blue303

I have a rear wheel that is a 28 spoke 2 cross Weinmann TR18 double wall wheel. I am having problems with getting them to stop making creaking noises. I have the spokes uniformly tensioned on both DS & NDS. I did the whole turn further than needed and back off to release spoke twist. I just can't seem to get the wheel to stop creaking at me. I even had one of the spoke nipples break while I was stress relieving the spokes. Is there anything I can do short of taking it to the LBS?

joejack951

If the spoke isn't twisting, there's no need to turn any further than needed to add the required tension. If the spokes are twisting, going a whole turn further than backing off might actually adding excessive twist in the opposite direction. An easy way to watch for spoke twist is to mark the outside of the spoke with a marker (black for silver spokes and vice versa). If the mark moves, the spoke is twisting.

As for the creak, I've yet to get good enough at stress relieving by hand to not have a wheel creak the first few times it's used. A creaking wheel doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem though if it goes away after a few uses. Do check true again and verify that the creaking wasn't a spoke unwinding causing a slight wobble.

If you broke a spoke nipple during stress relieving I'd say you have some over-tensioned spokes or you are being way too aggressive. How are you verifying tension?

blue303

I am checking the tension with the Park tools tension meter. This was the 2nd spoke nipple that has broke on this wheel. The first was during a ride two months ago. It seems like some of the NDS spoke nipples are making noise where they are attached in the rim.

joejack951

How much do you weigh? How much tension do you have on the DS/NDS spokes?

blue303

205. Ds - 107 nds - 58.

gyozadude

Are you using alloy spoke nipples? Are the nipples properly sized to the spokes? Have you properly lubed/prepped spoke threads and nipple seat on the rim? It's rare that a nipple would break.

joejack951

Up your drive side tension. Actually, just up the non-drive side to 70 minimum and compensate on the drive side to center the rim. 58 kgf NDS tension is way too low for someone 205 lbs. in my opinion. You may need 125 kgf on the drive side to get to 70 on the NDS.

blue303

They are alloy nipples. As far as being sized properly, I would assume so since they came with the wheels when I bought the bike new in December.

gyozadude

Okay. Alloy nipples are more brittle and more prone to seize up and that can cause them to crack if deformed as your tension the spokes. If you can remove any tire/tube/rim tape/strips and take a small bottle of silicone oil, like maybe a 10 - 20 Wt. SAE equivalent in approximate viscosity (and use silicone based oils so it's more benign to rubber), and apply a drop to the base of each spoke seat/rim eyelet from the tube side of the rim. I use a high quality fishing reel oil. Then add a drop where the nipple threads onto each spoke and let sit for a few minutes. Then tension your wheel to recommended specs for the rim. But if you've had failures already, and it's likely that more will follow. If you feel inclined, you may want to swap out the nipples yourself with new nipples made of nickel plated brass.

Kimmo 

I'm tipping the NDS spokes are too short, otherwise the nipples wouldn't break.