Why do I keep breaking spokes on my rear wheel

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Why do I keep breaking spokes on my rear wheel
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flag pufalot
FL
Posted: May 6, 2022 at 4:41 Quote
In the last few months I broke more than 5 spokes on my rear wheel, a Newmen Evolution A30, 29er. Every time I've done the replacing and truing at a different bike shop. I ride enduro and have around 83kg (fully equipped). In this time I had a Maxxis DHR II with Double Down casing, I ride with around 26PSI and no insertions. This usually happens throughout rock-gardens or root sections, but the last one broke while pumping the bike out of a smooth berm. Shoud I replace the wheel? Get insertions? Switch to DH tires? The strange thing is that I don't get flats, only the spokes fail.
flag the-one1
O+
Posted: May 6, 2022 at 6:26 Quote
Is the spoke breaking or the nipple?
If its the spoke, where is it breaking?
flag BenLow2019
Posted: May 6, 2022 at 6:43 Quote
Could be a few things. I'm not a wheel wizard but it could be poor spokes, poor nipples or poor build with too high/too low/ uneven spoke tension.

How old are the wheels and how have you maintained them? Have you kept the wheels clean and dry in a climate controlled area when not in use or have you left the bike dirty and wet outside? The spokes/nipples may be corroded and failing under stress over time.

If I've Googled the right thing then these wheels came out around 2019 so they could be over 3 years old. You may consider lacing up a fresh wheel.

Good luck.
flag pufalot
FL
Posted: May 6, 2022 at 6:59 Quote
The spokes are breaking inside the nipples.
The wheels are now a year and half old. I keep my bike inside the apartment, but from time to time it might be left dirty and wet outside for a night or two (trips in the mountains, races, etc.)
flag MT36
Posted: May 6, 2022 at 7:21 Quote
I had the same problem, my LBS mechanics (who seem to know their stuff, they also build wheels) said if the wheel is relatively new, and you keep breaking spokes, by the third spoke, just replace and upgrade the wheel.

If you ride hard on rocky terrain, and broke that many spokes, you may need a stronger wheel. I have a WTB rear wheel that is 17 months old; I have broken two spokes and just cracked the rim last week. WTB has a two year warranty so it works out, and the timeframe for getting the new wheel seems to be moving quickly. I moved up to a DH casing about three months ago because I was getting lots of rim strikes and destroying tires. The DH casing is definitely damper, so in theory that should save some wear on the rim.

Maybe that is helpful... it sounds like wheel building gets pretty technical so it'd be interesting to know what else could be causes.
flag BenLow2019
Posted: May 6, 2022 at 8:56 Quote
senorpufalot wrote:
The spokes are breaking inside the nipples.
The wheels are now a year and half old. I keep my bike inside the apartment, but from time to time it might be left dirty and wet outside for a night or two (trips in the mountains, races, etc.)

That's a perfect spot for galvanic corrosion. Two dissimilar metals in direct contact with an electrolytic solution (water) will cause corrosion and subsequent metal failure. Brass nipples are more resistant than aluminum, but it still happens. Some folks prefer aluminum to brass to save a few grams, but I'd always stick with brass for strength over weight.

Maybe consider a fresh set of spokes and nipples.

Good luck.
flag pufalot
FL
Posted: May 7, 2022 at 0:58 Quote
Hm, just a thought, the tubeless tape on my wheel was installed improperly and a lot of sealant seems to have gotten out through the nipples. Could that cause damage in time?

photo
flag TimMog
Posted: May 7, 2022 at 22:49 Quote
senorpufalot wrote:
Hm, just a thought, the tubeless tape on my wheel was installed improperly and a lot of sealant seems to have gotten out through the nipples. Could that cause damage in time?]

Yes, because as has already been said, water causes corrosion. At this point, I'd have it rebuilt with decent stronger spokes and nipples, and don't leave your bike wet for so long next time
flag dancingwithmyself
Posted: May 11, 2022 at 4:16 Quote
The sealant will absolutely cause corrosion. I'd strongly consider relacing the wheel. Careful installation of high quality rim tape and being careful with it when changing tires is often overlooked.
flag bags1
O+
Posted: May 11, 2022 at 5:02 Quote
What MT36 said. I had the same problem. Wheel was a SRAM Roam 60 carbon. Replaced the rim and problem was solved.
flag craigyboy
Posted: May 12, 2022 at 2:14 Quote
sapim d light spokes I bet, I’ve had the same thing on all wheels I’ve built with them. They are great spokes until fatigue sets in, then once they start breaking inside the nipple they won’t stop. I usually get 6 months out of them before they start popping. Honestly once they start just get the wheel re spoked if the rim is still decent. I personally use the newmen rims and they are easily the toughest rim I have ever used but there choice of sapim d light spokes on full wheel builds is annoying as is how low they set spoke tensions on there builds.
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