spokes are breaking

[lavelle55]

Has anyone had this problem with their e-bike?
I can ride usually six to seven months out of the year and in that time I break 2 to 3 spokes on the wheels over that season period. Sometimes it happens on the front electric wheel and sometimes it's on the back geared/pedal wheel.
Are there spokes available which are a heavier gauge and stronger than the ones I have been replacing them with so they last longer?

Email me if you have any suggestions to help - lavelle55@yahoo.com

 

[spinningmagnets]

What part of the spoke breaks most of the time, the nut next to the rim, or the "hook" thats on the hub?

Do you feel the spokes were fairly tight or loose?

When does it normally happen? pothole/curb? going fast? are you normal weight, is the bike/kit/batteries very heavy? (lead/acid compared to lithium?)

Do you have full suspension, front suspension, or no suspension?

What hub and voltage do you use, a heavy 53XX series, or a light Bafang? sorry for so many questions, some questions may be unimportant, but the data might help others who read this...

 

[317537]

Try here, http://www.scooterparts4less.com/web_gas/Dirtbike_Spoke_sets.htm


I'm not sure if they got what you want but im looking for a supplier myself because I have another rim I want to fit with 165mm 3.2 mm (6.5" 12 guage spokes).

Idealy Brett White at Ebike.biz was the man for these parts but he needs time to recover from some issues he has endured.

 

[317537]

Be nice if they had those angled adjusted breed spokes in my size.

 

[northernmike]

Moped spokes perhaps?

Try Handy Bikes, speak to B.J. ...

Or perhaps the Moped Army forums can help

 

[ElectricEd]

Has anyone had this problem with their e-bike?
...Are there spokes available which are a heavier gauge and stronger than the ones I have been replacing them with so they last longer?

This might sound a bit reverse logic, but don't go for heavier gauge spokes, this will only excerbate the problem. Go for DT stainless steel spokes. Reasons:

1/ Stainless is twice the tensile strength of mild steel.
2/ A thinner gauge allows more elasticity.
3/ DT spokes are high quality, not like the "Hoo Flung Dung" brands. :wink:

You can get them cut to length and threaded by ordering through your LBS.

Since getting rid of the Hoo Flung Dung Crystalyte rim on my 408 (the spoke nipples pulled through it) and replacing it with a semi-deep V rim using DT spokes I have not had a breakage. The ride is so smooth that it feels like it's on rails.

 

[lavelle55]

What part of the spoke breaks most of the time, the nut next to the rim, or the "hook" thats on the hub?
Some of the breaks were at the hub while some others were at the rim.
Do you feel the spokes were fairly tight or loose?
Can't say - I guess normal tightness.
When does it normally happen? pothole/curb? going fast? are you normal weight, I can pass for a lineman on the NFL. is the bike/kit/batteries very heavy? The bike with all the equipment probably is fairly heavy with sealed gel-lead acid batteries.(lead/acid compared to lithium?)
Alot of the time it happens going over rough road - railroad track crossing, washboard roads etc.- sometimes that is unavoidable then I hear that tell-tale ting-ding sound.
Do you have full suspension, front suspension, or no suspension?
I have twin fork suspension on the front and single seat suspension on the back.
What hub and voltage do you use, a heavy 53XX series, or a light Bafang? sorry for so many questions, some questions may be unimportant, but the data might help others who read this...
I have 36volt wilderness bike with the front wheel electrified.

 

[Russell]

I experienced a number of broken spokes on a cheap rear wheel I purchased to match the rim I used for my front motor. Now I've had good luck with machine-built wheelsets in the past but those were built using good quality spokes, this one wasn't. What I found to be the real culprit however was that the elbow was too long which meant the spoke head did not fit flush with hub. When I looked at the hub I could see the spoke heads sitting above the hub and this was more prominent for the spokes with the heads facing in. I didn't have enough spokes to re-spoke the entire wheel but I did replace all of the spokes with heads facing in with DT spokes. After that I did break one of the cheap spokes with the head facing out so I'll have to change out the remaining crummy spokes at some time. Too loose of spokes also is a cause for failures as the heads can move around then break from fatique at the hub flange.

-R

 

[Icewrench]

I`ve had a few spokes break , usually from riding with loose spokes.

A wheel with loose spokes makes a squawking noise at slow speed with weight on it,
since I figured that out and have tightened up the spokes on noisey wheels the break rate is way down.

Good luck

 

[mrgarci1]

Both my wheels were fine for almost a year, but then my front (hub motor, 36v WE) developed a bad wobble after I dropped the bike once. After that I lost a spoke or two, and had to have a new rim laced onto the motor. I used thin, good-quality spokes and it's running like a champ. I also had to replace my entire back wheel after losing a spoke right around the same time (although that old back wheel might still be reparable, I haven't really looked into whether the rim is bent). I put a 26x2.125 wheel on with big fat spokes, we'll see how that works for a non-electrically powered wheel that's just taking the weight of the battery. Could just be normal wear and tear, but high-quality parts and thin spokes in your drive wheel, properly tensioned of course, are a must.