Need advice on a rear wheel

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Date: 21 Oct 2007 19:28:48
From: Eric Williams
Subject: Need advice on a rear wheel

I've bought a Bianchi Boardwalk about a year ago and have had problems with
the rear wheel since day one. I had only ridden it about a week and had a
bent back wheel. I took it back to the LBS and it was repaired while I
waited. This only lasted about a week and ended up back at the LBS. They
took all the tension off all the spokes and then "rebuilt" it from there.
Never had another problem all year. This year, the first ride one of the
spokes broke. Had it replaced, only to break another about a week later.
LBS then rebuilt the wheel with DT Swiss spokes and I didn't have any more
problems until today. I noticed that I had the familiar thumping from the
back wheel. I managed to make it home and upon closer inspection, I noticed
that the the rim was actually cracked at the point where the spoke hole is
(actually, I noticed several of them with very small cracks). The bike
currently has WTB DX23 700c rims (factory OEM). Could the cracking be a
result of a weak rim caused by my previous problems? Any recommendations on
a better rim or complete wheel? I do weigh about 250 and would really like
to get into a much stronger wheel, preferably with more spokes.

Date: 22 Oct 2007 06:13:52
From: landotter
Subject: Re: Need advice on a rear wheel

On Oct 21, 6:28 pm, "Eric Williams" <williams6...@sbcworldwide.net >
wrote:
> I've bought a Bianchi Boardwalk about a year ago and have had problems with
> the rear wheel since day one. I had only ridden it about a week and had a
> bent back wheel. I took it back to the LBS and it was repaired while I
> waited. This only lasted about a week and ended up back at the LBS. They
> took all the tension off all the spokes and then "rebuilt" it from there.
> Never had another problem all year. This year, the first ride one of the
> spokes broke. Had it replaced, only to break another about a week later.
> LBS then rebuilt the wheel with DT Swiss spokes and I didn't have any more
> problems until today. I noticed that I had the familiar thumping from the
> back wheel. I managed to make it home and upon closer inspection, I noticed
> that the the rim was actually cracked at the point where the spoke hole is
> (actually, I noticed several of them with very small cracks). The bike
> currently has WTB DX23 700c rims (factory OEM). Could the cracking be a
> result of a weak rim caused by my previous problems? Any recommendations on
> a better rim or complete wheel? I do weigh about 250 and would really

The ERD diameter on the WTB is 541mm. An eyeletted Alex Adventurer is
543mm--you *should* be able to rerim with such a tolerance w/o
respoking. It's a super strong rim. Cheap. $25 or so. More important,
find somebody that knows how to tension a rim.

Date: 22 Oct 2007 03:48:52
From: datakoll
Subject: Re: Need advice on a rear wheel

yes, fat riders on cheap bicycles breaking rear wheels is a common
complaint probabbly due to a national over supply of fat riders on
cheap bicycles more than anything else.
if you enter in the search box top left: rear wheel sun rim
you will be given an unending dialogue of whining, bad advice, and
francophobia.
many of us riding high mileages synpathize with your problem and
fully support your effort to find a solution as we've been thru it and
it can be an enourmous time wasting PITA.
the bike components you're riding do as is noted suggest a cheap rim.
'what you're looking at' as they say down at industrial supply is a
wheel of the best HD parts available. That includes, in the near
furture, a Deore hub with a solid Wheels Mfg. axle.
read on.

Date: 22 Oct 2007 02:54:23
From:
Subject: Re: Need advice on a rear wheel

Eric Williams writes:

> I've bought a Bianchi Boardwalk about a year ago and have had
> problems with the rear wheel since day one. I had only ridden it
> about a week and had a bent back wheel. I took it back to the LBS
> and it was repaired while I waited. This only lasted about a week
> and ended up back at the LBS. They took all the tension off all the
> spokes and then "rebuilt" it from there. Never had another problem
> all year. This year, the first ride one of the spokes broke.

> Had it replaced, only to break another about a week later. LBS then
> rebuilt the wheel with DT Swiss spokes and I didn't have any more
> problems until today. I noticed that I had the familiar thumping
> from the back wheel. I managed to make it home and upon closer
> inspection, I noticed that the the rim was actually cracked at the
> point where the spoke hole is (actually, I noticed several of them
> with very small cracks). The bike currently has WTB DX23 700c rims
> (factory OEM).

> Could the cracking be a result of a weak rim caused by my previous
> problems? Any recommendations on a better rim or complete wheel? I
> do weigh about 250 and would really like to get into a much stronger
> wheel, preferably with more spokes.

You didn't say what sort of rim this is, how many spokes, and whether
it has plain spoke holes, ones with eyelets or eyelets and sockets to
distribute load to the inner wall. I take it you didn't follow the
lengthy back and forth over how tight spokes need to be to prevent
loosening.

From the notation you give above:

http://www.wtb.com/products/wheels/rims/xc/dx23/

appears to be a rim without eyelets (no reinforcement) at spoke holes.
In my experience, that is your problem. Spokes cannot be made tight
enough for the spoke nipples to not unscrew without causing fatigue
cracking. Some wheel builders use glue to insure spoke nipples do not
unscrew when not tight, but that causes rattling spokes on bumpy roads
and in the long run doesn't prevent cracking.

Jobst Brandt

Date: 21 Oct 2007 19:44:13
From: jim beam
Subject: Re: Need advice on a rear wheel

Eric Williams wrote:
> I've bought a Bianchi Boardwalk about a year ago and have had problems with
> the rear wheel since day one. I had only ridden it about a week and had a
> bent back wheel. I took it back to the LBS and it was repaired while I
> waited. This only lasted about a week and ended up back at the LBS. They
> took all the tension off all the spokes and then "rebuilt" it from there.
> Never had another problem all year. This year, the first ride one of the
> spokes broke. Had it replaced, only to break another about a week later.
> LBS then rebuilt the wheel with DT Swiss spokes and I didn't have any more
> problems until today. I noticed that I had the familiar thumping from the
> back wheel. I managed to make it home and upon closer inspection, I noticed
> that the the rim was actually cracked at the point where the spoke hole is
> (actually, I noticed several of them with very small cracks). The bike
> currently has WTB DX23 700c rims (factory OEM). Could the cracking be a
> result of a weak rim caused by my previous problems?

possibly, but much more likely it was excess spoke tension.

> Any recommendations on
> a better rim or complete wheel?

just have them re-build with an eyeleted touring rim.

> I do weigh about 250 and would really like
> to get into a much stronger wheel, preferably with more spokes.

that's heavy, but not like a loaded touring tandem. with a quality rim,
you should be ok with existing spoke count [many wheels use much lower
spoke counts successfully - i'm up at 210 right now, and another year
passes with no problems on my 16-spoke shimano r540's]. just make sure
you use a wheel builder that knows they need to use the rim
manufacturer's correct spoke tension - and a spoke tension meter.

Date: 22 Oct 2007 02:43:36
From: datakoll
Subject: Re: Need advice on a rear wheel

- delete offensive text -

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=17107&category=860
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=12929&category=590
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=1223&category=208
lube-fill-seal the hub/spoke holes inside and out

Date: 22 Oct 2007 02:39:17
From: datakoll
Subject: Re: Need advice on a rear wheel