Bicycle Mechanics - Spoke Tuning

Hey Hey,
Can anyone tell me how to make minor adjustments to tune, and straighten the wheel. I plan to just figure it out myself, it seems pretty simple, but if u have any tips or techniques let me know.

They say that the most expensive tool is the spoke wrench - a couple of bucks to buy and a small fortune to have your wheel re-tuned professionally after you goof up it up.

Anyway, I think everybody should be able to true a wheel. It really isn't that hard.

I would recommend you get a tuning stand. You can make one from an old front fork if money is tight.

First, go around and feel the spokes to see if any are way too loose. Try to get all the spoke tensions to feel the same. The simple way is to squeeze two parallel spokes together. Go all the way around the wheel and check each spoke.

After you have done that, spin the wheel and look for the wobble. The tricky thing is figuring out which is the correct center. For this, look at the center of the rim as it spins. After you figure it out, then look at the walls of the rim.

Remember, if the rim has been damaged, guaging straightness from the rim walls can mislead you.

Before tightening a spoke, loosen the spokes beside it by a quarter turn. Then, tighten the suspect spoke a quarter turn.

Always adjust by quarter turns.

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH DIRECTION IS LOOSEN AND WHICH IS TIGHTEN. For some reason, it seems backwards when you are using the spoke wrench. Eventually, it will be second nature. You can make the 'eventually' shorter with some attention to what you are doing.

Good luck.

The most important thing to remember when truing a wheel is this:


For every spoke you tighten, you must loosen an equal amount elswhere!!!

The biggest mistake neophytes make is that they only tighten their spokes. After a while, they end up with a wheel full of over-tensioned spokes, broken spokes, stripped nipples, broken hubflanges, and destroyed rims.

If you have a spoke that is (obviously) loose and you re-tighten it - YOU DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO LOOSEN ELSEWHERE.

( I've built, repaired and "re-trued" thousands and thousands of wheels)

Tightening a spoke pulls the rim in and over to spoke's flange, ( where it attaches to the hub), side.
Loosening a spoke lets the rim "expand" out and lets the opposite spokes pull it back to their flange side.

Often an adjustmnt on one part of a wheel will affect another part of the wheel, especially if the spokes are over tight and/or you've been over-correcting

When you "strum" the spokes an a good, "fresh", well-built wheel, the spokes on each side should have the same pitch as their mates. The right hand, drive side, spokes of the rear wheel should have a higher pitch than the left hand, non drive side, spokes.

If you develop a rubbing brake you probably have a loose spoke opposite the brake, Does it make a lower pitch sound than the others on the same side? Tighten it a bit. Does it make a higher pitch sound than the others when you "strum it"- go to the bike shop, your wheel may be " sprung". (Spokes don't tighten themselves.)
A loose spoke(s) will give the rim have a "high spot when checking for roundness, however if the rim has a "low spot" where the spokes are loose, you've hit something and bent your rim, it takes a special tool and and a "knack" to fix that one.
If the rim has a low spot and the spokes are tight loosen 'em.

Sometimes D*Alex is right, you do have to loosen a spoke when tightening the opposite spoke, when it feels like it's getting too tight- loosen the opposite. This may be good time to check for a low or high spot.

The spokes on the chain side of the wheel are always more taught.

( Enough for now, my fingers are tired it's late, I want to avoid information overload and it's hard to describe an art form that you've been practicing for nearly 30 years by feel as much or more than thought)


Ride True
Pat

Hey, Pat;

Sometimes, I replace broken spokes with spokes that are not the same brand than the originals. Sometimes the spokes are visibly different from the others.

In such a case, will the sound method still work, or will the odd-ball spoke have a different sound?

Mike, since a spoke's pitch depends on length, tension, material composition (density and modulus of elasticity), and cross-sectional area, the "plunk" test works best when all spokes are identical. Irrespective of brand, same-diameter spokes should sound pretty similar.

I tried the plunk test on a few of my spokes last night. I got through about 6 before I got disgusted and gave up. Out of the 6 spokes, maybe 2 sounded the same. I'm assuming that in my case, I should take it in and have them professionally tuned?

Originally posted by kobyj
Out of the 6 spokes, maybe 2 sounded the same. I'm assuming that in my case, I should take it in and have them professionally tuned?

Not necessarily, although it would not hurt. The plunk test works best on a new or pristine wheel with a naturally straight rim. If the rim is even slightly warped, it can be trued only by tensioning the spokes somewhat unevenly. However, a wheel that sounds good is generally more reliable than one which does not.

I tend to agree with JohnE. The sound test has a lot of variables -and keen hearing.

I use the feel test by squeezing the spokes. Of course, the sound test may better, but I leave that for the wheel artists.

My goal is just to keep my machines on the road every day in the best condition possible with my meager skills.