sknhgy 

I had someone build me a rear wheel. I've only had it on the bike a short time, but the bike seems to have increased rolling resistance. I hung the bike up to check bearing adjustment and I noticed that the spokes have bends, or "doglegs" in them. It looks to me like many of the spokes are not crossing each other properly. Hopefully the pictures will show this. This just doesn't seem right. My other wheels don't look like this.

Al1943

What picture?

sknhgy 

Edited to add pictures.

Al1943

No way to check the lacing pattern from those pictures.
The spokes bending at the crossings is probably normal, but be sure the spokes have enough tension.
In any case I don't see any reason for the wheels to have "increased rolling resistance". Are the brakes touching the rim at any point when the wheel rotates? Have you made a change in tires? Are the tires pumped up to riding pressure before each ride?

Al

sknhgy 

I guess the rolling resistance has nothing to do with the spoke lacing. I did, however, discover that the cones were loose on the axle. You could spin the locknuts with your fingers.

Nearly every spoke on the wheel has a permanent bend of several degrees. The actual "bend" is not where the spokes touch each other. It is about 1/4" away from the tanget point.

Something just ain't right.

cachehiker

They look like butted spokes to me. Mine look the same way where they taper from 14 gauge to 15 gauge at about the same point where they cross. I beat the living tar out of those wheels and have yet to have them go out of true. I'm a bit anal about my spoke tensioning though.

Al1943

It's hard to say from the pictures, I suppose with double butted spokes the apex of the bend at the crossings may be offset from the crossings. This would especially be true if the spokes were low in tension. This is the reason I mentioned checking the tension.

Al

sknhgy 

Yes, they are double-butted(?) spokes.
If you look at the first picture, the pair on the left side show how the apex of the bend is not where the spokes cross.
The pair on the right show the degree of the bend.
I was wondering if this is normal, or if it's a defect.

I fixed the rolling resistance by setting the pre-load on the bearings.

How do I check spoke tension?

Al1943

Best way is with a tension meter (tensiometer). Park sells a good one for about $60.
Or compare the spoke tension on your wheels with those on similar wheels, hopefully the other wheels will have good tension. You can squeeze adjacent spokes to make a comparison.
On 8, 9, and 10 speed rear wheels the non-driveside spokes will have about 65% as much tension as the driveside. The front wheels will have tension greater than the rear NDS spokes but less than the DS spokes.

Al

cooker

Those gaps do look weird.

StephenH

It looks weird to me. If the spoke order were reversed, so they crossed the other way, that would have eliminated the bend, and that's the way it should have been done, I'm thinking. I don't know that I'd bother relacing it if it's working okay.

cachehiker

My Ultegra Open Pros look just like that and they are far from low in tension. 1100 Newtons on the drive side rear. 1000 Newtons on the front.

I would check the tension as well though. Ideal and even tension means bombproof wheels.

Retro Grouch 

It's hard for me to tell from the photo but it looks like low tension to me.

It's normal for spokes to have a slight bend right where they cross. I'm told that spreads some of the stress from the more tensioned spoke onto the lesser tensioned one. Bends anywhere else along the straight part of the spoke are normally pulled straight during the tensioning process while the wheel is being built.

sknhgy 

Thanks everyone. It just looks strange that the bends are not where the spokes cross.

tellyho

I'd agree with low tension. No way you should have a bend anywhere you don't have spokes crossing.

cachehiker

If you look very closely, you'll notice the bend is precisely where the 14 gauge portion of the spoke finishes tapering down to the 15 gauge portion of the spoke. That's exactly the same place it is on my Ultegra Open Pros laced with DT Swiss Competition 14/15 DB Spokes.

sknhgy 

You mean the bend is not where the spokes cross each other? And that's OK?
Because that's how it is on mine.

Al1943

Can you post some side view pictures so that we can see the overall lacing pattern?

ultraman6970

HI i dont see nothing bad because the pictures do not show that much, but somthing i have to highlight is that apparently from the 3rd picture u put the spokes at the wrong side of the rim THe holes usually arent at the center, they are a little but off set, some of them to the left other ones to the right... Thats the impression i have from the pictures, probably im wrong. I have seen some velocity rims with the holes just at the center just in case but the angle of the hole goes to the left or to the right...

Thanks.

cachehiker

It takes about 20% less force to bend the spoke where it's 15 gauge than it does where it's 14 gauge, so it's bending there instead of at the spoke junction which is only a few mm away. It's the same way on the rear wheel of this bike and I take it out on mountain biking trails from time to time.



After 3000 miles of abuse, the rear wheel has yet to go out of true on me.

I would still have the spoke tension checked though.

sknhgy 

What you've said makes sense. I could try to post a picture of the entire wheel.