One of my spokes has broken and my first thought was replace it - an easy enough job. However I then remembered a conversation I had some years ago with someone I trusted who said at the time of another broken spoke that it was not worth replacing as that was just the first indication of the rest of them being ready to go and I would be better off buying a new wheel. You might say that I am fortunate not to have had many other broken spokes but what is the general concensus - replace the spoke or the wheel. Appreciate your thoughts.
Broken Spoke
- Thread starter bobloes
- Start date
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A couple of quid and a short job to replace a spoke, or £50+ to replace with a new wheel.
I know what I'd do.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
1 spoke is not a problem, you onely need to think about a new wheel or a rebuild if they start going one after the other.
TonyEnjoyD
Guru
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
I had three go on my MTB rear wheel over two weeks and two front!
It was the winter before last and I was commuting in temps of -12 degrees here in Newcastle.
Just fixed them as they happened ad the wheels are still fine.
It was the winter before last and I was commuting in temps of -12 degrees here in Newcastle.
Just fixed them as they happened ad the wheels are still fine.
Having replaced the broken spoke, check all the others for tension: all you need to do is play a key or screwdriver against each and listen to the note it produces. These notes should be nearly all the same. If flat, that spoke is slack and needs tightening a bit; if sharp, the spoke may be a bit tight and needs loosening. This action should make no difference to the truing of the wheel. Test all before deciding what action to take. Unevenly tensioned spokes are a major cause of breakage, and most wheels are not properly tensioned when new, so a new wheel may be just as bad as the old!