Bicycle Mechanics - Repairing Spoke Rub - Is it worth the effort? How is it done?

Based on Sheldon Brown's webpage (http://sheldonbrown.com/creaks.html#wheel), I'm pretty certain I got "spoke rub" in my rear wheel. The tire groans and creaks only when I'm sitting on the bike - or when I twist the wheel a bit. And some of the spokes are pretty lose.

How do I repair spoke rub? Or do I need to buy a new wheel?

Thanks!

You will need to evenly tighten every spoke on the wheel to get the rubbing out.

You will need to evenly tighten every spoke on the wheel to get the rubbing out.


Yes and no.

First, the OP said it was a rear wheel, so the drive-side spokes' tensions will be significantly higher than the non-drive-side spokes' tensions.

Second, evenly tensioned spokes may still be uniformly too tight, or uniformly too loose. Proper tension specs can usually be obtained from the rim manufacturer.

OP should find a good wheelbuilder to try to bring the wheel up to spec, or learn to do so himself.

Bob

This is correct. What I meant was just tighten every spoke 1/2 turn or so until it gets better. This way the drive side and non drive side spokes keep their original difference of torque.

Hm. I'll drop in at my university bike shop/club and do some tightening. I'm not sure how much the people there know about the technical details of wheels. They taught me how to true, but that might be about it...
I'm almost positive that the rims are the original ones that came with the bike. Its a Raleigh Grand Prix bought around 1976-1978 or so. I'm not sure I'd be able to find specs.

I suspect it's this:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/1976/pages/10-76-grand-prix.html

If your wheel has been undertensioned for a while, it probably has resulted in stressing the spokes. You could try tightening, but this will probably stress the spokes even more and start causing spokes to break.

I'm going to predict a wheelbuild in your future.

First, the OP said it was a rear wheel, so the drive-side spokes' tensions will be significantly higher than the non-drive-side spokes' tensions.
Bob
What's "OP" supposed to mean?
Why are the driver's side spokes tighter?
Driver's side means the non-chain side?

What's "OP" supposed to mean?
Why are the driver's side spokes tighter?
Driver's side means the non-chain side?

OP = original poster

Drive side spokes are tighter because the wheel is dished.
Drive side is the chain side.

See www.sheldonbrown.com for a handy reference for bike definitions.

Explaining "dish" further:

On a FRONT wheel the hub is centered on the axle. And both the hub and the axle are centered relative to the rim. This is a ZERO dish wheel. The angle of the spokes coming from the right flange of the hub to the rim is the same as the angle of the spokes coming from the left flange of the hub ( i.e. the spoke angles are symetrical). BTW, the greater the spoke angle, the stronger the wheel will be, so hub flanges are generally designed to stick out as far as the fork width will allow.

On a REAR wheel there has to be room on the right side of the hub for the gear cluster--the more gears, the more room that is needed. So, the right hub flange doesn't extend as far outward as the left hub flange. Thus, the spoke angle of the spokes coming from the right side of the hub toward the rim is less than the angle of the spokes coming from the left side of the hub toward the rim. This asymetrical spoke angle is called "DISH".

The less a spoke is angled, the tighter it has to be to hold the rim in place. So the drive-side spokes end up at a higher tension than the non-drive-side spokes.

Clear as mud?

Bob

Very clear! Thanks, Booby and everyone else.