Snapping spokes left and right!

[Max Phillips]

Any advice on what my problem is would be much appreciated...My first set of wheels that came on my bike were Bontrager Selects, 24 paired spokes 2 cross lacing (rear). They would be about 18 months old now...stopped riding them at about 15 months because I was repeatedly snapping spokes on my rear wheel. One snapped, got it fixed, another snapped the next day. After getting that fixed I was good for about a week until yet another one snapped. The first time a spoke was replaced the shop just put a new spoke in and tension only that spoke til the wheel was true. The second time I had everything retensioned. Now I'm on a set of Alex AT400's. I wasn't expecting them to last forever, but after having them for 3 days I snapped a spoke on this rear wheel. The Alex's are 24 spoke, 3 cross I believe.

The first Bontrager spoke that snapped was about 6-8 cm from the flange. The next 2 on the Bontrager and the latest one on the Alex broke right at the flange.

I'm a little over 1.9 meters tall and weigh about 93 kilos if it helps figuring out the problem....any one have any advice or suggestions to the problem?

 

[gclark8]

I suggest a couple of good quiality 36 spoke wheels with double wall rims. Velocity are strong.

 

[fleshbroiler]

My Trek came with the same wheelset and I broke several spokes (7 or 8) on the rear wheel and 1 up front. I weighed around 250 lbs at the time and my shop's mechanic attributed the problem to too much weight and too few spokes ; ). I bought a new rear wheel built up using 36 hole hub & rim and heavy straight gauge stainless spokes and have had no further problems. I'm still riding the same front wheel. The spokes that did break were replaced with the same heavy SS DT spokes.

 

[scotty72]

I would also agree that the prob is likely too much weight on too few spokes.

Get some good quality rims (eg open pro) with at least 32 holes. Keep them properly (that is evenly) tensioned (a tensionometer is worth its weight in gold) and you'll be sweet.

Scotty

 

[jerrek]

Any advice on what my problem is would be much appreciated...My first set of wheels that came on my bike were Bontrager Selects, 24 paired spokes 2 cross lacing (rear). They would be about 18 months old now...stopped riding them at about 15 months because I was repeatedly snapping spokes on my rear wheel. One snapped, got it fixed, another snapped the next day. After getting that fixed I was good for about a week until yet another one snapped. The first time a spoke was replaced the shop just put a new spoke in and tension only that spoke til the wheel was true. The second time I had everything retensioned. Now I'm on a set of Alex AT400's. I wasn't expecting them to last forever, but after having them for 3 days I snapped a spoke on this rear wheel. The Alex's are 24 spoke, 3 cross I believe.

The first Bontrager spoke that snapped was about 6-8 cm from the flange. The next 2 on the Bontrager and the latest one on the Alex broke right at the flange.

I'm a little over 1.9 meters tall and weigh about 93 kilos if it helps figuring out the problem....any one have any advice or suggestions to the problem?

Looks like you may now ahve the power and weight to require stronger wheels. Mind you, your new set porblems may be unrelated to the old. I would give em a few more tries.

 

[capwater]

Boo sheet. A properly, evenly tensioned wheel will support bigger folks no problem. The issue is when your spoke tension varies.