Are broken spokes usually covered under a new bike's warranty?

Question

I was riding today and I heard a pop from the rear wheel. Not sure if the pop was my spoke breaking off or I crushed some acorns on the road. I am a heavy rider at 265-270lbs, so I stopped to inspect the wheels and a rear spoke was broken right at the hub, 1 was loose, and the rest were tight. The rear wheel is slightly off true.

The bike is a 2016 Fuji Absolute hybrid and I have owned it for about 4 months.

I am going to take it to the bike shop tomorrow, not sure if I am going to be paying for the repair. The shop already trued my rear wheel 2 times for free because the spokes keep coming loose.

Answer 1

Contrary to the answer from mickymo1 - weight has EVERYTHING to do with it! And in 2016 Fuji made EIGHT different models of the Absolute hybrid; everything from an Absolute 2.3 ST up to an Absolute 1.1 Disc. Which one?



A lower end bike like the 2.3 with a "freewheel hub" and a heavy rider will pop spokes left & right. The better 2.1 with a "freehub & cassette" will be a little better. But in all honesty, a rider of your weight should have a bike with a full 36 spokes per wheel - not 32 or 28. If I were the salesperson at the bike shop, I would've pointed you in the direction of a better & stronger bicycle. And no...I'm not just blowin' smoke. I used to weigh OVER 300 lbs. So I know precisely what you're going through.



Most bike shops (key word being "most") might replace one or two spokes under warranty during the first six months - maybe up to a year. After that, you pay the cost to replace it & true up the wheel again.



I know this might be painful to your ego - but you need to face the same fact I did several years ago. It's time to LOSE WEIGHT. I'm down 110 lbs. from where I used to be and haven't popped a spoke in ages. A brisk 2 mile walk will burn MORE calories than a 5 mile bike ride. I couldn't do this with degenerative disc disease in the lower back + arthritic knees. So I bought the best bike I could find for a person of my size. It cost $1,200 and I'm takin' that bike to the grave with me. It's called a "touring bike". The Fuji version isn't quite so expensive. But this is what you NEED! http://www.fujibikes.com/2016/bike/details/touring-

Answer 2

At your weight, you're into what's often called "Clydesdale's" territory.

Meaning you do need good (rear) wheels if you want them to last.



32 spoke isn't all crazy, but a 36-spoke would have been better.

As would butted instead of straight gauge spokes.

Spokes breaking right at the hub is where they usually break, at the bend.

Nothing strange about that.

Thing is, a big part of wheel survival is build quality, spoke tension.

Insufficient tension makes the spokes fatigue fairly fast.

If you've ridden regularly, 4 months should be within range of beginning to see fatigue failures.

And once fatigue has set in, it can't be reversed.

Particularly with your history of spokes coming loose - which shouldn't happen to a well-proportioned, well-built wheel - odds are you'll keep breaking spokes unless the wheel is rebuilt or replaced with a properly tensioned wheel. Preferably a 36H with a stiff rim and butted spokes.

Answer 3

Did you obtain the bicycle by mail/online order or by buying it in a shop?



If in a shop, if the seller knew that you were to ride it and noticed your weight, they should have checked whether the bike (including the wheels) was designed for a load that heavy, and advised you not to buy it if it was not. If they have sold you a bike not designed for your weight, knowing what it is, they are at fault and you might want to return the unsuitable machine for a refund. If the bike was designed for a load exceeding your weight then the machine is faulty, unless you are riding it outside it's design specs (e.g. persistently riding a road machine over rough surfaces) and should be covered by the guarantee.



However if you bought the machine at a distance (mail/online) then it was really your responsibility to check it's specs and find whether it was intended to carry the load being put on it. If it was designed for your weight, then as above it is faulty and the guarantee applies. If it's design load is less than your weight, the guarantee may be void due to overloading.

Answer 4

Sadly new bicycles come with very weak wheels so on my Cannondale due being ridiculously heavy for a cyclist have fitted touring / hybrid rims on handbuilt wheels. Would recommend the first thing you should do is ditch the weak wheels and find a set of stronger wheels which can easily be bought ready made cheaply or handbuilt, mine was only £220 which is cheap for a road bike. All my bikes whether new or ancient all get heavier better quality wheels. It also allows you to carry things too, handy for shopping or light touring.

Answer 5

You will probably have to pay for the broken spoke it wont be covered by warrant but it is really up to the bike shop. At your weight spoke tension is very important, a few lose spokes put a lot more pressure on the other ones.

Answer 6

they might replace it to be nice but that will not usually be in the warranty

your weight does matter and they should have adjusted spokes for heaviness

but that does not mean it isn;t yyour fault, though, there is no way to know the entire history of the bike

could have been something u did a month ago that set it up to break later

Answer 7

Of course it should be repaired. I would ask that a new wheel be fitted as that one is obviously faulty. Your weight has nothing to do with it.they should have sold you a bike more suitable for your size. Good luck with it.