Broken Spokes

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I have a '96-'97? Gary Fisher Kaitai. I use it as a 'daily rider' for going back and forth to work. Approx 11 miles round trip, with a 1/2 mile...8% avg. grade hill that I live on. A few days ago...being about 3.5 miles out...I felt a "ping"...then a few more...then the tire locked up...started to spin...then a few more "pings" with a crunch in there somewhere. I think what had happened is a spoke broke (going about 20-25 mph down little hill) then a few others broke...catching the chain and pulling it off the gears...therefore breaking the other spokes. It only broke the outer 8 spokes on the gear side...but...none the less, couldn't ride it.

My question is...Would it be better to just replace the broken spokes? Replace all the spokes? OR Just buy new wheels altogether? I believe they are the original wheels that came on the bike...but not 100% sure.

Thanks for the help!!! :)

I have a '96-'97? Gary Fisher Kaitai. I use it as a 'daily rider' for going back and forth to work. Approx 11 miles round trip, with a 1/2 mile...8% avg. grade hill that I live on. A few days ago...being about 3.5 miles out...I felt a "ping"...then a few more...then the tire locked up...started to spin...then a few more "pings" with a crunch in there somewhere. I think what had happened is a spoke broke (going about 20-25 mph down little hill) then a few others broke...catching the chain and pulling it off the gears...therefore breaking the other spokes. It only broke the outer 8 spokes on the gear side...but...none the less, couldn't ride it.

My question is...Would it be better to just replace the broken spokes? Replace all the spokes? OR Just buy new wheels altogether? I believe they are the original wheels that came on the bike...but not 100% sure.

Thanks for the help!!! :)


are the hub flanges ok? Is the rim ok?

If yes and yes then get the wheel rebuilt using new spokes.

How would you check the hub flanges? I would assume the rim is ok...it was straight before this mishap, and I didn't hit anything during or after it.

id take it to a shop and get it looked at

Yeah...thats what I was thinking. I was just wondering if you all thought it was worth the time checking into fixing it...or just replacing them? :rolleyes:

Its always a difficult decision as to whether spend money on repairing old things vs buying a new part. You have had a good life out of the wheels.

Assuming that the hub and rim are 100% ok, then I would go down to the bike shop and ask how much to repair and how much to replace.