Issue with new bike

Hi folks,

I bought a new road bike about seven weeks ago and have been enjoying my cycling. I noticed a rattle on the bike about three weeks ago but assumed it was down to me putting a bracket and pump on the frame.

The rattle (like a loose stone) stayed for the next two spins and then on Sunday morning I was bombing down a hill when I noticed the back wheel starting to wobble badly to the point where I nearly came off the bike. I hopped off and one of the spokes was broken and the back wheel was badly buckled. The rattle must have been the little screw that connects the spoke to the rim hopping around in the rim. Anyway, I had to stop and get my wife to collect me.

I haven't had time to get to the bike shop yet, but would I be right in saying that they should replace the wheel for me? I think I cycled the bike about four to five times and did not have any incidents that caused the spoke to break or the screw to come loose. Any advice appreciated before I get on to the bike shop.

Regards,
Brian.

RossieMan

I honestly don't see why they should. You noticed an issue, ignored it, then breaks, now you want a new one for free?

It's your error, not theirs.
All new bikes can become loose when first riden, they generally will be looked at after a couple of weeks.

dusty207

Bring it back, the bike wasn't assembled properly and should have been checked before you got it.

uncle-mofo

They should change the spoke and true it for free, I wouldn't expect a new wheel. Cannondale by any chance?

irishrover99

uncle-mofo wrote: »

They should change the spoke and true it for free, I wouldn't expect a new wheel. Cannondale by any chance?

Why would it be a Cannondale.
Firstly, they are great bikes and secondly, do they even make wheels

uncle-mofo

irishrover99 wrote: »

Why would it be a Cannondale.
Firstly, they are great bikes and secondly, do they even make wheels

Their own brand Maddux wheels seem to break spokes a lot, something with the rim/nipples where the nipple doesn't sit in line with the spoke, and the spoke leaves the nipple at an angle causing extra stress on the spoke.

Curious as my the back wheel on my Cannondale is flying through spokes and Cannondale are popular at the moment.

beauf

Most people who cycle get buckles and break spokes and have to have wheels straightened.

Only if it's happening a lot would you be worried.

Macy0161

dusty207 wrote: »

Bring it back, the bike wasn't assembled properly and should have been checked before you got it.

I don't see how you can say that tbh. Spokes are an item that break, particularly if you ignore the first signs, or if you hit something. They may fix it free of charge, but I wouldn't be counting on it.

Assuming it was offered (it should've been), it could've at least been identified at the 6 week check, rather than break at week 7.

dusty207

Macy0161 wrote: »

I don't see how you can say that tbh. Spokes are an item that break, particularly if you ignore the first signs, or if you hit something. They may fix it free of charge, but I wouldn't be counting on it.

Assuming it was offered (it should've been), it could've at least been identified at the 6 week check, rather than break at week 7.

The OP has a certain mechanical knowledge in that he heard something rattling, maybe he is partially at fault here but loads of people buy bikes and couldn't identify a rattle and could have the same thing happen. It's a grey area I suppose but I think the onus would be on the shop. Fit for purpose and all that.

magicbastarder

Macy0161 wrote: »

I don't see how you can say that tbh. Spokes are an item that break

not after five cycles on a new bike, though?

beauf

magicbastarder wrote: »

not after five cycles on a new bike, though?

If it want set up right and you hit a pothole would it matter how many cycles.

Macy0161

magicbastarder wrote: »

not after five cycles on a new bike, though?

You'd be hoping there wouldn't be an issue with LBS, I'm just saying they may not necessarily see it as their issue. It could've been a number of things other than poor quality from the start, or a poor build. Pothole, damaged/ hit where ever it's stored, that the bike has fallen on something...

Cee-Jay-Cee

RossieMan wrote: »

I honestly don't see why they should. You noticed an issue, ignored it, then breaks, now you want a new one for free?

It's your error, not theirs.
All new bikes can become loose when first riden, they generally will be looked at after a couple of weeks.

Calm down...The bike is more or less brand new and the bike shop should repair the spoke free of charge. Its only a spoke, Its not like he's asking for a new replacement bike. :rolleyes:

ford2600

Most manufacturers are guilty of putting crap wheels on off the shelf bikes.

A spoke coming loose after a few spins is strongly suggestive of a poorly built wheel. Well built wheels don't just have spokes come loose.

The strength and reliability of bicycle wheel is dependent on it being a properly built prestressed structure. When not properly tensioned and stressed spokes come loose. If the spoke is just replaced this wheel will probably continue to cause problems

dense

magicbastarder wrote: »

not after five cycles on a new bike, though?

And anyway, it only started happening yesterday, didn't it??

RossieMan

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote:

Calm down...The bike is more or less brand new and the bike shop should repair the spoke free of charge. Its only a spoke, Its not like he's asking for a new replacement bike.

He said the wheel was buckled?

Hurrache

The basic issue is that he should not have had issue with a wheel in such a short space of time outside of a bang or accident. The poster should have no hesitation returning to the store for it to be corrected.

Thanks for the advice folks. I am going to drop in and see what they say today. I am not expecting or demanding anything, just that they have a look and we can come up with a solution.

I went back over the last few weeks and have only cycled it four times, one of which was abandoned shortly after starting, so it really didn't get a lot of mileage before the problem arose and it was all cycling on good main roads.

Hopefully, they will help out as it seems a bit much for problems for problems to arise with an expensive bit of kit like that so soon after buying.

RossieMan

RossieMan wrote: »

I honestly don't see why they should. You noticed an issue, ignored it, then breaks, now you want a new one for free?

It's your error, not theirs.
All new bikes can become loose when first riden, they generally will be looked at after a couple of weeks.

Easy tiger, I am not expecting or demanding anything, just asking.

uncle-mofo

uncle-mofo wrote: »

They should change the spoke and true it for free, I wouldn't expect a new wheel. Cannondale by any chance?

Not a Cannondale.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

not after five cycles on a new bike, though?

Three cycles plus 10k of an abandoned one.

Brian?

magicbastarder wrote: »

not after five cycles on a new bike, though?

Actually yeah. The spokes bed in and come loose on new wheels, hence the rattle.

ford2600

Brian? wrote: »

Actually yeah. The spokes bed in and come loose on new wheels, hence the rattle.

On poorly tensioned wheels they do

07Lapierre

Bring it back to the shop.... any reputable shop will have it sorted in a few minutes and do it F.O.C. Although, if there really good, you’ll leave the shop with your bike in perfect working order, a new lock, new lights, some winter clothing and a discount voucher for your next purchase!

Brian?

ford2600 wrote: »

On poorly tensioned wheels they do

Which are any wheels that aren’t hand built, high end wheels I. My experience.

Even with high end wheels I’d expect some bedding in of spokes.

Fian

a bike, like any other product, has an implied waranty that it is of merchantable quality from the retailer. The wheel breking within 5 cycles is a breach of that warranty and the purchaser should be entitled to repair - by way of having teh wheel repaired. All imo.

Budawanny

Brian? wrote: »

Which are any wheels that aren’t hand built, high end wheels I. My experience.

Even with high end wheels I’d expect some bedding in of spokes.

Never heard of such a thing. It’s not strange to buy a bike and expect it’s wheels to not fall apart without user maintenance , after 3.x short spins

Brian?

Budawanny wrote: »

Never heard of such a thing. It’s not strange to buy a bike and expect it’s wheels to not fall apart without user maintenance , after 3.x short spins

The wheels didn't "fall apart". A spoke broke. Or was it more than one?

I would expect the wheels to be tensioned better. I would expect the bike shop to check for loose/improperly tensioned spokes when selling the bike. I would expect the new owner to check the spokes, handle bars, seat post etc are tight enough after the first ride, I would expect the new bike own not to react to the initial noise and not ignore it. None of this happened, which led to the situation. One correctly performed step in that chain and the issue was avoided.

I would always expect spokes to bed in.

Brian?

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks for the advice folks. I am going to drop in and see what they say today. I am not expecting or demanding anything, just that they have a look and we can come up with a solution.

I went back over the last few weeks and have only cycled it four times, one of which was abandoned shortly after starting, so it really didn't get a lot of mileage before the problem arose and it was all cycling on good main roads.

Hopefully, they will help out as it seems a bit much for problems for problems to arise with an expensive bit of kit like that so soon after buying.

The bike shop should stand over it and repair the wheel. They should have checked it when selling the bike to you. What shop was it? How did you get on?

Brian?

Brian? wrote: »

The bike shop should stand over it and repair the wheel. They should have checked it when selling the bike to you. What shop was it? How did you get on?

I brought the bike back to the The Edge in Cork yesterday and they agreed to repair it or replace the wheel without any fuss. The mechanic just said that the issue that arose should not have happened with a new bike and will fix/replace at no cost to me. One spoke was broken and a few more were damaged as a result of the one being undermined and the wheel buckling.

I have had several bikes in the past (though not road bikes) and I have never had any issues with spokes going like that. My suspicion is that if this were a normal occurrence they would warn you to check the tension on spokes and ensure there are no issues when selling you the bike. I just think that the bike I got came with a spoke that had not been fitted properly to the rim and was loose. Either way, I don't care as they are fixing it. One abandoned cycle, one near accident and missing out on my cycle yesterday is not the end of the world.

Thanks for the advice and help.

The shop rang me today and they replaced the wheel. Very happy with their service and the decision to just replace it with no hassle.

To update this thread, I had the exact same problem with the other wheel on the bike - the nipple came loose on a long spin and dropped into the rim of the wheel and was rattling around. I had no choice but to continue home and was afraid the wheel would buckle as the spoke tension was already gone but made it.

Brought it back and got it repaired but have to say I don't have much faith in the bike I bought as both wheels have gone now. Brought wheel back and explained by issue - they said they would fix wheel and also get back to Cube and see if they can get it replaced.

smacl

Deleted User wrote: »

To update this thread, I had the exact same problem with the other wheel on the bike - the nipple came loose on a long spin and dropped into the rim of the wheel and was rattling around. I had no choice but to continue home and was afraid the wheel would buckle as the spoke tension was already gone but made it.

Brought it back and got it repaired but have to say I don't have much faith in the bike I bought as both wheels have gone now. Brought wheel back and explained by issue - they said they would fix wheel and also get back to Cube and see if they can get it replaced.

Sometimes the wheels shipped with slightly cheaper bikes aren't great and you might be better considering simply replacing them with the next level up. Aksiums are a popular low end wheel and personally I've had lots of trouble free miles on a pair of Fulcrum 7s in the past.

Macy0161

Cliff in Harry's rebuilt one of my Giant wheels, after a few random spoke breakages. His take is they save weight on the spokes. Him upgrading the spokes was still cheaper than a new wheelset.

To update the update, the wheel I picked up yesterday after having it repaired went again last night. Same issue - nipple came loose and dropped into the rim leaving me with a damaged spoke and a ****ty ride home. I think it's safe to say now that the two wheels on the bike I bought were defective.

doozerie

I'm surprised at some of the suggestions in this thread of spokes coming loose being somehow normal for wheels. It's not.

Spokes on well-built wheels do not routinely come loose, and no not routinely break (though breakage can be due to factors other than the quality of the build, such as a hub where the spoke holes are badly finished during manufacture). The corollary is true of badly-built wheels, in both cases.

Cost of the wheels is not a reliable indicator of quality, but as with most things the cheaper they are the greater the likelihood of poor quality.

As for spokes "bedding in", that happening is an indicator of poorly built wheels too. For well-built wheels the spokes are seated fully as part of the build and are stress-relieved too, leaving no scope for "bedding in". If that isn't done then either the wheel builder doesn't know what they are doing, or they don't care to spend the time on it, either of which would mark them out as a rubbish wheel builder.

hesker

In my mind the shop should replace both wheels for you. If they want to chase Cube that’s their business. I don’t see why you should have to wait around to see what Cube have to say.

Cee-Jay-Cee

If it were me I would be insisting on a different set of new wheels. I would have zero confidence in the wheels on the bike and would be afraid to go any sort of distance for fear of them breaking or buckling on me. If they refused then sale of goods act should apply and a full refund sought on the basis that the product is not fit for purpose.

DaveyDave

People have interesting views on wheels. Some say wear and tear others say poorly built. It's hardly wear and tear if a spoke or two goes after just a few hundred km. Unless they're jumping off curbs on a daily basis a wheel should still be able to manage someone riding along normal roads.

One of the spokes went on my Campag Zonda. These wheels are known for staying true, mentioned it to a salesman and he was surprised and said it would be fixed under warranty. The service department tried to charge me for it even though it was a warranty repair. Wear and tear etc. Hasn't gone out of true at all in the last 3 years, just bad luck it went. Even the service manager was pushy against it.

If it was a bike from Halfords I'd understand. The GF had a bike from there and the wheel creaked just from inflating the tyre to the minimum pressure.

If you want strong wheels on a budget, the Campagnolo Khamsin G3 are bombproof.

py

Interested to find out the weight of the rider and the weight limit on the wheels.

py

py wrote: »

Interested to find out the weight of the rider and the weight limit on the wheels.

I'm 14st 6 and 6'4". Not sure what the weight limit is but I would assume I am a good bit off it and nothing mentioned when I bought the bike, but interestingly the manager was hinting the other day that if I were to get new wheels I should consider a different spoke pattern.

hesker

hesker wrote: »

In my mind the shop should replace both wheels for you. If they want to chase Cube that’s their business. I don’t see why you should have to wait around to see what Cube have to say.

Just had second wheel replaced with a like for like the other day. Did 100k at 32kph on Sunday and no problems so fingers crossed that's the end of it and it was both original wheels that were defective.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

If it were me I would be insisting on a different set of new wheels. I would have zero confidence in the wheels on the bike and would be afraid to go any sort of distance for fear of them breaking or buckling on me. If they refused then sale of goods act should apply and a full refund sought on the basis that the product is not fit for purpose.

If I have any more problems I will be doing exactly this.

DaveyDave

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm 14st 6 and 6'4". Not sure what the weight limit is but I would assume I am a good bit off it and nothing mentioned when I bought the bike, but interestingly the manager was hinting the other day that if I were to get new wheels I should consider a different spoke pattern.

That's around 90kg which I believe is on the heavier side of cycling, the joys of being 6'4"

I think some manufacturers recommend extra observations and having the wheels trued more often at that weight. Campagnolos actual weight limit for example is 109kg. I'm just over that and haven't had any issues over several thousand kilometres. Their G3 spoke pattern caters to heavier riders. If I recall, some manufacturers don't even specify weight limits.

I think some of these limits are just to cover their arse though. There's plenty of heavier guys riding around with no issues.

DaveyDave

DaveyDave wrote: »

That's around 90kg which I believe is on the heavier side of cycling, the joys of being 6'4"

I think some manufacturers recommend extra observations and having the wheels trued more often at that weight. Campagnolos actual weight limit for example is 109kg. I'm just over that and haven't had any issues over several thousand kilometres. Their G3 spoke pattern caters to heavier riders. If I recall, some manufacturers don't even specify weight limits.

I think some of these limits are just to cover their arse though. There's plenty of heavier guys riding around with no issues.

I think it's a bit of a red herring. Ironically, I had to borrow a spare wheel off my next door neighbour who is 19stone and has never had an issue with a wheel in his life.

Canis Lupus

DaveyDave wrote: »

That's around 90kg which I believe is on the heavier side of cycling, the joys of being 6'4"

I think some manufacturers recommend extra observations and having the wheels trued more often at that weight. Campagnolos actual weight limit for example is 109kg. I'm just over that and haven't had any issues over several thousand kilometres. Their G3 spoke pattern caters to heavier riders. If I recall, some manufacturers don't even specify weight limits.

I think some of these limits are just to cover their arse though. There's plenty of heavier guys riding around with no issues.

I'm tipping along comfortably at 100kg (all muscle..... of course......) Giants are rated to 125kg as an example. 90kg is a pretty average everyday weight and unless the OP is underinflating them and hopping them off every pothole he can find I'd expect them to be and stay perfectly fine.

Canis Lupus

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I'm tipping along comfortably at 100kg (all muscle..... of course......) Giants are rated to 125kg as an example. 90kg is a pretty average everyday weight and unless the OP is underinflating them and hopping them off every pothole he can find I'd expect them to be and stay perfectly fine.

Tyres inflated to the recommended level and I have been over cautious if anything on spins as I am wary of hitting holes.

Bringing a zombie back to life to give you all an update.

After all the problems mentioned in this thread, I ended up just ditching the replacement wheels the shop gave me as they were giving me the same problems but with added punctures (at one stage I was puncturing every time I went out) and it was impossible to change them on the road as they were so tight.

Anyway, I've done a lot of cycling since and my wife was getting me new wheels for my birthday and was checking the specs of the bike to give to her when I came across some reviews of the bike, many of which had remarkably similar experiences to me with broken spokes, constant punctures and generally disastrous wheels.

In hindsight, I was naive and should have demanded a different brand of wheels or my money back. I got by on borrowed wheels for over a year but what a frustrating experience.

Cube Attain SI 2018 reviews. It's a grand bike with the worst wheels ever!

https://www.evanscycles.com/cube-attain-sl-2018-road-bike-EV319178

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/cube-attain-sl-2018-wheel-issues.244352/

saccades

Hindsight is always 20:20 unfortunately.

The more important thing is, what new wheels?

In the traditional way i recommend what I own, Hope five 20 (although probably too wide when fitted with tyres for your frame).

saccades

saccades wrote: »

Hindsight is always 20:20 unfortunately.

The more important thing is, what new wheels?

In the traditional way i recommend what I own, Hope five 20 (although probably too wide when fitted with tyres for your frame).

Mavic KSYRIUM 2020. I've used a borrowed set and loved them.

Large bottle small glass

Deleted User wrote: »

Bringing a zombie back to life to give you all an update.

After all the problems mentioned in this thread, I ended up just ditching the replacement wheels the shop gave me as they were giving me the same problems but with added punctures (at one stage I was puncturing every time I went out) and it was impossible to change them on the road as they were so tight.

Anyway, I've done a lot of cycling since and my wife was getting me new wheels for my birthday and was checking the specs of the bike to give to her when I came across some reviews of the bike, many of which had remarkably similar experiences to me with broken spokes, constant punctures and generally disastrous wheels.

In hindsight, I was naive and should have demanded a different brand of wheels or my money back. I got by on borrowed wheels for over a year but what a frustrating experience.

Cube Attain SI 2018 reviews. It's a grand bike with the worst wheels ever!

https://www.evanscycles.com/cube-attain-sl-2018-road-bike-EV319178

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/cube-attain-sl-2018-wheel-issues.244352/

You are a big unit and are probably putting out a nice bit of power. Depending on your riding style you probably are hard enough on rear wheels.

On a well built wheel that might mean a shorter lifespan without issue over a light rider who isn't powerful. It shouldn't be an issue for a long time however on a wheel built wheel.

Bikes are built to a price point and one of the areas the corners are cut is the time/effort given to build and stress relieve wheels. Somewhere a bean counter has made a calculation that its a worthwhile risk to put sh1t wheels on as
*some bikes won't be used much at all
*rider will be really light and lack power
*buyer won't have a clue and just buy new wheels
*lbs will take all the slack anyhow

Anyone buying a new bike should ask the lbs to fully check wheels, and retension and stress relive the wheels if necessary. If he/she won't(or is incapable) don't buy.

Example of tensions on a poorly built wheel below. Cube(amongst others) have been putting sh1te wheels on bike for years. It's a pity as the money involved is tiny, a professional builder would correct do a lot of tensioning/stress relieving in 15 mins.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=109823299&postcount=2672