Rear spokes keep breaking.

[ZygZag]

The spokes on the rear wheel on my 2020 Specialized Turbo Levo keep breaking. The shop said they are corroded. Yes, you can see and feel the corrosion. But the front wheel spokes are ok. Why is that? I told the shop to re-spoke the rear wheel. rather than replacing one broken spoke at a time.

 

[Ridenfool]

I've had a lifetime battle with broken spokes on the rear wheel of my bikes. Though never corrosion as the cause. I'm just hard on equipment due to my size and riding style.

The solution I have adopted after breaking the OEM spokes was to replace the rear wheel with one from Spinergy. Though expensive, I've never broken a spoke on one of their wheels. Their MXX-E line is specifically built for E-bikes. It uses spokes from their Moto wheels and a heavy-duty hub.

They won't corrode, I'm certain of that, as each spoke is made up of about 40,000 proprietary fibers encased in a flexible sheath. Over the past twenty or so years I've had three sets of Spinergy wheels, first in a 26" and later in the narrow and wide 29" versions.

On the Turbo Levo I've only installed a Spinergy on the rear and went with a WTB HTZ I30 on the front. These WTB wheels are heavy duty E-bike specific. A full set of HTZ I30 wheels might be another alternative. Available for a good price on Amazon (in the US) that totals less for the set than the Spinergy back wheel alone costs. Or, just buy the rear, as the OEM front doesn't get as much abuse and will probably last you.

 

[ZygZag]

Still would like to know why the rear wheel spokes got corroded but the front wheel spokes didn't. I could see that the rear spokes are under greater pressure being the drive wheel and would break easier, but that doesn't answer the corrosion issue. The wheels are from the same manufacturer.

 

[Stihldog]

A few of us have changed our wheels to 32 spoke. (From 28).

The forces on the wheels seem to be a little greater with an ebike. But proper and consistent spoke tension is very important. A LBS should be able to lace up a wheel for you if you don’t have all those tools.

If you want to do it yourself I would recommend a spoke tension meter. There are ways to true a wheel but a truing stand is nice.

I eventually changed my rim and hub on my hardtail to 32 spoke and haven’t had a problem since.

 

[RustyIron]

The forces on the wheels seem to be a little greater with an ebike. But proper and consistent spoke tension is very important.

Give that man a cigar. Certainly there are a myriad of reasons for a spoke to break, but overwhelmingly, lack of attention to spoke tension is a contributing factor. If the joker at your bike store thinks he can tension your spokes by listening to the pitch like Keith Richards tunes his guitar, do yourself a favor--walk away and order a tension gauge off Amazon.

P.S.
This morning I watched a video of a competition sponsored by Stihl. There was a small branch sticking vertical out of the ground. A glass of beer sat on top. The Stihl drivers would see how many times they could cut through the branch without spilling the beer.

 

[Stihldog]

Give that man a cigar. Certainly there are a myriad of reasons for a spoke to break, but overwhelmingly, lack of attention to spoke tension is a contributing factor. If the joker at your bike store thinks he can tension your spokes by listening to the pitch like Keith Richards tunes his guitar, do yourself a favor--walk away and order a tension gauge off Amazon.

P.S.
This morning I watched a video of a competition sponsored by Stihl. There was a small branch sticking vertical out of the ground. A glass of beer sat on top. The Stihl drivers would see how many times they could cut through the branch without spilling the beer.

I was one who went from 28 spoke to 32 spoke. Some riders around me did the same after breaking spokes.

Our aluminum rims are fairly strong and a good carbon rim is even stronger. If spoke tension was consistent and regularly checked it’s unlikely that one will break …not impossible, but less likely.

Changing to 32 spokes has added a very small amount of weight, but its added weight. Which is why Berd spokes fascinate me. But that cost …wow! i9 hubs, carbon rims, Berd spokes …holy crap $$$.

A tension meter and spoke wrench is a fairly cheap tool. When it’s used, and properly calibrated, it can be almost therapeutic if that’s your thing. You don’t even need a truing stand, but it helps. A spoke tension meter …yes.

 

[RustyIron]

I was one who went from 28 spoke to 32 spoke. Some riders around me did the same after breaking spokes.

Our aluminum rims are fairly strong and a good carbon rim is even stronger. If spoke tension was consistent and regularly checked it’s unlikely that one will break …not impossible, but less likely.

Changing to 32 spokes has added a very small amount of weight, but its added weight. Which is why Berd spokes fascinate me. But that cost …wow! i9 hubs, carbon rims, Berd spokes …holy crap $$$.

A tension meter and spoke wrench is a fairly cheap tool. When it’s used, and properly calibrated, it can be almost therapeutic if that’s your thing. You don’t even need a truing stand, but it helps. A spoke tension meter …yes.

How do your Berds hold up against the rigors of sticks and twigs in the wilderness? UV? I'm just curious. Right now I'm content with old-school spokes. Actually, I just bought a bike that came spec'ed with aluminum rims. My expectation is that modern components will last as long as I have the bike. There's only one way to find out.

 

[Stihldog]

How do your Berds hold up against the rigors of sticks and twigs in the wilderness? UV? I'm just curious. Right now I'm content with old-school spokes. Actually, I just bought a bike that came spec'ed with aluminum rims. My expectation is that modern components will last as long as I have the bike. There's only one way to find out.

No Berd spokes yet. There’s a young fella around here that uses them. I’m in a wait and see mode for that upgrade. (Sticks’n’Stones.)

Really though, I’m happy with my alloy Race Face offsets. The kid that uses the Berd spokes is smashing everything .
Has his own YouTube channel and is sponsored. Dale Stone. He’s an engineer for Norco as well.

 

[motmcd]

The spokes on the rear wheel on my 2020 Specialized Turbo Levo keep breaking. The shop said they are corroded. Yes, you can see and feel the corrosion. But the front wheel spokes are ok. Why is that? I told the shop to re-spoke the rear wheel. rather than replacing one broken spoke at a time.

Have same issue with my 2019 Levo Sport. Seem to break one rear spoke per season. Never any issue with corrosion. I think they’re just not up to the right spec. Just finished first season on 2023 Levo Expert with no issues.
Cheers!!