hstdist

Hey there,

i have a Brodie dynamo hybrid bike. while out on a ride earlier I heard a noise from the rear wheel ( alex rims TD17 ) I stopped and found two spokes real loose. I tightened them with my multi tool to the point where they just start to "ping" when plucked l and carried on. I did not tighten or loosen any other spokes if this should have been done. what causes two spokes to get loose and is my quick fix adequate or do I need to adjust any other spokes ( if so I'll bring it to a shop)? I am a heavy chap, but if I look at some of the wheel sets the clydes recoomed, they are worth more than my bike. I did not hit any serious bumps as I am very careful considering my weight


Thx

froze

Your quick fix should have been adequate as long as the wheel doesn't wobble. You can check your wheel wobble cheaply by just eyeballing the wheel on both sides as it passes through the brake pads. If you feel you can't do it then by all means take it to a LBS.

Clydes wheels don't have to be expensive unless your looking for some sort of ultra modern low spoke count wheel which is impractical for the street and especially for a clyde to be riding on. You can get really strong wheels by going with a simple but strong 36 spokes PER WHEEL rim. Mavic OP's and Velocity make really good 36 hole rims, combine that with Shimano 105 hubs and double butted spokes with brass nips and you have a very strong wheel done cheap. And really all you probably need...assuming you need to replace a rim...is the rear rim, the front should be fine.

Panthers007

You definitely need to have your wheel(s) properly tensioned and stressed before you ride on them again. Failing to do this can result in anything from having a wheel fail underneath you to - ending up in a very bad accident.

Whoever you got the wheels from didn't do you any favors.

wmodavis

The main thing that causes spokes to loosen is that they likely not properly tensioned in the first place.

mushwars

spokes Usually dont just come loose. IME the spoke loosens when something has either happened to the rim or when the spoke gets old and begins to break down. keep in mind that spokes are very thin metal. They are flexable. A little give is ok. Look at the spokes. If they are at all rusty they need to be replaced like yesterday. If the are not shiny and are a dull white, you should think about replacing them if they are loose. I recommend you watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTb3x5VO69Y. It is a 3 part series on how to build a wheel from scratch. It will help you to dissassemble a wheel and reassemble it with new spokes. Remember if you go to a bike store, they will do exactly what you could do on your own for free + the price of parts which i can guarentee that you can get cheeper by buying online. I recommend Bikenashbar.com
Good luck

Panthers007

A wheel that is not properly tensioned and then stressed, trued, stressed, so forth - doesn't need an accident or other "event" to have this problem manifest. It simply hasn't been finished. And this may not be the right time for the OP to learn to build wheels - by jumping into the later stages of a wheel build. For this he/she should have, and know how to use, a spoke-wrench, something to true the wheel on, and a spoke tension-meter.

And the link you were alluding to is:

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/TopCategories_10053_10052_-1?cm_mmc=Google-_-S-Nashbar+Brand+-+S-Nashbar+Brand_Bike+Nashbar_Exact-_-Exact+match+search+2889821920-_-nashbar|-|100000000000000010864&cm_guid=1-_-100000000000000010864-_-2889821920&gclid=CLuGwNOY-JkCFWNM5QodSHYhFw