Following on from the Crank Bros Acid failure before xmas when the axle snapped I’ve just had this happen:

(excuse the dirt)

9 month old Royce hub – Friday on the the commute home the front wheel seemed to develop a small wobble, thought it’d just be a case of taking it to my LBS for a true. Parked it in the shed. Went to give the bike the weekly wash on Sunday morning, oil and fettle only to discover the entire wheel had collapsed – about half of one side of the hub had sheered / snapped off (pictured resting on the hub / dangling from a spoke).

No snapped spokes on the opposite side so no obvious signs of uneven tension and it’s only ever done road miles so not what you’d call abused either.

Haven’t shown my wife as she’s jumpy enough about me riding daily after the off with the pedal – if the above had happened whilst riding in traffic I’d have been complete toast, one thing maintaining balance or falling sideways when a pedal snaps, a collapsing front wheel with spokes flying everywhere is likely to bring you to more of a complete stop (it was only the rim brakes that was holding the rim in any sort of shape, I didn’t notice it until I tried to wheel the bike out and couldn’t as it’d jammed against the block).

Hmmm. Another warranty claim here we come…

We’ve just had the same happen to a Pro2 on Mrs PPs bike. I reckon Hope will replace it, and I’d bloody hope Royce will do the same for you!
Not good though is it? 🙁

Scary when I actually think about it – the original Deore and Rigida wheel now back on the bike is about 8,000 miles old. Given that mileage is with rim braking through a couple of grotty winters it’s still going amazingly strong.

And I thought Royce were meant to be fantastic / best of British and all that (certainly very pretty though)

Who built the wheel?

sheldon brown has something to say on hub design and manufacture that might be interesting – all about forged versus machined and grain alignment. Shimano Deore is forged if I recall – most (but not all) others aren’t.

The price you pay with lightweight kit. Either a faulty hub, or over tensioned spokes.

stupid questions:

aluminium hub?

stainless spokes?

so why can i see rust?

Hmm – it’s not meant to be one of their ‘lightweight’ hubs, will dig out the exact model later today – we’ll see what the wheel builder / shop comes back with. In the interim I’m hoping the clunky and less bling deore keeps on keeping on.

Not sure which bit is going to implode / snap / shatter next…

Oh, it’s not rust – it’s road salt and muck (country roads). Was about to give the bike a wash when I noticed it…

Shimano Deore is forged if I recall – most (but not all) others aren’t.

forging will always make a stronger hub than machine one from billet.

well, just got off the phone from the wheel builder – Royce are understandably horrified – Cliff never seen anything like it etc, it’s going back asp to be x-rayed and examined in detail. Got to send through all my Garmin mileage data too so they’ve some idea of the usage it’s had since being built in March 2010.