sunv

so my bike is so ****ed up
my front wheel like clicks every revolution. I think its the spokes and i noticed also when i put on the wheel backwards or frontwards, the sitting on the forks is off center one way and centered another way. This gives me reason to believe that the ****ing wheel is dished to one side, and possibly that the forks are bent outta angle. I think my forks are non symmetrical because i was in a crash a few months back and it really ****ed up the alignment.

so the thing that most pisssing me off is the incessant clicking of my front wheel. I tried using a multi-spoke wrench on some spokes but ended up stripping one so i decided to stop before it got any worse. I'm on a budget now so theres not way i can bring it to a professional. But yea if i locate the bad spoke, should tighten it or loosen it?
and spoke wrench technique, are you supposed to tighten and loosen the spokes in their pairs and like tighten one side and loosen the other? Or how does that go?

Retem

broke spoke

sunv

r u serious
how can i determine its broken?
do i NEED to replace it?

barba

You would know because a spoke would be snapped in two. Does it make the noise when you just spin the wheel? Basically, are you sure it is the wheel?

hockeyteeth

Squeeze all the spokes on your front wheel to determine if any are loose. If they bend more than about an 1/8" with moderate pressure, tighten the nipple a bit and try again. If you hear the nipple squeeking or the spoke popping, you are probably overtightening the nipple and will most likely strip it. Good luck.

bbattle

The spokes on my rear wheel on my roadie creak like crazy when I'm pedalling out of the saddle. The wheel is true and the spokes have even tension so I don't worry about it anymore.

How many spokes/pattern do you have? 32 3x not so bad if one is creaky. 16 radial; you got problems.

sunv

yea i think I have 32 3x. that's regular pattern right?
It only creaks when i put weight on it. Like when I ride without hands, there is no clicking. But when I put my hands on the handlebars, it starts clicking. I'm pretty sure its a spoke. So you guys think I should loosen the spoke thats too tight?

I have been letting my gf (who is <100lbs) ride on my handlebars for maybe half miles when shes late for class or soemthing. So maybe that weight has something to do with it.

There are no broken spokes lol. I'd notice a spoke hanging half and half on the wheel.

It totally bugs me out. I really need it fixed.

would oiling the spokes help?

Retem

yeah thats the problem you don't nitce when t is broken at the head check you wheel by squeezing the spokes this is also a good way to tell if it is a loose spoke that is pinging and getting looser

kludge

welcome to your first tool purchase....SPOKE WRENCH. put it on your key ring. ive started a development fund to find way to open a beer with a spoke wrench.

wheelsucker

Are you sure the sound is from the front wheel? If so, squeeze them to see if they have movement just as others suggested. If there is movement tighten the loose spokes 1/4 turn at a time. I also suggest putting a little silicon oil at the point the spokes cross. If you are not certain about the noise coming from the front wheel, I suggest tightening your crank arms because they can come loose and often cause a clicking sound too.

Retem

I think pedros already makes one

1fluffhead

Do it the same way you would with a lighter. Its a little bit harder but still possible.

roughrider504

Light oil where the spokes hit the flange/nipples touch the rim.

trace22clawson

hey, i just put some new wheels on my bike and the spokes on the front creaked too. But then it stopped. Maybe they were just tight at the crosses?

Hey, and another question... when I install the front wheel, is there any particular direction the logo on the hub should face? In other words, can I put the front wheel in without any regards to what direction the logo faces. I mean, I have a 50% chance of gettin' it right if it's designed to go a certain way.

Retem

a well built wheel doesn't creak

blickblocks

I've got a 22 year old set of wheels that used to ping a lot, the cones kept coming loose so there was a bit of play in the hub which caused bumps to make the spokes ping. I tightened the cones and now it's not noticeable. I also need to tighten up those spokes when I can get around to it, they haven't been tensioned since 1985.

jim-bob

When you're looking down the valve hole of the front wheel (pretend there's no tire on there) you should be able to read the logo on the hub from your saddle.

trace22clawson

Dang! I got it wrong then. Maybe that was the clicking? I had never thought about it until I went to put the wheel on. I didn't look at the wheel that had been on the bike (slick tires.. so I couldn't look at the tread pattern either.) I just thought the front wheel is symmetrical... no dish so I assumed that it really didn't matter which way I had the hub facing (it spins both ways.) I didn't see any instructions saying how it should go on. I tried to search the forums. I looked at the Sheldon Brown site... nothing. How would a person know this?

I'm glad it's real simple to tell on the rear wheel! Mine isn't a singlespeed or a fixie (it has a 9 speed shimano cassette) but when I did my search, my "symptoms" brought me to this forum. So, thanks for the help. (I'd still like to know how you know that or where you learned it.)

LóFarkas

It doesn't really matter which way the wheel is facing. Maybe the tyre is directional but even that's not really important .

jim-bob

I wouldn't imagine it would make any practical difference, it's just how I was taught to build wheels.