2013 E3 Path ongoing problem with spokes breaking on the rear wheel!

[Mark]

Just after I bought this bike, the rear wheel spokes started to break. I had the whole wheel rebuilt with new spokes. Now they are starting to break again!!!

 

[J.R.]

Just after I bought this bike, the rear wheel spokes started to break. I had the whole wheel rebuilt with new spokes. Now they are starting to break again!!!

There are a lot of posts here about broken spokes and a variety of solutions. Use the search box in the upper right corner of any page and search all threads for broken spokes, you should get a big return. Good luck!

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

Who built the wheel? It is easy to over-tighten a hub motor lace. I'd take it back to the wheelsmith. -S

 

[Ann M.]

A couple of questions, @Mark: How & where are you riding this bike and are you putting a lot of weight over the rear wheel on the rack? OK, so that's 3 questions ! . This may help us help you determine what's going on. This bike comes with a city street style narrower, 700C rim which might not be appropriate for a bigger person riding on a rocky trail or slamming the motor wheel off a curb. Just a thought.

 

[MLB]

The hub motor twisting that much more on the spokes magnifies the problem. but tons of variables. loose spokes, big guy, jumping curbs and such, etc
Then suspend the weight of the motor by those spokes and add it all together.

There are heavy duty spokes and specialty spokes for E bikes (dont know if Currie uses them already) as well as stronger rims that may well help. I have a Falco hub motor and they warn that the hub motor puts extra stress on one side of the wheel over the other, so you have to watch them. If they loosen they can break easily.
Reality is E bikes stress the heck out of the wheel with a hub motor in it. They are going to need to be watched and cared for. Tightened and trued regularly I think.

 

[Mark]

A couple of questions, @Mark: How & where are you riding this bike and are you putting a lot of weight over the rear wheel on the rack? OK, so that's 3 questions ! . This may help us help you determine what's going on. This bike comes with a city street style narrower, 700C rim which might not be appropriate for a bigger person riding on a rocky trail or slamming the motor wheel off a curb. Just a thought.

I ride this bike as carefully as possible mostly on bike paths, some city streets. I weigh 165 and do have
racks on the bike which I use for grocery shopping etc.

 

[Mark]

Who built the wheel? It is easy to over-tighten a hub motor lace. I'd take it back to the wheelsmith. -S

The wheel smith at REI rebuilt the wheel ( I think is one of the best bike mechanics in Eugene)
with spokes from Currie. He checked all the spokes when I last took it in when I found 1 broken spoke,
and all where at the right tension. He thinks it is the quality of the spokes.

 

[flymeaway]

The wheel smith at REI He thinks it is the quality of the spokes.

Sapim.......end of story.

 

[MLB]

not necessarily

 

[flymeaway]

not necessarily

Best option (IMO) assuming wheels are properly built and maintained. Of course everyone has their preference.

 

[Catfish]

I had same problem, E3. I'm 220 lbs and when I rode and didn't lift my butt up off the seat to take cracks and bumps, one or two of the rear spokes would eventually break. I had extra heavy duty spokes installed, lost 20 lbs. End of problem.

 

[Mark]

Just after I bought this bike, the rear wheel spokes started to break. I had the whole wheel rebuilt with new spokes. Now they are starting to break again!!!

I had it rebuilt with new spokes from Currie, so I do not think they were heavy duty.But if this happens again
I will use heavy duty. Thanks.

 

[Ann M.]

There's a trade-off between 'heavy duty' and flexibility when it comes to spoke gauge. Ebikes (and Currie bikes) generally come with 13 gauge spokes, some butted, some not. Going with a thicker spoke does not necessarily guarantee no spoke breakage, particularly if the rider keeps all of their weight on the bike when navigating rough roads or potholes. That's a lot of weight over the rear wheel, especially if there's a hub motor built into that wheel. Having some spoke flexing keeps the road from beating up the rider, bike frame and other components; however, the rider has to be active with the bike. If you choose to lace a motor wheel with butted spokes made of really high quality stainless steel, you get a strong but expensive wheel. Some spoke sets like this can cost up to $150 or more and that doesn't include your labor.

 

[Steve Ryu]

There's a trade-off between 'heavy duty' and flexibility when it comes to spoke gauge. Ebikes (and Currie bikes) generally come with 13 gauge spokes, some butted, some not. Going with a thicker spoke does not necessarily guarantee no spoke breakage, particularly if the rider keeps all of their weight on the bike when navigating rough roads or potholes. That's a lot of weight over the rear wheel, especially if there's a hub motor built into that wheel. Having some spoke flexing keeps the road from beating up the rider, bike frame and other components; however, the rider has to be active with the bike. If you choose to lace a motor wheel with butted spokes made of really high quality stainless steel, you get a strong but expensive wheel. Some spoke sets like this can cost up to $150 or more and that doesn't include your labor.

DT Swiss spokes for me definitley make a difference @ 15ga. Also, I believe DTSwiss draws out their spokes one by one as opposed to just cutting them from a wire core. Although i've found it easier to break spokes on 700c rims, things like changing the spokes to a thicker gauge, ensuring they are trued regularly, as well as having the mechanic or wheelsmith inspect to see if you can use a different spoke pattern on the wheel can make a difference. That being said, I am about 230 and average 1 popped spoke a month on a non-electric road bike.