Hot answers tagged spokes
13
The "Lunartic Cycle"
Here you go:
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/08/13/no-spokes-cycle/
Complete with movie.
As for your extra reading material:
http://bicycledesign.net/
Hope that helps!
12
The short answer is, "Find a dealer you trust."
Whether what he told you is right or wrong, you clearly believe he is having you on.
That will not result in a good relationship, no matter whether he is scamming you, or not.
Most likely, he is either poorly educated on the cause of the spokes breaking, and is having difficulty explaining something to you ...
9
You will need one special tool: a spoke wrench that fits the size of spokes you have. While a truing stand is great, you can do some basic truing of a bike with rim brake by simply putting the bike on a stand. Spin the wheel slowly and watch the space between the rim and the brake pad. When you have found the center of a an area that is listing to one ...
8
Yep, there are various types of spokes, as already explained. There are also various ways of "lacing" the spokes, and various spoke counts.
When picking a spoke lacing scheme, there are six basic considerations:
Strength
Flexibility
Torque resistance
Air resistance
Weight
Appearance/sex/stupidly spending money
Strength is determined by the number of ...
8
Yes, as the comments pointed out, this is abnormal.
I would make the attempt to take the wheel back to the LBS where you bought the bike. The might be able to work with Specialized and get the wheel replaced completely. Once at the LBS, have the mechanic inspect for any external factors (derailleur strikes, etc).
If they can't get it replaced, then I would ...
7
Probably the best source for answering this is Jobst Brandt's The Bicycle Wheel, the definitive text on the wire-spoked wheel and an essential for anyone interested in the art of wheelbuilding. Excerpted from page 68 of the 3rd edition:
Spokes in a crossed pattern are usually interlaced at their last crossing before reaching the rim. Spokes coming from ...
7
Yeah, by the time you have five spokes broken it may be that only one more and it'll collapse (depending on exactly how the broken spokes are arranged). Plus with that many gone the others are under much more serious stress.
In the general case you may have a spoke go now and then and, if you replace it reasonably promptly, it doesn't imply any serious ...
7
A wheel is only as strong as the tension on the spokes. If the wheel was loose for any significant length of time before you noticed it, the spokes will fatigue very quickly, because they are flexing through a range of motion which is not intended.
You are a big guy at 95 Kg, so this type of problem is not unusual (as am I). That means that you need to be ...
7
Check the spokes - its likely one or more has broken ("I felt a shock, like a snap....".). The ones to check are ones that got from the rim, where the rubbing is occurring, to the hub on the opposite side of the rubbing (in your case, the right side of the hub). If these have let go, there is nothing stopping the rim being pulled to the left.
It may be ...
6
The best suggestion I can make is to read "The Art of Wheelbuilding, by Gerd Schraner".
As for materials:
Use aluminum, double walled rims. They are stronger, lighter, and believe it or not easier for a new wheel builder to get true and round than steel rims will be.
In addition, steel rims for a road bike will be difficult to come by in new condition.
...
6
The basic arrangement for cross-laced spokes is thus:
Spoke Length = sqrt[ (RRSP - (HSR * cos(SAA)))^2 + HFO^2 - (HSR * cos(SAA))^2 ]
For radial (straight) spokes, the formula is simpler:
Spoke Length = sqrt[ (RRSP - HSR)^2 + HFO^2 ]
RRSP (Rim Radius plus Spoke Penetration) is half of the Effective Rim Diameter given by the manufacturer plus 2mm for ...
6
That depends on how good your ear is. If you can tune a stringed instrument effectively, then tensioning a wheel by ear is very effective. Identical spokes that have the same pitch when plucked should have the same tension within the margin of error for any tensiometer reading. The catch is you need a tensiometer to get the relative tone for the proper kg/f ...
6
Here is my 2c from over 10 years experience in a busy shop:
I am assuming that it is the spokes are breaking at the hub.
On a drive side wheel, that is where they always break.
There is a different rare condition, when the spoke nipples are breaking off at the rim.
Rims have two sets of holes, one set on the each side.
The spokes might be laced to the ...
5
The basic tool you would need is a spoke wrench. This will allow you to pull the rim (by the spokes) back into true. The spoke wrench is actually turning the spoke nipple out at the rim. The tool you would need in order to tell if it is true is a truing stand. The tool you will need to make it all work is your brain. =-]
5
Jobst Brandt's definitive text "The Bicycle Wheel" has this to say on spoke tensioning:
With tensioned wires as spokes, the wheel can support loads only to the point where its spokes become loose. At this point the wheel will collapse. Therefore, for greatest strength, spokes must be as tight as the rim permits. Structurally the
rim supports spoke tension ...
5
There are a lot of Chinese parts on the market as well as Taiwanese parts but then again, that could be said about any product that is sold in the US these days. Plus, quality of Chinese and Taiwanese parts are respectable for the most part. I would suspect that the real problem is how the wheel is being built and/or how it is being used. I have come across ...
5
"Burrs on the hub" sounds bogus to me. Could be the case with a new hub, but burrs would be worn away with use.
It seems most likely that the hub was reassembled by "unskilled labor" (the new/careless guy in the shop) and he didn't notice that the hub holes are directional -- there is a countersink on one side of the hole and not the other -- or didn't ...
5
On a standard front wheel all spokes (both left and right) should (in theory) make the same musical note when plucked. A rear wheel is 'dished' to make room for the cassette. The non-drive side spokes will be at a higher tension (and pitch) than the cassette side.
If you can find a bike with the same spokes and lacing pattern use that as a guide. If not, any ...
5
It's pretty easy/light to carry around a couple extra spokes per wheel and a pretty good idea for a long tour. You'll probably need a few different lengths though for the front, rear left, and rear right sides.
Another good option is to carry an emergency fiberfix spoke that can be used with most wheels, which will help in an emergency.
...
5
I guess the derailleur hanger or the bit of frame it connects to must be bent. These can be bent back. Of course Sheldon Brown has some advice, but I'd be afraid to do this myself and instead take it to the LBS who will have the tools.
4
Generally, repeated issues with broken spokes indicates either damage to the rim, meaning that the metal hoop of the rim is physically bent while under no tension, or that the spokes are at the end of their fatigue life.
Any wheel has an expected use life, and usually, you will wear a track in the aluminum rim from braking forces before the fatigue life of ...
4
Apart from looks no, but the pie plate won't necessarily protect against what likely happened.
Pie plates are to keep badly adjusted derailleurs out of the spokes. Obviously, maintaining your bike and keeping the limit screws in place will prevent that from happening.
A stick or squirrel or something caught in your drive train won't necessarily be ...
4
The bike shop that replaced your rim replaced it either incorrectly or with the incorrect part, I suspect. At least some of the 2007-2008 Trek 520 shipped with Bontrager Maverick rims, featuring an offset spoke bed. If they did in fact use the same spokes, and if they replaced it with a normal rim of appropriate ERD, the wheel will end up dished ...
4
As per the other responses, the main tool you need is a spoke wrench. You can use the frame itself as a truing stand.
Other things to note are:
Deflate the tyre before performing the re-truing. If you don't do this, you can end up drilling a hole through the rim tape with your spoke nipple.
Look at the way the other spokes are laced to get the lacing of ...
4
This largely depends on how frequently you check the true and tension of the spokes. If one gets loose you are likely to break spokes frequently, and once you've had a few break the others are likely to go more frequently.
As part of my daily pre-ride check I spin the wheels looking for significant wobbles and will take care of them right then.
As part of ...
4
Another book recommendation: The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt. He covers a lot of engineering detail (forces acting on wheel components, failure modes, etc) but also includes practical step-by-step instructions for wheel assembly.
4
I think radial spokes are generally recommended only for front wheels, because they're weaker than normally-laced wheels especially under the asymmetric torsion applied to the rear wheel.
WRT the drive forces: trailing spokes are necessary to transmit the drive force from the hub to the rim; radial spokes would make this transmission very spongy as the hub ...
4
I can't comment on doing a whole wheel this way, but I have seen wheel repairs done this way while touring. It did not work, I suspect for the reason that Jobst points out. The nipples unwound after a few days (at about 100km/day with perhaps 100kg load). Doing the spokes up tighter just broke spokes and stripped nipples. The mutual tensioning effect is IMO ...
4
I don't know if this helps, but Peter White is a well-regarded framebuilder and wheelbuilder who has strong opinions on the Wheelsmith vs DT Swiss issue:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/spokes.asp
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/DTspokes.htm
The gist of his argument boils down to two (current) main differences:
1) DT Spokes have a 6.3mm elbow length vs ...
3
I'd suggest you get a book on bicycle maintenance that includes a chapter on wheel building. I refer to "The All New Complete Book of Bicycling" by Eugene A Sloane (1980) (but there may be something newer ;) ). The procedure is far from simple and straight-forward, especially for a cross-laced wheel (which you probably should do unless you fully understand ...
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