Mods, sorry if this is the wrong place to post this.
Ok. So as I was going to work, I felt increasingly violent vibrating sensation from the rear wheel. I tolerated it until it got very concerning. And then I look at the wheel. I…don't think that spokes are supposed to be ripped out like that. Like at all. I already emailed the manufacturer as of post, logically, no response yet.
I ride on flat and small hills, pavement, sometimes rough sidewalk, grass and the occasional speed bump. I use this for commuting to work and sometimes the grocery store.
I can provide more details if asked
by TheDinoKid1999
13 Comments
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No, the spokes are not supposed to come out.
From here it looks more like they worked themselves loose, not unheard of, especially with the torque thst hub motors put through them.
How old is the wheel and when was it last checked/trued?
No your spokes should not ever fall out like that
Typically I check my spoke tension on my mountain bikes once every 3 months or so. Sometimes they can loosen over time.
I would go to a local bike shop and have them try to true and dish your wheel properly. You may need new spokes and nipples.
Hopefully the short ride didn’t damage your rim, but there is a non zero chance that you may need a new rim.
More details would be helpful, for example did you buy the bike brand new or second hand? How long have you been riding the bike for? How long were you tolerating the vibrations? What make and model is the bike? Have you ever tried to true the wheel yourself? Spokes are definitely not supposed to do that.
If you felt a vibration and then continued until it got worse, it likely means you broke one spoke first (or rather, it failed at the nipple), and then riding the bike with a missing spoke compromised the wheel‘s integrity enough to have more spokes fail. So they went one after the other, vs. breaking multiple in a forceful impact. It‘s like a chain reaction, the first spoke that goes can sometimes be tolerated for a while, but 2 missing spokes is often the end of it.
Solution is easy, replace spokes, true wheel. If you still have warranty the shop will do it; if not, the repair is not too costly.
Next time when you suddenly feel vibrations (or anything feels off, really), stop and inspect the bike for damage. Riding a damaged bike can lead to crashes and bodily harm.
You have a hub motor on a large radius wheel, you definitely expected to break spokes at some point. Metal under constant stress will fatigue and break over time. Recommend to get thickest gauge spokes as possible.
It may be an issue with aluminium nipples just being threaded by steel spokes, you can buy tougher brass nipples.
Did you by any mean exceed the weight limit of the wheel?
How long have you had the bike? Periodical check for spoke tension is part of basic bike maintenance, doubly important on an e-bike where lots of torque is transmitted through them.
I’m seeing things, right? that wheel can’t possibly be built single-cross.
Lots of ebikes suffer with this – large diameter hub, rims drilled straight, results in the spokes being bent at the nipple, results in them snapping. Replacing the rim with something like a Ryde Andra can help, these rims have spoke holes drilled at an angle for larger hubs.
A cheaper option is redrilling the rim at the angle of the spokes and going up a spoke gauge
Its not supposed to happen in the same way that you are not supposed to get punctures.
It happens often with low qualty wheels.
Get your hub motor wheel laced in bike shop, use 13g (2,3mm) stainless spokes, steel nipples and riveted rim, and you won’t have surprises like that.
It’s not worth to cheap out on wheels and tires!