Today's ride: failing to help the guy with carbon wheels and broken spoke

[schwa86]

Just checking in with the fast wheels crowd. On today's rise, came upon a guy standing by side of road. A rear spoke had snapped. Despite opening brakes up etc, fancy carbon wheel was so out of true that it was rubbing on chain stay. "Aha" I said, I happen to carry one of those kevlar spokes (and actually used it successfully when someone in my group snapped a spoke last year). But alas the fancy carbon wheels do not have nipples (required for use). Similarly, no external means of tightening/loosening spokes to re-true. He said truing is via internal means (eg take off tire and tube) , but he didn't carry the tool (and apparently this had happened once before). So, after wishing him well and msking sure he had cell phone to call a cab, we carried on. Any thoughts on anything else I should have considered? Is it right that there is a special tool involved, or should we have taken tire off and tried everyone's pocket tool?

[Cicli]

You did the right thing. Its not your job to carry supplies to fix everyones propritary stuff.

[unterhausen]

that's funny, we passed by someone with a broken spoke today. She said her husband was coming to get her, or I would have tried to get her back riding again. At some point the question becomes if the permanent repair becomes a lot more expensive if you do something to get the person back riding.

[bikinchris]

Low spoke count wheels will more often not pass the chain stays. They don't often break spokes when they are maintained well. But many people who use them don't maintain them at all.

[SlowPokePete]

Not really sure what else you could have done...

SPP

[lhuerta]

If he was running Lightweights, Reynolds RZR or Mavic CCU wheels, where carbon spokes are epoxied to hub/rims (i.e. no nipples) then ur kevlar replacement spoke would not have worked. If he was running steel spokes then ur fix would have worked (regardless of internal nipples), but only if he had the micro socket with which to adjust internal nipples.

[R3awak3n]

moral of the story, its not the carbon wheels that suck but internal spokes that suck I never built anything with internal spokes but also sound like a PITA to build.

[firerescuefin]

A+ to you for stopping and giving it your best!

[bcroslin]

Only thing more you could have done is hailed the cab for him. The fact that you ride with a spare spoke is awesome.

[John H.]

It can happen to fancy wheels.
I have also seen carbon wheel riders crippled by multiple flats- they run out of tubes and don't pack a long enough valve extender.

Makes me wonder why non-racers seem to like carbon wheels as daily drivers.
I get the aerodynamics and cool factor- I don't get riding things that fail in a way that leaves you out of luck.

Don't get me started on carbon braking surfaces-

[fogrider]

your kevlar spoke repair could have worked if you were able to get the tire off.

[John H.]

But then you would need to remove the rim strip, have the tool, etc.
Fancy wheels are over-rated.
Reliability is under-rated.

Originally Posted by fogrider

your kevlar spoke repair could have worked if you were able to get the tire off.

[Anarchist]

Originally Posted by John H.

But then you would need to remove the rim strip, have the tool, etc.
Fancy wheels are over-rated.
Reliability is under-rated.

[x] Like

[Peter P.]

You did all you could.

If a broken spoke causes the wheel to go so out of true that it can't pass the chainstays, then either the wheel is poorly designed or the frame has poor clearances.

As has already been said, low spoke count wheels typically suffer the former.

Large tubed frames such as carbon, aluminum, and titanium, suffer the latter. All three materials need larger diameter tubes than a steel tube of similar stiffness.

If the wheel isn't field serviceable with common tools, then it should be reserved as a race day only wheel.

[kramnnim]

Someone just need to sell a multi tool with internal nipple wrenches.

Someone with Kysrium SL's would have been in similar trouble...