Has anyone had a spoke break on a low spoke count front wheel?

[EPOJoe]

If so, what happened? I've just gone over to a 16 spoke front wheel (Ultegra 6800) after a lifetime of riding on 32 spokes, and I'm wondering just how out of true this front wheel is going to go if a spoke breaks while riding. The real concern is that the wheel may go so far out of true that it'll jam up against the fork and I'll do an impromptu Superman impersonation. :eek:

[Louis]

The real concern is that the wheel may go so far out of true that it'll jam up against the fork and I'll do an impromptu Superman impersonation. :eek:

No way in the world will that happen. You could get brake pad rub (which is can be alleviated in an emergency) and maybe worse, depending on your tire and fork clearance, but things won't "lock up" instantaneously and cause an endo. That doesn't mean that you don't run the risk of having a non-usable wheel should a spoke go, but it won't result in instant death.

For a few months I had a super-low spoke count front wheel on my daily driver, and I really could tell the difference on fast descents, but I decided that reliability was more important than speed and so I took it off.

[oldpotatoe]

If so, what happened? I've just gone over to a 16 spoke front wheel (Ultegra 6800) after a lifetime of riding on 32 spokes, and I'm wondering just how out of true this front wheel is going to go if a spoke breaks while riding. The real concern is that the wheel may go so far out of true that it'll jam up against the fork and I'll do an impromptu Superman impersonation. :eek:

Depends on the rim, spoke type, tension. The 'gaps' between spokes are double that of a 32 spoke wheel so the wheel will go way outta true if you break a spoke. Doubt you'll launch tho. On a well buult wheel, very unusual to break a spoke, particularly on a front wheel. Interesting choice tho..using 1/2 of the spoke holes on this hub. Cheap hub tho.

[zmudshark]

Talk to thwart.

[berserk87]

I broke spokes, on 2 occasions, on the most recent version of Mavic's Ksyrium wheels. In both cases I made it home, but the wheel was so out of whack that I had to loosen the brake cable anchoring bolt and released all tension on the front brake cable to keep the wheel from rubbing the pads.

Without having the wheel taco on you, as in a bad crash, I am not sure how it would go into your fork with a broken spoke. Even wildly out of true, the first impediment the wheel would encounter would be the brake pads/calipers. I don't see how the wheel would get outside of the calipers and into the fork.

[keppler]

I did have a spoke break on a set of Hed Bastonge wheels (from 2008) with 18 spokes in front. I even emailed Hed after I bought them and was assured my weight was fine (at the time 185 lbs). It wasn't even close.

The back wheel (24 spokes) always rubbed, and after one season the rear rim cracked in 5 spots (at spoke ends). I sent it to Hed and got a new wheel (free) but when I got it back I saw that the spokes and rim were different and the entire wheel was heavier.

Not long after I got the rear wheel back I rode with a fast, small group for 40 km, I go to a cafe, when I get on the bike to slowly roll down the street I hear a ping and a front spoke broke. I was far from home, so needed a pick up, the wheel wouldn't turn properly at all.

Since then I've only ridden on 28 or 32 spoke custom build wheels, and have never had the issue again. My other bombproof set are Campy Eurus (from 2010). I've been riding them for 5 years and over 20,000 km and they are still in perfect shape.

[terry]

Broke a front spoke climbing a hill and had to call for the team car to pick me up and bring me home. As an aside, the wheel set had at least 15K miles on it and since the spoke was replaced another 2K. I think they're pretty good wheels.

[SlackMan]

Anyone know what caused the guy in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaQJB_bWA4c)to go over the handlebars? Was it a spoke that jammed in fork, or did he just brake too hard?

[Ralph]

A friend of mine recently broke a spoke on a front 16 spoke Campagnolo Zonda (had been crashed and repaired before), and the rim hardly went out of true. No issues at all riding it home. Barely had to open the brakes. So, like OP says, depends on the strength of the rim.

[hida yanra]

Interesting choice tho..using 1/2 of the spoke holes on this hub. Cheap hub tho.

FWIW, the pre-built 6800 wheels are 16/20 spoke, and not the same hubs as the individual 6800 hubs. The Shimano page for the wheelset isn't filled in, but I've been on a pair for two years and they have been bulletproof - a variety of high-mileage/wattage teammates are on them as well, and not a single problem.

The 6800 hubs are great classic hubs, but a totally different animal.

[hida yanra]

If so, what happened? I've just gone over to a 16 spoke front wheel (Ultegra 6800) after a lifetime of riding on 32 spokes, and I'm wondering just how out of true this front wheel is going to go if a spoke breaks while riding. The real concern is that the wheel may go so far out of true that it'll jam up against the fork and I'll do an impromptu Superman impersonation. :eek:

as other have said - not likely a big deal.
I broke a spoke on a 12 spoke paired (Even worse!) Rolf wheel - it rubbed pretty horrifically, but still rolled.

[berserk87]

Anyone know what caused the guy in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaQJB_bWA4c)to go over the handlebars? Was it a spoke that jammed in fork, or did he just brake too hard?

I can't tell if you are joking, so I will play along:

The easy answer is that he used poor and unsafe judgment by riding on his aero bars in a paceline. He rolled up on the guy in front of him, likely from catching his slipstream, rubbed wheels, and went down like a sack of wheat after hitting a hole or break in the ground.

Perhaps the spokes broke during contact with the other rider's front wheel. Maybe they broke due to the crash. Either way, breaking 4 out of 8 spokes is going to render the wheel a challenge to ride.

[SlackMan]

I can't tell if you are joking, so I will play along:

The easy answer is that he used poor and unsafe judgment by riding on his aero bars in a paceline. He rolled up on the guy in front of him, likely from catching his slipstream, rubbed wheels, and went down like a sack of wheat after hitting a hole or break in the ground.

I'm not joking. He clearly rubbed wheels and that may have caused his spokes to break--that's obvious. But, he rode for a ways after that before flipping. My question is about why he flipped. I can't tell if there is a hole or break big enough to cause an end-over, but it sure didn't look like in the video. Thus, I am left with the hypothesis that he either (stupidly) grabbed the front brake too hard or something like a spoke caused the front wheel to jam.

[stansarch]

I did have a spoke break on a set of Hed Bastonge wheels (from 2008) with 18 spokes in front. I even emailed Hed after I bought them and was assured my weight was fine (at the time 185 lbs). It wasn't even close.

The back wheel (24 spokes) always rubbed, and after one season the rear rim cracked in 5 spots (at spoke ends). I sent it to Hed and got a new wheel (free) but when I got it back I saw that the spokes and rim were different and the entire wheel was heavier.

Not long after I got the rear wheel back I rode with a fast, small group for 40 km, I go to a cafe, when I get on the bike to slowly roll down the street I hear a ping and a front spoke broke. I was far from home, so needed a pick up, the wheel wouldn't turn properly at all.

Since then I've only ridden on 28 or 32 spoke custom build wheels, and have never had the issue again. My other bombproof set are Campy Eurus (from 2010). I've been riding them for 5 years and over 20,000 km and they are still in perfect shape.


Interesting post, had never really thought in depth about an endo type scenario with low spoke front wheel breaking.

I had the same happen with a front Bastogne in the past. Hit a pothole and a front spoke popped. I tend to ride with brakes more open and while there was rub, I was able to open the brake and continue ride it for some miles back home just fine with a slight wobble, albeit slowly!

[berserk87]

I'm not joking. He clearly rubbed wheels and that may have caused his spokes to break--that's obvious. But, he rode for a ways after that before flipping. My question is about why he flipped. I can't tell if there is a hole or break big enough to cause an end-over, but it sure didn't look like in the video. Thus, I am left with the hypothesis that he either (stupidly) grabbed the front brake too hard or something like a spoke caused the front wheel to jam.

Ok - I'm with you now.

I think it would be hard to grab the front brake that hard, as to cause the bike to flip, without some other force acting on the front wheel. Braking that hard would cause the front wheel to skid a bit I would think. I don't recall seeing skidding - just an abrupt endo.

The video is not clear enough to tell, exactly. I'm guessing here.

Certainly a lesson in not riding on aero bars in a paceline.

[carpediemracing]

16 spoke front Reynolds DV46. Broke a spoke. Gingerly rode for a bit, raced pretty aggressively the last half lap of the race. Multiple 40-45 mph descents over the 50 minutes of racing on a broken spoke.

Spoke breaks about 1:15 in. 3 mile lap so sort of a long last lap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lgRKWEdG18

I broke a spoke in a 24H rear DV46, a clincher this time, before a group ride. Again, although the wheel was pretty out of true I was fine riding the thing.

[eBAUMANN]

16 spoke front Reynolds DV46. Broke a spoke. Gingerly rode for a bit, raced pretty aggressively the last half lap of the race. Multiple 40-45 mph descents over the 50 minutes of racing on a broken spoke.

Spoke breaks about 1:15 in. 3 mile lap so sort of a long last lap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lgRKWEdG18

I broke a spoke in a 24H rear DV46, a clincher this time, before a group ride. Again, although the wheel was pretty out of true I was fine riding the thing.

that is ballsy my friend.

i could not stop thinking about this when descending some mountains recently..."if one of these spokes goes, I'm probably gonna eat sh*t at 45mph" - luckily it never happened.

i pulled a drive side spoke out of the hub flange on a set of 101's a couple winters back, it rubbed the chain stays a few times before i could slow down. totally unrideable, had to call for a ride home...

[clyde the point]

I know anecdotal stories are meaningless, however that being said, at #245 I ride Ultegra wheels on gravel and pavement with 50+ mph downhills on a regular basis. Tires are Ruffy Tuffy's.

[Keith A]

This just happened to me a couple of weeks ago on our Saturday group ride. A spoke broke on the front of my Dura-Ace 7850-SL wheels -- which has 16 spokes. No way I could ride this home as the wheel (tire) was hitting the fork on my Colnago C-50. This is the second time this has happened on the same wheel :bike:

[bicycletricycle]

Just loosen a spoke up all the way to see what happens?

Those rims look pretty stiff.

Might be rideable.

Depends on how much room your fork has.

I don't think you would go over bars.

Just coast to a stop.

I have had a few front wheel combos break spokes and always just a lot of rubbing up until I stopped.

[oldpotatoe]

This just happened to me a couple of weeks ago on our Saturday group ride. A spoke broke on the front of my Dura-Ace 7850-SL wheels -- which has 16 spokes. No way I could ride this home as the wheel (tire) was hitting the fork on my Colnago C-50. This is the second time this has happened on the same wheel :bike:

Breaking a spoke usually means rim is warped(bent) and the tension is so erratic, spokes break. I'm thinking finding a rim for that wheel 'may' be challenging.

[Keith A]

Breaking a spoke usually means rim is warped(bent) and the tension is so erratic, spokes break. I'm thinking finding a rim for that wheel 'may' be challenging.Thanks for the input. I didn't ask the guy that replaced the spoke to check the tension, but I will do so. Yes, the downside to these wheels are the availability (or lack thereof) of the rims :(