What's the deal with frequently broken spokes?

[technopedler]

I've never had broken spokes before my recent bike but these are the things that I feel are the main differences:
1) The standard spokes that came with the bike were the cheapest of the cheap spokes. Wasn't so much the thickness, but the metal they used for the spokes. Apparently very poor quality which was just prone to breaking. Giving the bike was very budget, this is hardly a surprise.
2) It's an ebike with a hub motor. The hub motor is quite big (as can been seen in a photo earlier in this thread) and thus the spokes are quite small. Being small spokes, means they have less length to flex and absorb impact and thus they have more stress.
3) The hub motor (probably, although I'm no expert) creates more torque and stress on the spokes than if it was a non-ebike.

 

[oggie]

spokes break because they are loose, they break usually at the head. They get to that state because they have less tension than their neighbours so they get loosened much more easily than those that have been tightened more. When they are loosened and before they break, they inflict damage to the rim because loose spokes don't take any weight from the rim, ending up twisting your rim, accelerating their own demise.
There is really no need to change all your spokes because one or two are broken. Just deal with the problem quickly so it does not spread any further. Replace the broken spoke and true your wheel again. If you have never trued your wheels, then spend the next 5 minutes reading this guide:
https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/wheel-and-rim-truing

I do not have any broken spokes, but have ordered a spoke tool, so will tension test each one.
Q. How much tension do you apply to a rear hub e bike (carrera crossfire) wheel spoke?

 

[mike killay]

A couple of weeks ago I was at a vintage bike display.
I surreptitiously went around squeezing two spokes on each bike (as you do!)
Some were not very tight at all but seem to have survived up to 100 years or more.
Of course, the wheels were steel and probably the spokes were of good quality steel.
I understand that there have been problems reported with Chinese steel in that it can be hard to machine etc.

 

[jarob10]

I’ve a suspicion spokes snapping can be due to the absence of grease at the nipple thread. A Halfords build wheel (Boardman) was cured of its tendency to snap spokes, both front & rear, by rebuild with grease