broken spokes, flat tires, heavy rider needs to do some mods (long post warning)

[jango]

Hi group,

I have a Rad Expand 5 I bought a few months ago. Two spokes are broken off at the hub and I was wondering how to go about replacing them.

If I could upgrade the spokes to make the wheel stronger that would be even better. I'm a pretty heavy rider and because I keep getting flats I'm hauling around a 12v battery to power my tire inflator in addition to all the other tools.

I got the first flat about a week or two ago. And since then every time I repair the tube I get another flat. I'm worried I might have damaged the rim but it looks ok apart from the two broken spokes.

The flats are all on the side of the tube. It appears the tube is getting pinched between the rim and the tire.

I think the tire needs to be replaced. I can get the tire on the rim by hand without using the tire levers. And if I don't inflate the tire carefully it will pop off the rim again. It's like the opening of the tire has been stretched out and it won't stay centered on the rim.

Since I'm a heavy rider I want to replace the rear tire with a motorcycle or scooter tire. And maybe replace the entire wheel or rebuild it to give it more strength.

But for the time being I have limited funds and need the bike to start a new job. And I'm wondering which tire sealant people would recommend as a temporary solution. At least to keep the tubes inflated. And then replace the broken spokes asap.

Hope this post is not too long just want to give a picture of my situation and long term plans. Thanks for reading.

[handlebar]

Keeping all spokes appropriately tight will reduce the fatigue that leads to breakage. Spokes normally break at the bend or at the threads (where the cross section is thinnest). Instead, heads popped off some rear spokes on my Radrunner ( similar to a Rad Expland). Due to poor quality control, some spoke heads were too small, and that led to the problem.

I ordered 130mm replacements from China. They worked, but I should have ordered 125 mm. On the hub, you measure from the edge of the spoke hole closest to the rim, to the rim at the spot where the spoke goes in.

I pinched a tube once because the beads of my Radrunner tires fit more loosely than beads in my past experience. Now I inflate just a little, check to be sure the bead is even all the way around, inflate a little more, and check again.

[jango]

I DM Rad about the spokes. Here is their reply in case it helps anyone.

Hi! We do have spokes available to order. The spokes for the RADExpand5 are 12-gauge, stainless steel, black - 174mm front spoke length - 128 mm rear spoke length. You can purchase as a rear set or front set of 40 each or a smaller set of 6 front and 6 rear together.

[FortunatelyTheMilk]

Thanks for this, I need to replace a spoke on the back of my RRunner and Rad support are taking too long to get back to me.

[ejonesss]

i have radwagon 4 and never had any issues with the spokes even with the weight of chevy volt battery module and the occasional heavy load of pulling an appliance dolly with a refrigerator or washing machine.

either the radwagon 4 used better spokes or you got a bad run of spokes

[handlebar]

I believe James Starley invented wire spokes, among other brilliant innovations, when he made the first useful bicycle, in the 1850s. It's amazing that something so light can make such a strong, durable wheel.

The back wheel of my Radrunner needed adjustment every time I checked spoke tension. After 18 months I discovered two breaks. A third was on its way out. Eventually I discovered that their heads were a little small. Their breakage would have caused others to break. I replaced those three, and all 36 were still  tight a year later.

[handlebar]

i have radwagon 4 and never had any issues with the spokes even with the weight of chevy volt battery module and the occasional heavy load of pulling an appliance dolly with a refrigerator or washing machine.

I prefer my Radmission, but the other day I switched back to my Radrunner, noisy tires and all, to haul gravel. That rear rack is strong, but the heavy load would handle better if the rack weren't so high. Maybe I should have gotten a Radwagon back in 2020, but the Radrunner was available.