Keep breaking spokes

[steveo269]

Hi,In the last week I've broken 2 spokes on my Cannondale Synapse,I've probably only done about 400 miles on the bike,I'm around 19st so avoid potholes and kerbs like the plague !,the wheels are Maddux R3.0 32 spokes,basically what the bike came with. Should they be able to handle the weight,I see plenty of posts on here from others with a similar stature,or are they crap wheels ? Are there any decent/reasonably inexpensive wheels I can buy or do I keep having to pay out £12 every time one goes until I've lost a few stone,Thanks

 

[byegad]

Learn to replace a spoke, it's not difficult with the right tools which will cost you £25 or so. After that a broken spoke is a cheap repair.
However there may be some fault with your wheel. I had a bike that broke rear spokes on a regular basis and it turned out the holes in the rims were drilled at a slight angle to make the rim to hub a straighter line. BUT the spokes were laced in the wrong direction so putting a strain on them as they were all coming out of the angled hole and bending . A rebuild with the spokes using rather than fighting the angled holes did the trick.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Hi,In the last week I've broken 2 spokes on my Cannondale Synapse,I've probably only done about 400 miles on the bike,I'm around 19st so avoid potholes and kerbs like the plague !,the wheels are Maddux R3.0 32 spokes,basically what the bike came with. Should they be able to handle the weight,I see plenty of posts on here from others with a similar stature,or are they crap wheels ? Are there any decent/reasonably inexpensive wheels I can buy or do I keep having to pay out £12 every time one goes until I've lost a few stone,Thanks

POORLY built wheels.

You need to get hand built wheels that are designed for your weight.

 

[xxDarkRiderxx]

I hear your pain @steveo269. I used to have this problem a while ago when I was around the 15stone mark with a few hybrid bikes that I used to own. Usually stock wheels that came with the bike are below standard (unless you pay £1500 and above for the bike) . I would suggest getting a Mavic range. They are very strong and suit larger more powerful riders. I just purchased a pair of K-elite mavic wheels for next year but I don't have this problem anymore as I am 10Stone 8 now after illness.

I got so fed up with the problem that I now do my own wheel trueing and spoke replacement, but haven't needed to much on my current bikes. I agree with @byegad get the right tools and true your wheels as soon as you notice alignment problems.

 

[raleighnut]

POORLY built wheels.

You need to get hand built wheels that are designed for your weight.

Ideally a many spokes as possible, think 36 spoke as opposed to these 'weight weenie' fashionable 24 spoke jobbies.

 

[e-rider]

Hi,In the last week I've broken 2 spokes on my Cannondale Synapse,I've probably only done about 400 miles on the bike,I'm around 19st so avoid potholes and kerbs like the plague !,the wheels are Maddux R3.0 32 spokes,basically what the bike came with. Should they be able to handle the weight,I see plenty of posts on here from others with a similar stature,or are they crap wheels ? Are there any decent/reasonably inexpensive wheels I can buy or do I keep having to pay out £12 every time one goes until I've lost a few stone,Thanks

these wheels have cheap 'far eastern' spokes. At your weight you need high quality DT Swiss double butted spokes - you will not break those easily!

 

[Ticktockmy]

Looking at the big picture, your bike is hardly run in and I would not expect spokes to break so soon, as to your weight, I would not worry too much about that when I am touring my total bike weight is often greater than that as I am no light weight. The question is are you breaking spokes on the same wheel, if it is the rear wheel which side is the spoke breaking? drive or non drive side. You say you pay £12 to have the spoke replaced, does the person doing the repair know what he is doing, it is not just a matter of replacing a broken spoke without finding the cause, as the problem might be caused by another or other spokes not being set correctly,
As to the comment regarding "Far eastern Spokes" vie "High Quality DT Swiss double butted spokes", I have found that both types are as equally libel to break, As suggested learn to replace your own spokes, its much more convenient to do your own rather that have to wait for someone else to do it.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

these wheels have cheap 'far eastern' spokes. At your weight you need high quality DT Swiss double butted spokes - you will not break those easily!

Even with DTSwiss spokes, if the wheel has not been built properly the OP will brake spokes. Absolutely certain of that.

 

[e-rider]

Even with DTSwiss spokes, if the wheel has not been built properly the OP will brake spokes. Absolutely certain of that.

yes, a well built wheel with 36 DT Swiss spokes and good strong rims such as Mavic cxp33

 

[steveo269]

Hi folks ,thanks for your help,much valued as ever,been away then busy with work so couldn't reply sooner,anyway an update
Took wheel to another LBS in town,we'll call it LBS2,who informed me that LBS1 (where I'd taken it previously) had fitted a wrong size spoke,this after measuring it to make sure he had the right size ! .Foolishly I haven't got the receipt from LBS1,I'll put it down to experience. LBS2 replaced both spokes and tensioned it and told me to come back if there are any problems,50 miles later so far so good.
I now have a different problem,LBS2 previously couldn't fix a loose front hub on my MTB which LBS1 could so one will have one bike and one the other !