The Bike of Doom

Performed basic 1,000 Km. maintenance today. Lubed, cleaned, minor adjustments.

I broke another two spokes on the rear wheel. I was carrying an excessively heavy load yesterday and heard a ping from the wheel as I went through a pothole. Found the broken spokes when I got home. Replaced the spokes and trued the wheel in about 30 minutes. One spoke was on the cassette side, one on the other, almost adjacent to one another. I’m not certain what caused the spokes to break, if they were the same spokes I repaired last time, or original spokes that gave up. I have noticed that I’m treating the SC1800 a bit rougher than I was at first, hardly noticing potholes or cracks as I ride over them. That could be part of it. Or, as I said, I’m a big guy (Clydesdale Class Cyclist, as my friend Mike would say), and I’m hard on wheels at the best of times, and probably moreso on these cheap things. Or, it could be that I overtightened the spokes last time I replaced them. I’m still feeling my way around the art/science of truing. Perhaps a few more spoke breaks and I’ll get it right. In any event, the wheel seems fine now. I’ll pick up a few more spokes to have on hand.

Other than that, the SC1800 keeps rolling.

Related posts:

1,600 Km (1,000 Miles) - SuperCycle SC1800 repair record

SuperCycle road/commuter hybrid

Preventative wheel maintenance — 1828 Km