Dangers of spoked wheels

[tctyres]

Anyone had problems with spokes?

[Blue Jays]

I have broken perhaps a half-dozen spokes (at most) in many decades of riding.
My approach has been to favor strength, reliability, and durability over lightness.

[mj_michigan]

Anyone had problems with spokes?

I am reluctant to say "no" because it may invite bad luck when I go out to ride this afternoon.

[donevwil]

I know of squirrels who've had problems with spokes, one actually had an issue with a set of mine.

[David Kirk]

I broke a finger once during a pile-up with other riders when my hand went into another rider's wheel. Since then I've campaigned for spoke-less wheels in the name of safety.

dave

[bigbill]

Back in the day, even when I was thin and single, while climbing Mt Mitchell a butterfly flew through my front wheel unscathed.

[GregL]

I broke a finger once during a pile-up with other riders when my hand went into another rider's wheel. Since then I've campaigned for spoke-less wheels in the name of safety.

dave
In the name of safety, we need to bring back the original Spinergy Rev-X wheels! And require chain mail gloves and jerseys!

Greg

[Steve in SLO]

One of my friends broke a rear spoke and gashed his lower leg pretty badly once.
Another had his water bottle go through his rear wheel at about 40 mph on a bumpy descent . He had bladed spokes and they chopped his bottle right in half. Scared the cr@p out of him.

[fiamme red]

In the name of safety, we need to bring back the original Spinergy Rev-X wheels! And require chain mail gloves and jerseys!

Greghttps://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697982153&stc=1&d=1563253021

(New Yorker caption contest)

"Why I'm wearing this? It's to protect me from dangerous errant spokes, silly!" :)

[bigbill]

Another back in the day, racing a crit in Rock Hill, a BREW rider broke a front spoke at the nipple, might have been bumped, and I was right behind him and had chipped paint all over my sweaty legs.

The safest wheels are the Spinergy with PBO spokes. I got in a pileup which broke two front spokes. PBO spokes are limp noodles when not under tension.

[Mark McM]

When I was growing up, there was kid down the street that wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Once, he flipped his bike upside down, and spun the cranks to spin up the rear wheel really fast. Then he decided to stop the rear wheel by sticking his finger in the spokes. He went through the rest of life with one index finger shorter than the other.

[weisan]

I went down once while trying to adjust my front brake that was rubbing on the move but I reached a bit too far and got my hand into the spokes. I basically somersaulted over the bike and it happened so fast even before I knew what was going on. Fortunately, this happened at slow speed but it still gave my head a good knock.

[GregL]

This thread wouldn't be complete without mention of the Mavic R-SYS... The answer to the spoke question that nobody asked!

Greg

[voir dire]

Back in the day, even when I was thin and single, while climbing Mt Mitchell a butterfly flew through my front wheel unscathed.

This statement can be read in various ways, regarding speed. I wonder how the butterfly's post on their forum about this encounter reads.
"Back in the day, even when I was thin and single, while fluttering around Mt Mitchell a cyclist was climbing so slowly I flew through his front wheel unscathed!"

;-)

[gbcoupe]

This statement can be read in various ways, regarding speed. I wonder how the butterfly's post on their forum about this encounter reads.
"Back in the day, even when I was thin and single, while fluttering around Mt Mitchell a cyclist was climbing so slowly I flew through his front wheel unscathed!"

;-)

I was thinking along the same lines. Also, it's about 35 miles from downtown Asheville to the top of Mount Michell. All but ~4-5 miles of that is up hill! Could have been seeing things!

Saw a bear going up one time. Thankfully not through the spokes.

[dddd]

This thread wouldn't be complete without mention of the Mavic R-SYS... The answer to the spoke question that nobody asked!

Greg

I guess this was for safety, but each hollow spoke has a strand of dental floss going through it to keep a broken spoke from pointing outward from the bike's centerline.

Incredibly stiff those spokes, even in compression! In fact, the reason for these spokes was that as the tension reaches zero, the slop-free anchoring of both ends of these spokes can sustain significant compressive force, contributing to rim stability during highest-loading situations.

[Mark McM]

I guess this was for safety, but each hollow spoke has a strand of dental floss going through it to keep a broken spoke from pointing outward from the bike's centerline.

Those strands don't work as intended then, as can be seen by these broken spokes (with the strands dangling out of them):

http://www.pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-001/RSys-4sitting.jpg

http://www.pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-001/Mavic-R-Sys-Tire-off-rim.jpg

[bigbill]

This statement can be read in various ways, regarding speed. I wonder how the butterfly's post on their forum about this encounter reads.
"Back in the day, even when I was thin and single, while fluttering around Mt Mitchell a cyclist was climbing so slowly I flew through his front wheel unscathed!"

;-)

The butterfly's account would be accurate.

[William]

I broke a finger once during a pile-up with other riders when my hand went into another rider's wheel. Since then I've campaigned for spoke-less wheels in the name of safety.

dave

And while we're at it, remove all the teeth off the chainrings!!! I saw a guy get the skin peeled off of one of his fingers...done to the bone... in a sprint finish pile up when it got thrust into a another riders chainring.:eek: Safety first!!!




W.

[oldpotatoe]

I guess this was for safety, but each hollow spoke has a strand of dental floss going through it to keep a broken spoke from pointing outward from the bike's centerline.

Incredibly stiff those spokes, even in compression! In fact, the reason for these spokes was that as the tension reaches zero, the slop-free anchoring of both ends of these spokes can sustain significant compressive force, contributing to rim stability during highest-loading situations.

Right up to the point when they fail...:eek:

[unterhausen]

A squirrel ran into my front wheel and started tumbling around between the spokes. I had visions of the wheel stopping short and going over the bar, but instead he ran out the other side, seemingly unscathed. Only evidence it happened was a few tufts of hair at the spoke crossing.

[Mark McM]

A squirrel ran into my front wheel and started tumbling around between the spokes. I had visions of the wheel stopping short and going over the bar, but instead he ran out the other side, seemingly unscathed. Only evidence it happened was a few tufts of hair at the spoke crossing.

One of the advantages of the old 36 spoke wheels was that the gaps between spokes was so small, that any critter small enough to get caught between them was easily sheared off by the forks without even slowing the bike.

Some of these new fangled wheels have gaps big enough to fit a woodchuck, which is sure to stop the bike dead in its tracks (and annoy the woodchuck).

https://bikerumor-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Rolf-Prima-Vigor-Alpha-Front-Wheel.jpg

[unterhausen]

That wheel has enough space for a dog to fit in there.

My daughter was descending a hill when a bird flew into her wheel. Cleanly decapitated the bird. In 45 years of riding, I have never seen anything like that before.

[notsew]

I went down once while trying to adjust my front brake that was rubbing on the move but I reached a bit too far and got my hand into the spokes. I basically somersaulted over the bike and it happened so fast even before I knew what was going on. Fortunately, this happened at slow speed but it still gave my head a good knock.

Didn't that happen in one of the spring races last year or the year before? Anyone remember that?