New wheel buckled - advice for newbie please

[Originalgavman]

Hi all, new to the forum and new to road cycling. Cycled mountain bikes off road and on road with slicks for 30 plus years but recently the wife persuaded me to buy a hybrid road bike , a Boardman hybrid comp with 700c road wheels and 28 tyres. Did about 100 miles on the bike before it went back to halfords for its first free service. So today we did the wiggle new forest ride and at 35 miles came across the first significant hill so up out the saddle giving it some. Now I'm a big fella but ridden bikes pretty hard for year's. Half way up it felt like the rear was slipping / loosing contact with road surface but stopping to investigate it turns out the wheel had just given up and bent. Unrecoverable buckle, wheel integrity compromised. So my question as a newbie to road bikes is did I do something wrong, do I need to put a heavier duty wheel on the bike was it just asking too much of a wheel on a £400 bike? Many thanks for any advice, I would rather go armed when I head to a decent bike shop on Monday.... Cheers.

 

[Tim Hall]

Back to Halfords for a warranty replacment.

How big a "big fella"? How many spokes in the wheel?

 

[steve50]

Definitely take it back under warranty, the wheel should never fail like that under normal use.

 

[raleighnut]

If it is the one I looked at it will be a 32 spoke but with a disc brake, this is a very weak configuration for a rear wheel if you are 'honking' and throwing the bike from 'side to side' as you climb.
I'd take it back and tell them it just failed, see what they say.

 

[MichaelW2]

Given the weight penalty, 4 extra spokes are really a no brainer for big guys who honk up steep hills on 700c.

 

[Tim Hall]

If it is the one I looked at it will be a 32 spoke but with a disc brake, this is a very weak configuration for a rear wheel if you are 'honking' and throwing the bike from 'side to side' as you climb.
I'd take it back and tell them it just failed, see what they say.

How does having a disc brake make for a weaker wheel?

 

[graham bowers]

How does having a disc brake make for a weaker wheel?

Reduced flange width on the hub, probably.

 

[Cycleops]

I'd say it's 'unfit for purpose' if it's just been subjected to road use although Halfords might argue misuse. Could be the bike was delivered with spokes not correctly tensioned, this could cause failure. In these cases the cause is debatable, just see what they say, you may be able to reach a compromise which you find acceptable.

 

[Ajax Bay]

when I head to a decent bike shop on Monday

How come you're heading to a decent bike shop? Surely you bought this from Halfords so you should go back there.
Assuming you used the adverb 'recently' reasonably, you are riding a new bike with new wheels which should not fail in this way.
Others on here will know better, but is 'honking up a hill' going to put the greatest stresses on a rear wheel, compared to, say, banging downhill over a pothole?
Final word of advice when you get the wheel replaced and reinstalled: make sure your QR lever is properly tight: should 'hurt' your hand when pushing the lever home.