Recommend a decent sturdy rear wheel

iXi

E*POWAH Master
Feb 17, 2019
417
320
Brisbane
I keep busting spokes on my rear wheel. I'm not hitting huge jumps or anything crazy just moderate downhill sections with ruts, drop off's and rocks etc. Most trails are fairly tame to be honest but I am a fat c... 114kg so that's probably half the problem.

I don't know where to start with wheels.

Current wheel is
HUB
DT Swiss H370, Boost 12x148mm, E-MTB Rated
SPOKES/NIPPLES
Sapim Race Stainless Steel Front, DT Alpine Stainless Steel Rear, Brass Nipples
RIMS
WTB ST i29 TCS 2.0, 32 Hole, 29mm

Any suggestions welcome
 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
Author
Subscriber
Mar 29, 2018
10,496
10,692
the internet
DT Alpine spokes are actually one of the strongest butted spokes available.
Are yours straight pull or J bend?
How and where did on your spokes are they breaking?
and which side of your wheel (drive or disc?)
and which spoke patern are they? if OEM I'd guess good old reliable old 3 cross?(where each spoke crosses three others each side)
Spokes only really break through fatigue or damage so I'd need a little more info to make a(n educatred) guess as to why your spokes are breaking. it's not simply down to your weight!
Have your spokes been damaged in any way, ie. chain derrailing into the spokes or trail debris through the wheel.
Were you riding them badly tensioned (loose spokes or uneven tension?)
Why does your wheelset have 2 brands of spoke? have they been re-built already? If so, who by?

Sounds like you're not having any issues with your front wheel so I'd simply check that for good tension and trueness and keep using it.
Asuming there's nothing wrong with your rear hub or rim I'd simply rebuild your rear with decent DB 2.0/1.8 SS spokes and brass nipples. You're heavy but IMO not too heavy for a 32 spoke wheel built onto an i29 rim (they're a fairly meaty well constructed eyeletted rims)
If like most of the world if you're confined to home and have time on your hands you should consider re-lacing the wheel yourself (it's really not difficult). Getting hold of new spokes might be though. using a spoke key remove one drive side and one disc side spoke and measure their lengths. If they're close in length you can probably get away with using just one length and 14mm nipples.
Once you have re-laced the wheel (you'll find plenty lacing guides online either in text/pics or youtube). tensioning/trueing is honestly not a super difficult job either, just time consuming if you've never done it before. And you'll need patience.. Good even tension is what you need to aim for here. to do this you don't need any special tools other than a spoke key. Folk think they'll need a proper jig and tension meter, you really don't. trueing in your frame (on a stand or bike upside down and guide attached to the stays will work fine. a ruler across the top wil lbe helpful for high/low roundness and dish.
Lacing/tensioning/trueing wheels are good all skills to gain.
 
Last edited:

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