Orbea Gain lost spokes

[badlywornroy]

Yes, I have ‘popped’ a spoke on my Orbea Gain.
Me, my LBS and the Orbea dealer I purchased from have been unable to get a response from Orbea as to the
Spoke tension required when refitting. Does anyone have this info to share please, or maybe a proven
Tel no/email address who is likely to know this ? It’s been a week now and I want to get the bike back on the road.

 

[Nealh]

A dealer or wheel builder will simply be able to test the other spokes for an average tension. Simply using a tensiometer/gauge or some diy builders use the note scale/tuning fork on the other spokes will tell you the average of the tensions, on a dished wheel tension on each side should differ. Not all spokes on the same side will have exactly the same tension so in general there will be an acceptable range which tension will fall into without un-truing the rim. A wheel with all spokes tensioned the same can still be out of true as the steel content may vary from batches . A case of getting wheel trued first then adjusting tension and re- trueing
There are Apps available to download for note scales, pluck the spokes for average then adjust spoke tightening to match the note required.

I build my own wheels and use the plucking method and tune/tension using my ears, very rarely do I get an issue.

 

[vfr400]

That's a weird question to ask. Any experienced wheel-builder would know how to do it. It's making me think that the shop that has your bike hasn't a clue. Take it to someone that knows what they're doing.

 

[badlywornroy]

A dealer or wheel builder will simply be able to test the other spokes for an average tension.

Thanks Nealh, I will talk about this with the mechanic at the LBS.

That's a weird question to ask. Any experienced wheel-builder would know how to do it. It's making me think that the shop that has your bike hasn't a clue. Take it to someone that knows what they're doing.

Wile I appreciate you trying to help vfr400 your post seems prejorative and dismissive of the LBS skills without real knowledge of the problem ? Is every LBS mechanic an “experienced wheel-builder” ? Anyway after some years of efficient and honest service from this LBS I am not about to lose confidence in them that quick.
Regards.

 

[Deleted member 25121]

Thanks Nealh, I will talk about this with the mechanic at the LBS.



Wile I appreciate you trying to help vfr400 your post seems prejorative and dismissive of the LBS skills without real knowledge of the problem ? Is every LBS mechanic an “experienced wheel-builder” ? Anyway after some years of efficient and honest service from this LBS I am not about to lose confidence in them that quick.
Regards.

Are you asking LBS how to resolve the problem with breaking spokes or are you asking them for an absolute figure for spoke tension? The rim manufacturer should be able to provide a recommended range for spoke tensions but without that you should be able to measure the tensions on all the spokes and figure if any are wildly out.
Didn't LBS give you any guidance on how to do this?

 

[badlywornroy]

Are you asking LBS how to resolve the problem with breaking spokes or are you asking them for an absolute figure for spoke tension? The rim manufacturer should be able to provide a recommended range for spoke tensions but without that you should be able to measure the tensions on all the spokes and figure if any are wildly out.
Didn't LBS give you any guidance on how to do this?

Err ! I’m not asking the LBS anything apart from ‘ fix my bike please’ Guidance ? I have no wish or intention to do it myself. They are not familiar with the bike or probably any of this type of bike. This is rural North Yorkshire and a small 1/1.5 man operation. Not a large city/town business. This is the bike’s 1st service and we are a little concerned the spoke tensions may all be wrong. I am 70kg and I have never lost a spoke on any bike before.

 

[Deleted member 25121]

Me, my LBS and the Orbea dealer I purchased from have been unable to get a response from Orbea as to the
Spoke tension required when refitting. Does anyone have this info to share please, or maybe a proven

Err! ! We thought from this comment that you were trying to find out the recommended range for the spoke tension.
If you simply want to get your bike fixed then take it to a LBS who knows what they're doing, it shouldn't be necessary for you to tell the LBS how to fix the wheel.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Front wheel or back wheel? Where did it break?

Those are questions of interest, the answer to your question on tension is of course: "as tight as the other spokes" unless they are all loose...

 

[vfr400]

Thanks Nealh, I will talk about this with the mechanic at the LBS.



Wile I appreciate you trying to help vfr400 your post seems prejorative and dismissive of the LBS skills without real knowledge of the problem ?

That's right. I've lost count of how many wheels I've rebuilt, repaired and built from scratch. I never had to ask any manufacturers about spoke tension and I've never heard of any wheel-builder needing to do that either. Either you're mistaken in what your guy said or something is not right with them. It's your bike and your problem. Do what you want with it.

PS No r in pejorative - if that's what you meant.

 

[badlywornroy]

Ok, lets call this thread closed.

Thanks for trying to help.

 

[Artstu]

I tweaked every spoke on my friends Orbea Gain whilst she was in the supermarket, took me about 10 minutes, every spoke was loose and the rear wheel was tinkling as she rode, wheels have been fine since.

 

[badlywornroy]

Ok, well I thought I would update this thread as my experience may help other Orbea Gain users.
After almost a month of trying to obtain replacement spokes and the required tension my LBS had some
custom built spokes made and I am 'back on the road'
The aftersales from Orbea has been appalling. Remember this bike is under warranty. We tried 'all avenues' to get the required parts and info and got nowhere. When we finally got an answer from Orbea they said:-
" We don't have an exact measurement for the tension on these wheels as they are made and serviced by our suppliers who won't provide us with this information " Frankly the mind boggles.

 

[Deleted member 25121]

Ok, well I thought I would update this thread as my experience may help other Orbea Gain users.
After almost a month of trying to obtain replacement spokes and the required tension my LBS had some
custom built spokes made and I am 'back on the road'
The aftersales from Orbea has been appalling. Remember this bike is under warranty. We tried 'all avenues' to get the required parts and info and got nowhere. When we finally got an answer from Orbea they said:-
" We don't have an exact measurement for the tension on these wheels as they are made and serviced by our suppliers who won't provide us with this information " Frankly the mind boggles.

Chinese companies tend to be very secretive about everything they do, presumably they're worried about other companies copying them.

 

[BazP]

I always carry a couple of spare spokes and have put a new one in on a ride, tightening to about the same as the others. Record time is about two minutes screwing into the existing ferrule. Biggest problem is if it's on the cassette side of the rear wheel.
If any bike shop couldn't put a spoke in in about 10 minutes, provided they had the correct length, they wouldn't get a return visit from me.

 

[georgehenry]

The first motor on my rear hub motor wheel 2011 Oxygen emate city failed inside the warranty period and Oxygen sent me a new rear motor wheel to replace it.

I had no spoke issues with the first wheel but the second replacement one began to break spokes. As I had a lot of spokes from the first failed wheel I educated myself with a you tube video and swapped spokes over and tensioned them as required.

I became a dab hand at changing a spoke like BazP and could put a new one in quickly if required and did so a number of times on my ride to work. Eventually I got to a point where spokes stopped breaking.

That motor wheel is still working well six years later and I am now quite relaxed about any spoke issues I get on any of my other bikes.

 

[egroover]

Must of swapped out about 15 spokes on 2 carrera crossfire-e bikes in the last 3 years. Measured the broken one, ordered 6 at a time from tiller cycles, swapped out, tightened up, check wheel is true, on my way. Even done at the roadside on a day ride, not tricky, I have no wheel building skills at all. Have noticed that after 6 or 7 swapped out per wheel, settles down, and now none broken for a while

 

[maldini]

Seems like many rear wheels on the Gain bikes does not have good tension from production.

Also my rear wheel of my Gain D31 started making tinkling noises after approx 2 months of use. First I thought that there might be something wrong with the motor, but then got the idea that the spokes might be loose.
No expert on the area, but with my fingers I could feel that many spokes were much less tightened than others, and I could even turn one of the spokes with my fingers...
Solution: I left it to the bike shop where I bought the bike, for the first free service. Told them about my spokes issue. No further questions from them. The bike was ready two days later. Noise gone.