Keep losing spokes on wheels

P

Potato_In_Exhaust

Member
Is it because of the rag joint sprocket holder? I'm on my 2nd set of wheels and already lost like 4 or 5 spokes..... causing my wheel to wobble worse than Lindsay Lohan on a drug binge. What can cause the lost of spokes, is it because of the rag joint?

I really don't want to cough up what is it, $50 for a freakin' aftermarket sprocket holder hub. Ballin' on a budget, gnomesayin'?
 
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The rag joint is the cause. If you buy a wheel with a disc brake mount, you can make your own sprocket adapter pretty cheaply out of a steel plate It won't look beautiful, but it will work just fine. If you don't want to make one, look at it this way: $50 on a sprocket adapter is a lot less than you'll spend constantly replacing your wheel. I just thought of something else though, if you don't have the tools already, making a sprocket adapter would be more expensive than buying one, as HSS and carbide tools are expensive. If you like, I can make you a disc sprocket adapter and mail it to you.
 
Funny. Of the bikes I've built, I've never had a problem with rag joints.

If the spokes were loose from the beginning, they will break easily with a motor turning it. What kind of bike is it? How old is it, and was it in good shape?
 
TheNecromancer13 said:
The rag joint is the cause. If you buy a wheel with a disc brake mount, you can make your own sprocket adapter pretty cheaply out of a steel plate It won't look beautiful, but it will work just fine. If you don't want to make one, look at it this way: $50 on a sprocket adapter is a lot less than you'll spend constantly replacing your wheel. I just thought of something else though, if you don't have the tools already, making a sprocket adapter would be more expensive than buying one, as HSS and carbide tools are expensive. If you like, I can make you a disc sprocket adapter and mail it to you.
Click to expand...

Homemade? How much are you asking for it? I do have an extra set of wheel so I might just use that and see if I have better luck this time around.
 
Former bicycle mechanic here....

I have built easily over 100 wheels. It is vitally important to make sure that before you install the drive sprocket and rag joint that the wheel is not only properly trued, but also that the spokes are properly and EVENLY tensioned. Park Tool makes a tool called a Tensiometer. It comes with a chart that lists all the appropriate tension ranges for spokes based on spoke size and shape.

As a bicycle wheel turns with a rider on board, the spoke tension changes. The spokes that are parallel to the ground see their tension increase, while the spokes that are perpendicular to the ground see their tension decrease. If some spokes are significantly set at a higher tension while the wheel is unloaded, when you add rider weight and the shock from an uneven surface, these already over tensioned spokes stand a much greater chance of breaking. Once one spoke snaps, it's neighboring spokes need to pick up the load. If any of those are already over tensioned...snap. And the cycle will continue.

If a wheel cannot be properly tensioned and trued, then the rim or hub itself might be damaged. The most common thing I have seen is the rim itself is either out of round or is bent. The test for this is to take an unlaced rim and lay it flat on a flat surface. The rim should make contact all the way around. I tap on the rim in a couple spots to see if it rocks back and forth at all. The other test is to measure the diameter of an unlaced rim at 4 points around the rim. All the measurements should be the same or at least very close.

Check out www.sheldonbrown.com. There is a wealth of wheel building and related information there.
 
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