BROKEN SPOKES?

[christob]

BROKEN SPOKES ; informal survey. If you have broken any spokes on your ebike let me know

1st VEB Cafe - no broken spokes in 850 miles (but then had to swap bike out for a same-model replacement, following a PAS/electronics death.)
2nd VEB Cafe - 5 spokes broke in first 1,300 miles (broken at mile marks: 167, 443, 857, 1115, 1336, over span of 11 weeks.)
VEB identified they'd likely got a batch of bad spokes -- they sent a new, re-laced w/ "good spokes" rear wheel (sent out when spoke #4 broke - but didn't arrive until after spoke #5 broke).
On that new wheel (my bike is a rear hub motor) I've now logged 1,280 miles with no broken spokes.

A recurring chirping squeak recently developed (late Sept.) LBS did a quick check of a few things (not including spokes at that time) but found nothing tell-tale. It remained constant, and a slight shimmy in front wheel at lower speeds, developed. I took it back to LBS this month, and we went over the hub axle and brake calipers, at suggestion of VEB -- both were basically fine. The tech then took it on a quick ride -- the length of the shop -- and said "whoa, something's not right with your rear wheel." And that was when we checked the spokes -- they were almost all of them, substantially loose! (I'd never checked them in my 1,280 miles on that wheel.)
Got them all tightened, and the wheel re-trued the next day -- smooth and quiet sailing once again! So - one more thing to add to my periodic routine maintenance checklist!

 

[AHicks]

That chirping noise is a dead give away for loose spokes.

 

[Drew]

how do you like those smart sams ?

I really like them, they are the ideal tire for me, knobby enough that I am not deterred by a little mud or loose stuff, yet they roll very easily and quietly on pavement.

 

[6zfshdb]

Although heavy, expensive and not practical to retrofit with hub drives, mag wheels are something to consider when shopping out an e-bike. I went that route with my Pedego Platinum Interceptor due to past spoke issues. The added weight is a consideration for conventional bikes but not a factor for an e-bike. An additional benefit is mags are tubeless tire friendly.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Although heavy, expensive and not practical to retrofit with hub drives, mag wheels are something to consider when shopping out an e-bike. I went that route with my Pedego Platinum Interceptor due to past spoke issues. The added weight is a consideration for conventional bikes but not a factor for an e-bike. An additional benefit is mags are tubeless tire friendly.

Nice to know that the Pedego Mag wheels are tubeless-ready. Is that for just the 2018 models or for earlier ones.

And weight certainly will matter if you have to haul your e-bike over one of these.

 

[Feliz]

Aren't all mag wheels okay to go tubeless? I don't know how the air could leak out as in a spoked wheel.

 

[6zfshdb]

Nice to know that the Pedego Mag wheels are tubeless-ready. Is that for just the 2018 models or for earlier ones.

And weight certainly will matter if you have to haul your e-bike over one of these.

True. Been there, done that. I've hoisted my mag wheeled bike over many a dead fall in my travels. It's the weight of the e-bike itself that's the issue. The mags add 4.5 pounds over the weight of a spoked wheel model. It's a fairly small percentage of the total weight but it all adds up.

IMO, most cast aluminum mags are tubeless ready. the two major limiting factors are weak rim wall strength (flex) and spoke holes. Mags have neither. Mags with unpolished rim edges can cause some sealant issues though.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

My concern with tubeless on a non-tubeless rim (which apparently can work, amazingly) is that you'd need to do a bit of research and experimentation to make sure the particular tire you were using would form a good seal with the rim in question. Since there are a lot of rim shapes and bead shapes out there you can't immediately assume that a rim and a tire chosen at random will work well.

In general you are always going to need at least one layer of rim tape to get tubeless to work, if only to get the tire tight enough that it will seal well and make sure you get a good seal around the valve.

 

[john peck]

BROKEN SPOKES ; informal survey. If you have broken any spokes on your ebike let me know ; I have broken 3 spokes on the rear wheel of my rear hub type 500 watt bike. I broke one over a speed bump and one over a curb . The first one broke seemingly randomly. Each time I had the spoke replaced and the wheel tuned. Now I don´t ride that bike much anymore. Anybody else with a rear hub bike that has broken spokes?

I have been going thru rear spokes like they were popcorn for a variety of reasons. 1). Even with all the weight I have lost, I´m a big guy
built like an offensive lineman; a panic stop going downhill is usually good for a couples spokes, Disc brakes are great for stopping, but
tend to be hard on spokes. 2). Potholes, even a small one will pop a spoke if I´m caught off guard. 3). Debris in the bike lane, we´ve had
some big storms lately leaving the lanes cluttered with plne needles, cones, sticks, & branches . I´ve done 4 spokes this week from
sticks flipping up into the spokes. I do my best to dodge them, but sometimes that could be fatal. I now carry a half dozen spokes & a
good spoke wrench in my bar bag as well as an ample supply at home. I gettin' good at it, did 2 yesterday in 15 minutes. Almost nothing
stops me from riding every day.

 

[john peck]

Drat, ´nother spoke today,( my bad I think ), too tight. Gosh though, ya got love these rims on the CCS, trued right back to +-1mm.
I´ve put´em through a lot. I think tire pressure is a factor too. I pump em pretty hard cuz of my size. It´s a trade off; I like to go
softer, but I´d bottom out if I did. This is the main reason I´d like to use a wider tire, but the stays on the CCS limit it to 700/50 (29¨ x 2.00)
I really wish it had symmetrical stays! I love 700s on my road bikes but I honestly think 700s with discs stress the spokes more than 26¨ers.

P.S. Kinda wish I´d pulled the trigger on a $999 black Friday Ocean Current, but as usual, I watch & wait to see what new evolution takes
place in the world of ebikes. I watched a long time before picking the CCS, of which I am quite fond in spite of spokes. Can´t wait to see
what improvements Tora makes by next black Friday.

 

[steve mercier]

Drat, ´nother spoke today,( my bad I think ), too tight. Gosh though, ya got love these rims on the CCS, trued right back to +-1mm.
I´ve put´em through a lot. I think tire pressure is a factor too. I pump em pretty hard cuz of my size. It´s a trade off; I like to go
softer, but I´d bottom out if I did. This is the main reason I´d like to use a wider tire, but the stays on the CCS limit it to 700/50 (29¨ x 2.00)
I really wish it had symmetrical stays! I love 700s on my road bikes but I honestly think 700s with discs stress the spokes more than 26¨ers.

P.S. Kinda wish I´d pulled the trigger on a $999 black Friday Ocean Current, but as usual, I watch & wait to see what new evolution takes
place in the world of ebikes. I watched a long time before picking the CCS, of which I am quite fond in spite of spokes. Can wait to see
what improvements Tora makes by next black Friday.

you sir are a VERY patient man! I would have chucked the bike in the river by now.

 

[AHicks]

Agree patient. I would be dedicated to find a way to eliminate that issue though. I would not have the patience to deal with it on an ongoing basis.

 

[steve mercier]

Agree patient. I would be dedicated to find a way to eliminate that issue though. I would not have the patience to deal with it on an ongoing basis.

Yes perhaps you could enlist the services of a professional wheel builder?

 

[john peck]

you sir are a VERY patient man! I would have chucked the bike in the river by now.

Why? It´s more my fault than the bike´s. I´ve got 3000 mi. on it & loved every one of them. Performance is still great; Iḿ just too big & to hard on it.
I spent as much or more time keeping a couple vintage road bikes road worthy. Others with this bike haven´t had any problems since Sapin spokes
have been used. (got lotsa spokes, just not sapin) Spokes aside, I have had no mechanical issues whatsoever especially considering the amount
of abuse the bike has taken from me. I have laid it down hard a half dozen times & used it like a mtn bike which it is not. Itś a very tough bike that
still performs as well as when I got it.

 

[john peck]

Agree patient. I would be dedicated to find a way to eliminate that issue though. I would not have the patience to deal with it on an ongoing basis.

The only issues are that I play hard & plan to use up all those cheap spokes before rebuilding the wheel, These rims are the best. I´ve never had others
that hold shape as well as these. So it took all of 5 min. to replace this last spoke that was totally my fault. No big deal unless your too proud to get
your hands dirty once in a while. You should see the kinda crud I have to ride through every dam day, rain or shine.

 

[Feliz]

Why? It´s more my fault than the bike´s. I´ve got 3000 mi. on it & loved every one of them. Performance is still great; Iḿ just too big & to hard on it.
I spent as much or more time keeping a couple vintage road bikes road worthy. Others with this bike haven´t had any problems since Sapin spokes
have been used. (got lotsa spokes, just not sapin) Spokes aside, I have had no mechanical issues whatsoever especially considering the amount
of abuse the bike has taken from me. I have laid it down hard a half dozen times & used it like a mtn bike which it is not. Itś a very tough bike that
still performs as well as when I got it.

Once a few of the early wrinkles were worked out the CCS is an awesome bike and one of the best values around. I think Tora has done a great job, if anything Juice's success is their downfall, they can't keep up with demand and expectations. For anyone not aware of Tora's acheivments look him up on Wiki!

I'm in Canada and the CCX isn't available but I have a CCS with 52V/21AH, Thudbuster, and Schwalbe Marathon Plus and it's become the favourite of my five eBikes. I'm not aware of any issues with any recent Juiced bikes since they went with Sapim spokes a year or so ago.

 

[john peck]

I'm in Canada and the CCX isn't available but I have a CCS with 52V/21AH, Thudbuster, and Schwalbe Marathon Plus and it's become the favourite of my five eBikes. I'm not aware of any issues with any recent Juiced bikes since they went with Sapim spokes a year or so ago.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is an awesome bike. My spokes issues have been my fault, or that of unavoidable debris in my path. I would have destroyed just about
any other bike by now, but the CCS is like the Energizer bunny. I pushed it way beyond what it´s designed to do,(commuter). I´m amazed
that I haven´t cracked or bent the frame. In anything other than eco-mode, pedaling is like just going thru the motions. Once familiar with the
gears & modes it´s just so smooth & powerful.

 

[larry-new]

@john peck ...you may want to tie the crosses...I used tiny zip ties this time around, tho I've tried thread/epoxy and copper/solder in the past.

 

[john peck]

@john peck ...you may want to tie the crosses...I used tiny zip ties this time around, tho I've tried thread/epoxy and copper/solder in the past.

Already have done, with a bit of tape between to dampen vibration. That works fine on my rim brake gas bikes, not as much as with
instant torque going & braking with discs. My size creates considerable inertial stress on the spokes, rim brakes less so.

 

[Eric Eaton]

I see this thread is not so active lately, but it seems to be the most appropriate place to post a concern.

As a larger rider (250 lbs), I go through spokes regularly (about every 100 miles). My ebike is the GreenBike USA GB-500.
This bike takes me everywhere - work, shopping, joy riding, etc.
I do live in a hilly place, so could really use some additional torque occasionally.
Also, many of the roads were built over 80 years ago out of concert slabs and have shifted over the decades leaving gaps, jagged edges, bumps and jumps making for some rough riding.
My bike is my best exercise (I've lost 25 lbs in 1500 miles of riding this year), so I am looking for suggestions.
My current thought is to sell my bike and purchase one with mag wheels.
Although I too have become quite proficient at changing spokes in the rain and snow I would prefer not to have to do it at all.
One other thing to mention is I had the rear wheel sent out to be completely rebuilt by a pro-shop specializing in wheels.

Any thoughts are welcome and appreciated.
Thanks.