Cell Brunswick broken spokes

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trailgumby
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby trailgumby » Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:07 pm

The wheels look great. I have some Prolite wheels on my roadie and I would happily buy again. They continue to perform brilliantly.

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Duck!
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Duck! » Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:48 pm

Cycleops70 wrote:
am50em wrote:Nice. Can be used with metallic or resin pads.
I'm not sure what my pads are.
I put them on & set them up. They felt a little dull, not much initial bite, but I guess they'll need to bed in a bit.
Fairly probably resin; OEM-spec metallic pads are generally only found on the most aggressive MTBs.

The rotors will feel a bit ordinary until they're bedded in. Typically all you need to do is ride up & down the street pulling a dozen or so good hard stoppies, just short of locking up, and letting go just before stopping fully. It also helps if you pop the pads out & give them a scuff on a bit of sandpaper, firstly to get rid of any glazing, but also to create some loose pad material that you can then grind into the rotors.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Cycleops70
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:13 pm

Duck! wrote:
Cycleops70 wrote:
am50em wrote:Nice. Can be used with metallic or resin pads.
I'm not sure what my pads are.
I put them on & set them up. They felt a little dull, not much initial bite, but I guess they'll need to bed in a bit.
Fairly probably resin; OEM-spec metallic pads are generally only found on the most aggressive MTBs.

The rotors will feel a bit ordinary until they're bedded in. Typically all you need to do is ride up & down the street pulling a dozen or so good hard stoppies, just short of locking up, and letting go just before stopping fully. It also helps if you pop the pads out & give them a scuff on a bit of sandpaper, firstly to get rid of any glazing, but also to create some loose pad material that you can then grind into the rotors.
I took it out this morning for 30km & it feels better already.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:15 pm

Well, what can I say. It's happened again to the new wheels (9 months problem free). And I think it could be the same problem as the first warranty claim (spokes too short).

I hadn't used the bike for a couple of weeks, and I moved it in the shed, but the back wheel was locked.
2 broken spoke nipples. Looking at where it broke, it looks like the spoke threads stop well short of the nipple shoulder. The front wheel looks different with the spokes almost level with the inner slots.

I've removed the rear rack. I don't carry any weight on it anymore. Other than a couple of bikepacking trips with soft bags.

Thoughts?

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Duck! » Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:03 pm

Yep, combination of too-short spokes and what appears to be aluminium nipples. Aluminium nipples are rubbish at the best of times, but without the spoke penetrating right up into the head, they will blow the heads off sooner ot later. Brass can suffer the same fate, but are more tolerant of insufficient thread engagement.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 3:27 pm

Duck! wrote:without the spoke penetrating right up into the head, they will blow the heads off sooner ot later.
This is my fear. I fix these 2 up, & the rest continue to pop.

I've sent the photos off to Pro-Lite and they are going to re-investigate.
Cell bikes (where I bought the wheels) have been pretty much useless.

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Cycleops70
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 3:02 pm

So after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing with Pro-Lite (I've given up dealing with Cell, they were pretty much useless), measuring spoke length & more photos. Pro-Lite believe it may be incorrect spoke length.

They are sending out some new spokes & bass nipples & offered to pay towards a rebuild.
They've been pretty good, & have spent quite a bit of time on it.

I contacted Melody wheels who quoted $100 to rebuild.
This is double what Pro-Lite offered, but after all this carry on I think I'd like to have the wheel built right, & avoid being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

In the mean time, a third nipple let go while the wheel is sitting on the bench in the shed.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Dom » Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:48 pm

Thanks for the blog on this, unfortunately I've had exactly the same issue with my Cell Brunswick with constantly breaking rear spokes and now have had radio silence from them since emailing them and sending them messages through their website to see if they can help me with the problem. Looks like I'm not going to hear back from them.. any advice as to where to get a replacement rear wheel in Sydney?

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Fri Mar 09, 2018 8:47 pm

Dom wrote:Thanks for the blog on this, unfortunately I've had exactly the same issue with my Cell Brunswick with constantly breaking rear spokes and now have had radio silence from them since emailing them and sending them messages through their website to see if they can help me with the problem. Looks like I'm not going to hear back from them.. any advice as to where to get a replacement rear wheel in Sydney?
Don't Cell have a Sydney branch?

Is your issue breaking spokes or shearing off at the nipples?
If it's the nipples, it could be the warranty issue regarding the spokes being too short.

I don't think I'll use Cell any more.

On the up side, I got my wheel back rebuilt.
Everything is back together, & I'm looking forward to riding it down to see off the IPWR riders next week.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Dom » Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:17 pm

Yes they do have a store in Sydney and I did try contacting them several times but got the same response as you did, well actually worse they never got back to me. Instead i went to Cycleworld at Concord who sorted me out with new rear wheel as my original just kept having issues, initially it was the nipples shearing which had been repaired under warranty but the straw that broke the camels back was snapping spokes after that. Just started riding again this week so fingers crossed my new wheel holds up better than the old one!

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby jacks1071 » Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:13 pm

Cycleops70 wrote:
Dom wrote:Thanks for the blog on this, unfortunately I've had exactly the same issue with my Cell Brunswick with constantly breaking rear spokes and now have had radio silence from them since emailing them and sending them messages through their website to see if they can help me with the problem. Looks like I'm not going to hear back from them.. any advice as to where to get a replacement rear wheel in Sydney?
Don't Cell have a Sydney branch?

Is your issue breaking spokes or shearing off at the nipples?
If it's the nipples, it could be the warranty issue regarding the spokes being too short.

I don't think I'll use Cell any more.

On the up side, I got my wheel back rebuilt.
Everything is back together, & I'm looking forward to riding it down to see off the IPWR riders next week.
Let me know when you've given up on them, you sound like a good test rider.
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:38 pm

jacks1071 wrote:Let me know when you've given up on them, you sound like a good test rider.
Given up on Pro-Lite wheels, or Cell bikes?

If you mean Cell, then I gave up on them some time ago.
Now that I am back on the road with this bike, I wrote back to them sat night, to let them know that because of their p*** poor response, I'd bypassed them to find a solution.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:44 pm

Dom wrote:Yes they do have a store in Sydney and I did try contacting them several times but got the same response as you did, well actually worse they never got back to me. Instead i went to Cycleworld at Concord who sorted me out with new rear wheel as my original just kept having issues, initially it was the nipples shearing which had been repaired under warranty but the straw that broke the camels back was snapping spokes after that. Just started riding again this week so fingers crossed my new wheel holds up better than the old one!
Certainly sounds like we've had the same journey.

Good luck with your new wheels. I hope it works out for you.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Trevtassie » Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:06 am

Who even puts aluminium nipples on anything other than racing wheels???????

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Duck! » Wed Mar 21, 2018 1:33 pm

Aluminium nipples are a bad idea for any wheels, but *especially* carbon racing wheels.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Dom » Fri Mar 23, 2018 10:28 pm

Cycleops70 wrote:
Dom wrote:Yes they do have a store in Sydney and I did try contacting them several times but got the same response as you did, well actually worse they never got back to me. Instead i went to Cycleworld at Concord who sorted me out with new rear wheel as my original just kept having issues, initially it was the nipples shearing which had been repaired under warranty but the straw that broke the camels back was snapping spokes after that. Just started riding again this week so fingers crossed my new wheel holds up better than the old one!
Certainly sounds like we've had the same journey.

Good luck with your new wheels. I hope it works out for you.
So far so good. Though it's only been a few weeks, true test will be in 9-12 months!

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby ValleyForge » Sat Mar 24, 2018 3:45 pm

Duck! wrote:Aluminium nipples are a bad idea for any wheels...
I discovered this the hard way. In 1980. And I am NEVER forgetting that lesson. :roll:
Ha ha ha! Cookies on dowels.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby jackthelad » Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:48 pm

how has still got legs......
they are wheels, they break, you replace them, you move on...
SantaCruz HighTower LT
SantaCruz Blur XC Carbon
Kona Kula Supreme(Retired/Spare)
Surly Karate Monkey
Ribble Rd Bike

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Duck! » Wed Mar 28, 2018 10:09 pm

The thing is though, a vaguely decently built set of wheels, with the right length spokes for a start, should last years.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Wed May 23, 2018 7:23 pm

Email this morning;

"It is with a heavy heart, that after more than 15 years in business, we have had to close Cell Bikes. Changing market dynamics have made trading too difficult to continue operating the Cell Bikes business. Thank you for all of your support over the years."

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Mon Mar 11, 2019 3:23 pm

Well this is a story that just won't stop!
After my ride on Sunday I cleaned & did a bit of mild maintenance, to find a crack in the rim coming from a spoke hole.

This bike is jinxed.
3 sets of wheels & a rebuild (with the correct spoke length) from Melody wheels.

Do I have another rear build (and have odd wheels)
Buy a new set (expensive)
Or go the whole hog & build a set of wheels with dynamo hub (very expensive)
Or buy a new bike (even more expensive).

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby RonK » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:27 pm

Eh? You mean you haven’t done this yet? :shock:
Cycle touring blog and tour journals: whispering wheels...

jackthelad
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby jackthelad » Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:39 pm

Just Get a Hope wheel build from Chainreaction, hope hubs and your choice of rim, built to spec...
SantaCruz HighTower LT
SantaCruz Blur XC Carbon
Kona Kula Supreme(Retired/Spare)
Surly Karate Monkey
Ribble Rd Bike

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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Cycleops70 » Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:37 pm

I've got some wheels coming from Chain reaction.
Hopefully, they last a bit longer.

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Paddles
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Re: Cell Brunswick broken spokes

Postby Paddles » Thu Mar 14, 2019 9:36 am

After three sets of "mail order" wheels without much local backup surely it's time to go to a reputable wheel builder and get some 32 or 36 spoke quality wheels made up for you. Our local guy here on the Brizzy northside is Craftworx, I've bought spokes/rims from him and built wheels myself, as well as bought ready built wheels from him, and found that their products and support/advice are excellent. You may have someone similar near you. That's an nice bike you've got and well worth putting some quality heavy duty wheels on it.

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