Broken Defective Spokes on 29" Nimbus

Has anybody had problems with defective spokes? My 29" Nimbus is 9 months old and developing rust spots on the spokes at locations between 1/3 to 2/3 along the spoke span. One spoke broke 3 weeks ago and I replaced it. Another broke yesterday. I went to 3 local bike shops and they tell me the spokes are defective and this is a well known problem in the industry over the last few years. Apparently one spoke manufacturer put too much steel and not enough stainless in the spokes. I talked to the technical “spokesperson” at unicycle.com and he said there has never been a problem with their spokes. Any spoke knowledge out there?

Yes,
previous thread:
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1401732

& this detailed article:
http://www.bikeperth.com.au/community_articles/multiple_spoke_fragmentation.php

LOL @ “stainless” :wink:

Stainless steel is an alloy of iron and chromium.

Okay, so my problem with broken spokes does not seem to be common for unicycles purchased in 2010. Even though, my broken spokes look exactly like the defective ones reported for many bicycles in 2007 and 2008. Still waiting to hear from unicyle.com if they will replace them.

…furthermore, my failing spokes where on a Nimbus trials uni, purchased in 2008 from unicycle.au.com (now municycle.com). So I can confirm there have been problems with their spokes. Good luck.

Okay, so I talked to the technical "spokes"person at unicycle.com. He said that the spokes are not defective but he will send me new spokes that are made in the USA (better quality). It seems the spokes that are specified for this Nimbus 29 are made in Taiwan and the life expectancy is not as long as USA products. Also, I live near the ocean and things do corrode quicker here. I don’t ride in the salt water though! So, I guess what they are saying is that after 9 months of riding in a harsh environment the spokes are not technically under warranty, but they will give me new ones anyway just to keep the good vibe!. I appreciate that. Good customer service means a lot.

As a side note…I have a schwinn 24" that I have been riding for the last 30 years. The spokes look like shit but they have never broken.