[Closed] Repeated broken spokes

tbh, you could get a second hand Hope wheel for not much more than spokes+a build.

But you probably need to replace all the spokes on the one you have or the old ones will just keep breaking under load. It's not a weak wheel as such, just fatigued spokes.

I'd get the wheel re-built with new spokes and brass nipples.
It happened to both of the wheels on my Stumpjumper - I think it's because of the coloured alloy nipples that they use. The bloke in my LBS said he had to re-do both his Spesh wheels for the same reason.
Once one goes, I was breaking a spoke on every ride I went on.

I think my wheels are Specialized hubs (God knows what ones) with DT Swiss rims too (420SL, perhaps?!)

EDIT - I think the re-build including parts was £56 per wheel.
My rear went first and the front about a year later.

Sure you dont have a bent mech or dropout? I had this problem on my road bike, was very subtle, you wouldnt hear any noise but now and then I guess some over-enthusiastic shifting was causing the mech to hit a spoke.
LBS noticed every so slightly bent dropout, straightened it and no problems since.

rebuilding a wheel by replacing 1 spoke at a time is a lengthy and costly way of getting a rebuild!

My rear's been doing this. It comes in fits and starts, a few will go in a relatively short space of time, I replace myself individually (local bike shop charges me about £150 for a replacement spoke and decent brass nipple), then after a few spokes I won't have an issue at all. Not sure if it's a tension thing as i'm just judging tension relative to neighbouring spokes. They mostly fail right at the point the spoke enters the nipple, pretty much where the screw thread ends. I wonder if better spokes (assuming the spokes my wheel was originally built with were cheaper ones) have rolled threads rather than cut ones?

[i]local bike shop charges me about £150 for a replacement spoke and decent brass nipple[/i]

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wobbliscott - Member

They mostly fail right at the point the spoke enters the nipple, pretty much where the screw thread ends.

This was how mine all went - shearing off where the spoke enters the nipple.
Bloke in my LBS reckoned that the alloy nipple seizes in the rim & then any flex in the rim while riding sheared the spoke at the nipple. Dunno if that is correct or not, but I had it re-built with silver coloured brass nipples and no problems since.

[i]I think it's because of the coloured alloy nipples that they use.[/i]

Same here. Got some lurid green nipples that can never be matched by the bike shop, so I get the odd silver nipple here and there. And I've also got black spoke, which we all know are weaker than silver ones 😉

My gears seem pretty well indexed too Mackem but I'll double check for sideways movement on the mech.

Not sure when on the ride the spokes let go, but I suspect its the descents when the wheel is taking a battering. The Cafall trail was fast and dry on Sat but I noticed some pretty severe braking bumps which can't have helped.

My last sentence was slightly tongue in cheek too Cynic-Al! LBS charge around £15-£20 for a spoke so it would cost a small fortune to rebuild that way!

[i]This was how mine all went - shearing off where the spoke enters the nipple.[/i]

Ditto. Might check how much a rebuild is then. Or a 2nd hand wheel as mentioned above!

wwaswas - Member
local bike shop charges me about £150 for a replacement spoke and decent brass nipple

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POSTED 13 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Assumed that was a typo and should be £15...

I was hoping it was £1.50 without fitting...

Or that...

The guy who builds wheels in my LBS explained to me (at least it was his opinion anyway) that a decent wheel build will share the load equally between all the spokes, and that spokes and nipples these days are built to a very high and most importantly equal standard - so external forces aside (mech going into the wheel, rock, tree or whatever) when a spoke fails it's mates aren't going to be far behind.

I've also had a set of wheels run perfectly for ages, but once a spoke snapped a go few others followed suit not long after - they seem to charge £15-£20 to replace a spoke these days, if you have 3-4 go in quick succession you could easily be into the realms of a rebuild with new spokes pretty quickly.

I think SBC wheels have form for breaking spokes, and it's common with cheap spokes.

Is it usual for spokes to twang and make noise as I use DT Swiss aerobladed ones with those coloured alloy nipples.

You pay £15-20 to change a spoke? Why not don't yourself? It's not exactly rocket science!

4 years old, you don't need to look for a point of blame, it's just getting on a bit. All the spokes are under the same stress so unless they break because of a defect (unlikely after 4 years really) or an impact, if one goes the rest are going to be similiarly tired.

You can get a few spokes and learn to replace them- it's actually astonishingly easy- and just keep doing it, on the cheap. Or do a full rebuild. Or for the price of a full rebuild be most of the way towards a better wheel...

[i]if one goes the rest are going to be similiarly tired. [/i]

This.

I had 2 spokes snap in my front wheel one night ride, so gingerly rode back to the car. Took the wheel and spare spokes to our local wheelbuilder and as he tensioned up the wheel two more snapped...

He then re-spoked the whole wheel.

IMO spokes should last way more than 4 years!

I guess I am more of an armchair rider these days tho.

If you want them re-built dude drop me a email dan@handcraftedwheels.co.uk all I do is build wheels.

There's a fair few guys on forum running on my builds.