation it's normally a rock, stick etc but when they start going in succession it's time for a new set.

Cheap wheels usually have cheap spokes which seem to break just for the hell of it, consider a new wheel build with decent spokes(DT, Sapim etc)as a good move. Talk to a decent wheelbuilder about your riding style, weight etc, and you should end up with something that won't routinely let you down.

You breaking the spokes, or the nipples? Either way, its probably new wheels time if the hubs etc aren't anything special.

Got some blue Hope XC hubs if you're interested, they didn't sell last time round. http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-kona-caldera-frame-red-hope-xcmavic-x618-wheels-pair-blue-hope-xc-hubs

Breaking nipples common/possible?

Might be worth looking at 36H hubs, but not sure what rims you could use – also probably worth looking at tubeless – to lessen the 'pinch-punctures…

i have had this problem but it was in a vintage car,, started when i broke one spoke,, this then overloaded another which broke a little later and so on,, when a wheel gets into this cycle it's time to have it rebuilt