Broken spokes -> NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE!!!

[GoldOxide_imp]

Isn't that a bit hash, GO? Surely it's in the nature of spokes to fail from time to time. They're slender little things and there's lots of them on every wheel. One gets out of kilter and then the process Ferret describes follows. It's a good reason not to have them, I reckon.

This is not a rant.

Wasn't thinking it was harsh. We [humanity] have the ability to take something as spokes and improve on their reliability and maintenance. Yes, if [lack of] maintenance is the source of spoke failure, then that is outside the scope of this context.

However, if companies like BMW are going to re-engineer spoke wheels differently for aesthetic effect, I would assume extra care would be applied to adapt better design practices. I think they probably did. Certainly it appears adjusting the spoke tension on a BMW appears quite convenient with a twist at the hub. Of course, there is still the procedure of how to properly adjust spoke tension and would assume that is documented in the owner's manual or referenced elsewhere for the owner to review if they wish.

I like the look of spokes, even BMW's. I have less regard to any marginal engineering that might compromise safety or the maintenance associated with safety. If the new mousetrap isn't better, don't use it.

So back to an earlier statement: If a few fail, the remaining ought to be engineered to resume some level of safety for an unknown amount of use. I think that is the case. However, a cascade failure requires multiple things to go wrong - possibly related to maintenance. I suspect a spoke failure or two would alert the rider hopefully sooner than later than complete wheel failure is imminent. That warning might look like strange wheel sounds and clanging of a sort. Maybe there is room for improvement in this area?