Trail Cruiser
Well-Known Member
Apparently, one reason about spoke failure on the crosscurrent is described in Grin Technology.Juiced may be getting their spokes from the same supplier as Giant Bikes but they are not the same high quality. I have a Giant Cypress that's 15 years old and never broken a spoke. My CC broke 2 spokes in less than a month. The spokes always break at the hub, which means they are weak at the spoke elbow. Weak spokes are like dominoes, after the first breaks it just a question of time for the rest. The only remedy is a wheel re-build using better quality spokes. Also the spokes must alternate direction where they enter the hub motor flange. Doing so helps to spread the tension and stress on the wheel.
"A common reason for spokes to fail on hub motors isn't because the motor puts extra strain on the spokes, or because the spokes aren't a thick enough gauge, it's because of fatigue failure from spokes that aren't held snug against the flange. If the spoke bend radius is too large or too far from the head, then it can flex up and down at the bend with each wheel rotation, eventually causing it to crack and fail."
Source: http://www.ebikes.ca/learn/wheel-build.html