Loose Spokes in back wheel 1 broken

Cape Clear

Hi Folks

My OH gave me this
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_272625_langId_-1_categoryId_165710

for a big birthday last year. Haven't used it much up to recently. Has max 600 miles. Was out today for a 35 mile spin a blew a spoke in the back wheel there are also another 2 or 3 loose spokes. Fair enough I am a 100 kg + but should this be happening? What is the best course of action from here? Thanks in advance for your replies

Greyspoke

Any good bike shop selling a new bike should offer a free service after the first month or so of riding. Did you get that? One of the things they should do is check the tension of the spokes and trueness of the wheels. All new wheels should have a check over after the first few hundred kms regardless of whatever else is done to the bike. With a broken spoke and a couple of loose ones you should get the wheel down to a shop straight away as more riding on it might finish it off altogether. If there's not too much of a wobble in it then it should be quick, cheap and easy to fix.

paddymacsporran

I would doubt it had a tune-up if it came from Halfords. Down to the local bike shop to get the broken spoke replaced and the wheel trued up and tensioned up and dished properly immediately.

victorcarrera

paddymacsporran wrote: »

I would doubt it had a tune-up if it came from Halfords.

There is a free 6 week first service with that bike as per OP's link.

I have broken spokes on very strong rear wheels by being ridden into potholes and I only weigh 80kg. As you are 100kg+ I would advise standing on the pedals and using your legs as shock absorbers on rough or potholed roads.

blobbie

Being a large lad I find one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10188
helpful as wheel needs to be trued http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=81
"a little often" rather than wait until wheel is wobbing like jelly.

The post-purchase service is critical for tightening up a multitude of bits & pieces on a bike. When you get your LBS to fix the wheel ask them to do a general service. Will be well worth it.

Cape Clear

Lads thanks for the help yes had the free service and was told by the store assistant informed with a sheepish grin that all spokes in the front wheel were loose. I will this time out bring the wheel to the local bike shop rather than Halfords

Single Malt

victorcarrera wrote: »

There is a free 6 week first service with that bike as per OP's link.

I have broken spokes on very strong rear wheels by being ridden into potholes and I only weigh 80kg. As you are 100kg+ I would advise standing on the pedals and using your legs as shock absorbers on rough or potholed roads.

That has no effect on the stress the wheel takes. The impact and forces are still the same, but perceived differently as the body is suspended by your legs. Its a myth that suspension eases stress on wheels. Shock absorbers absorb shock to the user end, not the end the shock comes from.

A 100kg plus rider needs good quality wheels, either high end strong wheels or hand built wheels. Both are expensive. Cxp33 36hole with DT or Sapim double butted spokes and spoke head washers (hub dependant) should do the trick. Finding a good wheel builder is the tricky bit

Lumen

Single Malt wrote: »

That has no effect on the stress the wheel takes. The impact and forces are still the same, but perceived differently as the body is suspended by your legs. Its a myth that suspension eases stress on wheels. Shock absorbers absorb shock to the user end, not the end the shock comes from.

I do not understand how that can be the case (Newton's third law?).

Single Malt

Lumen wrote: »

I do not understand how that can be the case (Newton's third law?).

With a shock absorber some of the shock is absorbed by compressing the spring (in the legs case bending of them). With shock absorbers the wheel takes the full impact, then the spring is compressed, using some of the force that impacted the wheel. The resulting shock to rider is lessened. and the return of the spring to original position is dampened (spring force turned to heat, oscillations reduced and slowed down) The wheel however is still subjected to the same force and Newtons 3rd law still applies (due to the impact being shared by rider and shock absorber).

Think of it as an energy chain, nothing is lost: Wheel impact, Kinetic energy (KE)=>shock spring, some KE is turned to Potential Energy (PE)=>rider, experiences the remaining KE=>spring extension, damping turns some PE to Heat and the rest of the PE is returned to KE at a slower rate than the original impact. Energy is full conserved and it shows that the wheel impact is the same regardless of suspension being present or not.

Suspension actually put wheels under more stress, as the rider hits things harder due to perceived impact being lower.