What should I do about a tensioned/trued wheel that lost significant spoke tension after first use?

Asked by: Sharon Hansen

How do you fix spoke tension?

Quote from video: Turn when spoke tensions are this tight a quarter of a turn will lower spoke tension quite a lot go around the entire wheel like this and then recheck your tensions.

Should all spokes have same tension?

They should all have approximately the same average tension. Due to imperfections in the hub and rim, the tension will rarely be exactly the same for all spokes. A difference of 20% between spokes is acceptable.

What tension should spokes be at?

Most rims have suggested ranges from 100 to 120 Kilograms-force, or 980 to 1177 Newtons. This is assuming there is no pressure in the tire. Though not super precise, squeezing is still a more accurate technique for judging spoke tension than feeling the amount of effort it takes to turn a spoke nipple.

How do you know if your spokes are tight enough?

Once the rim is free from blips and serious flat spots, check the tension of the spokes. Put your thumb around one spoke and your fingers around the spoke next to it and squeeze. The spokes should feel tight and firm. They should have just a little give when you squeeze them fairly hard.

How often should I check spoke tension?

Since spoke repair happens in the shop, your only spoke responsibility is just to check the tension. We recommend you check that about once a month. It never hurts to check more often than that, though — especially if you’re a daily rider.

Do you tighten spokes clockwise?

Note that the spokes have nut-like devices at the rim called nipples. When viewed from above, nipples are turned clockwise with the spoke wrench to tighten spoke tension and counterclockwise to loosen it.

How do you balance a spoked bike wheel?

Quote from video: So it's a lift the rim away from the indicator. We just need to tighten. Both. These two spokes evenly. We're tighten two spokes that we don't pull the rim.

Why do my spokes keep coming loose?

Spokes loosen mainly because they stretch, and much of the “stretch” is due to the elbow straightening out. During the dawn of downhill racing in Scotland we would build the wheels up, use red loctite, take them out and put some stress (jumps) on them and come back to the shop for a final true.

How do you measure spoke tension by hand?

Pull the spokes across each other with your fingers to see which is looser. Lift the looser spoke away to pluck the tighter one alone and check its pitch. Check for rim damage or a crooked rim joint near the unequally-tensioned spokes.

Can you over tighten bike spokes?

Spoke Tension



Wheels with extremely varied spoke tension will not stay true, or straight, for very long. Additionally, wheels with spokes that are either too tight or too loose overall can cause problems.

Do I need to tighten my spokes?

One of the most important aspects of maintaining a bicycle is keeping the spokes tight. Loose spokes can cause the wheel to become misaligned, leading to dangerous riding conditions. Luckily, tightening bike spokes is a relatively straightforward process that can be done with just a few tools.

How true should a bike wheel be?

Truing By Pitch



The wheel does not have to be perfectly round or true; slight runouts are acceptable (a few millimeters). As long as there are no loose spokes and the wheel is reasonably straight (the rim and tire mustn’t rub on the brake pads), it will ride nicely and hold up fine.

Why do bike wheels go out of true?

One of the most common reasons wheels go out of true: loose spokes. Check tension by squeezing two spokes at a time between your thumb and fingers, says LaPorta. A really loose spoke will be obvious (as you do this more often, you’ll be able to feel subtle differences).

How do you keep your wheels spoke?

Start at the spoke just after the valve stem; tighten no more than a quarter-turn, and then skip two spokes and repeat. This makes sure you pull evenly on each side of the wheel while not pulling the wheel out of whack up and down. After you go all the way around, move forward one spoke and repeat two more times.

How do you check spokes?

Quote from video: On your rear wheel just grab yourself a small spanner. This is a 10 mil spanner. And have the wheel jacked up so that you can just tap each of the spokes. And you're making sure that they all ring.

Can you tighten spokes without a spoke wrench?

To make them able to be tightened by mere fingers, you need to release the tension on them so the nipples will spin easily. That’s as simply as pulling the wheel as far to the right as possible, which is very easy by grabbing the wheel and chainstay and squeezing them together.

How do you change a spoke without removing a tire?

Quote from video: Just going to thread it the full length of the threads. On the spoke like that. And now I'm going to pull the spoke back into the hub. And get the hub nut seated.

What happens if your spokes are loose?

As a result, if the left side spokes are loose, the tension in the right side spokes will pull the rim to the right, causing a wobble to the right. Additionally, if the right side spokes are loose, the wobble will point to the left, as shown in the figure.

Do I need to tighten my spokes?

Generally it is preferable to tighten spokes rather than loosening them – spokes may loosen themselves over time if they are run too loose, but they will not tighten up on their own.

What causes bike spokes to loosen?

The most common causes for spoke loosening are either not enough tension or uneven tension around the wheel. Before even thinking about changing that rim I would re-build the wheel making sure the spokes do have enough tension and have the same tension for all the spokes on the same side of the wheel.

How do you balance a spoked bike wheel?

Quote from video: So it's a lift the rim away from the indicator. We just need to tighten. Both. These two spokes evenly. We're tighten two spokes that we don't pull the rim.