snapped wheel spokes

[magpie215]

o.k so my back wheel now has 2 snapped spokes....question is how many can you get away with being broken and still not have the wheel collapse??

[Saddle bum]

Wheels were designed to function with the full complement of spokes. broken spokes mean loss of symetry.

[magpie215]

Thanks for the reply saddle

this is more of a test to destruction and am well aware the wheer wll be out :-)

so the question still stands how many to break before the wheel waves the white flag?

if it helps i have lost 2 spokes on the same side of the hub and next to each other !

[chrisga]

I broke 2 spokes on my back wheel and it sprung out of true quite alarmingly but I got home on it, albeit with a big vibration/wobble. Im sure you can ride it with more broken, you could leave it and see what happens as Im sure if you ride it with 2 missing it wont be too long before more break.....

[Parrot of Doom]

I've ridden a wheel with 3 snapped spokes for several months, off road.

So long as you don't go jumping around with it, I imagine it'll be fine once trued.

[groomi]

I hit a pothole in a race and still finished the remaining 20 or so miles at (tail end) race speeds despite four snapped spokes. The wheel was well and truly buggered by the end though.

[Tort]

I went for a ride with 1 broken spoke and came back with 5, wheel had 3 buckles

still got it true after replacing spokes

[Tim.s]

Would only cost a few quid to get it sorted at your LBS, much better than waiting for it to explode and ending up with a load of spokes stuck in your spine.

[shalmaneser]

i snapped four in morzine and the wheel was fine for the rest of the day (not taking it easy) 24 inch sun DHX on the rear of a Bighit. The rim would probably have held up with four spokes though, they are strong as f*ck...

twas well and truely pringled though.

[threesixty]

Depends on lots of things, like where the snapped spokes are in relation to each other, how much you're wheels been trued, what kind of wheel it is, what you ride etc etc.


Replacing a spoke is a cheap and easy job, surely there no excuse apart from inconvenience for just not getting it fixed.