Broncobusted
New Member
- Region
- USA
Breaking rear spokes on gun drive
- Thread starter Broncobusted
- Start date
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
is poor wheel building and materials. They also use bigger-gauge spokes and have caused the issue too.
PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
Send your hub motor to a professional wheel builder.
It's worth the money.
Adding hundreds of dollars to the cost of a new ebike to have the wheels professionally built, isn't something that normal customers are willing to pay for or even understand.
Just like a proper air suspension.
It's worth the money.
Adding hundreds of dollars to the cost of a new ebike to have the wheels professionally built, isn't something that normal customers are willing to pay for or even understand.
Just like a proper air suspension.
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
What is the total weight load that the bike is carrying?
Broncobusted
New Member
- Region
- USA
200#
PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
Sounds like you are riding the Snot Outta your ebikes?
If you're gunna ride it like a Bronco, you need to build it like a Bronco.
A Heavy hub-drive wheel needs to be built properly if it's going to be ridden hard.
Proper spokes and nipples can be over $200 alone.
If you're gunna ride it like a Bronco, you need to build it like a Bronco.
A Heavy hub-drive wheel needs to be built properly if it's going to be ridden hard.
Proper spokes and nipples can be over $200 alone.
gromike
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- City of Dreams
About spoke gauge and how that effects spoke breakage. A spoke needs to be properly tensioned to resist failure. A thicker spoke needs more tension, and the rim would need to be able to withstand that tension.
What's commonly done on some commercial ebikes is to install 12 gauge spokes on rims not able to handle the extra tension. If the spoke holes in the rim look like they're pouching out, the rim has failed and spokes will break at the nipple. Spokes will continue to fail, even if replaced.
Carefully inspect the rim spoke holes at the broken ones. If they are distressed the rim is toast, and you need a new wheel.
Lacing a motor into a rim isn't all that difficult, kind of a relaxing evening thing to do. Grin has some great info and videos.
It's still going to be north of a hundred bucks for a rim and spokes.
What's commonly done on some commercial ebikes is to install 12 gauge spokes on rims not able to handle the extra tension. If the spoke holes in the rim look like they're pouching out, the rim has failed and spokes will break at the nipple. Spokes will continue to fail, even if replaced.
Carefully inspect the rim spoke holes at the broken ones. If they are distressed the rim is toast, and you need a new wheel.
Lacing a motor into a rim isn't all that difficult, kind of a relaxing evening thing to do. Grin has some great info and videos.
It's still going to be north of a hundred bucks for a rim and spokes.
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Well within the weight limit of the Level 2.
My first Xpedition rear wheel started breaking spokes and Lectric covered it under warranty. They authorized a bike shop to fix the wheel and sent new spokes. I had a wheel building pro rebuild the wheel for me and never had a broken spoke since. It was just poor and inconsistent spoke tension from the wheel building machine. They when my tire came off the rim (covered in another thread) and got a flat spot I ordered a new rear wheel from Lectric, figuring he wouldn't be able to fix the original wheel. I had him go over the new rear wheel before installing it and he shocked me by fixing the flat spot! So now I have 2 good rear wheels for a Xpedition. Oh, my Xpedition gets worked hard with 2 adult passengers bombing around on a regular basis.
Short answer: Machine built wheel = inconsistent spoke tension. Have someone good go over it or learn spoke adjustment yourself (I've never been good at truing wheels).
Short answer: Machine built wheel = inconsistent spoke tension. Have someone good go over it or learn spoke adjustment yourself (I've never been good at truing wheels).
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
No matter what, if the wheels are not built by someone that knows what they are doing, you need to have the wheels checked after several hundred miles, even on a decent bike. People just hop on these bikes and go.
Dave Rocks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- MISSISSAUGA
I bought my hub drive ebike at my bike shop. One year in 3 spokes broke at the motor.
So I bring it in for repair and the tech says I want to re-spoke the rim with better quality spokes.
I Haven't had a broken spoke now for 4 years.
So I bring it in for repair and the tech says I want to re-spoke the rim with better quality spokes.
I Haven't had a broken spoke now for 4 years.
Last edited:
indianajo
Well-Known Member
DTswiss and Sapim make spokes of real steel, not melted auto scrap with lead, tin, copper in it. I have 12000 miles on the IGH wheel I built with DTswiss spokes. The donor rim came from a $120 mountain bike I scrapped.
DTswiss does not sell fat spokes for ebike hub motor wheels. Even tension is your only hope with the **** fat spokes available. Or buy a mid-drive, that can use normal spokes in the wheels.
DTswiss does not sell fat spokes for ebike hub motor wheels. Even tension is your only hope with the **** fat spokes available. Or buy a mid-drive, that can use normal spokes in the wheels.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
Consider a mid drive bike for your next ride. Putting the drive unit where you're naturally powering a bicycle is much better, especially for heavier riders.
Rear hub motors have a huge hub flange that makes the wheel build challenging. Rear hub flanges that large decrease the strength of the wheel compared to a traditional rear hub like you'd find on non e-bikes or mid drive bikes.
As others stated, 13g spokes with brass nipples, DT Swiss or Saipim are the way to go. You should expect to pay a shop/wheel builder a couple hundred bucks at least, and they should want you to bring the bike/wheel in for tensioning after riding it for a few months.
At your rider weight I'd plan on having the bike serviced including truing the wheels, do this annually depending on how much you ride and what weather you ride in.
Rear hub motors have a huge hub flange that makes the wheel build challenging. Rear hub flanges that large decrease the strength of the wheel compared to a traditional rear hub like you'd find on non e-bikes or mid drive bikes.
As others stated, 13g spokes with brass nipples, DT Swiss or Saipim are the way to go. You should expect to pay a shop/wheel builder a couple hundred bucks at least, and they should want you to bring the bike/wheel in for tensioning after riding it for a few months.
At your rider weight I'd plan on having the bike serviced including truing the wheels, do this annually depending on how much you ride and what weather you ride in.
