I'm trying to true my front wheel.

I had a large lateral deflection at the join that took way too much spoke tension to correct. So I used a method I found in a wheel building PDF to try and correct it. I put three pieces of wood under the rim (still laced and tensioned up), two either side of the deflection. Then I put one on top of the deflection and struck it with a hammer, roughly eight times with medium force.

The deflection seems to be corrected and the spoke tension around that area is no longer so extreme. However as I spin the wheel in the fork, I heard small pinging noises as if the spokes are de-stressing themselves.

Is this normal?
Have I damaged the rim?

I've tried relieve spoke tension by grabbing bunches and pushing down on the rim with the hub in contact in the ground, but that pinging noise still remains.


Richard

The pinging while spinning the wheel off the ground probably isn't the spokes. There's not enough change in anything when spinning in the air to cause pinging in spokes. If it's happening when spinning slowly, you're hearing small bits of debris playing Pa*****o as they bounce off nipples (or eyelets) as they move within the rim.

Debris in rims is common and of no concern. The confirmation that it's debris is to spin the wheel faster, which traps it in place against the rim's outer wall.

You probably will hear pinging when you mount the wheel and go for the first ride. That is the spokes settling, and will clear within a few minutes.

Not to hijack the thread, but how long is normal to have pinging? I had a friend's noisy bike that I worked on, and it's almost silent now, except the front wheel will make a faint ping/creak every 5-10 seconds or so, and only when under load.

It sounded like something Sheldon wrote:

I'm quite sure the rim hasn't been damaged, but it does sound a lot like the sound of squeezing a pair of spokes together. Should I check all the spokes or looseness, or failing that, give them all a 1/2 turn tightening?

On older wheels (probably 5,000+ miles) spokes eventually get notched where they cross, because there's slight movement there. You can hear and feel it if you squeeze the crossed pairs to move the point of cross. These will ping is they're deflected enough under load and the corssed spokes pop of the notch.

Otherwise, it could be a sign of uneven tension, or slackening spokes.

Try cutting up a piece of light cardboard, like an index card, into small squares. Put one between every crossed pair of spokes and ride. If that solves the pinging remove the squares one at a time until it comes back, that's the problem pair of spokes.

In any case, I'd diagnose and isolate the problem before just tightening all the spokes in a wheel that's otherwise OK.

What you pointed out from Sheldon's website is what I was experiencing with a wheel I had. Everytime I rode it, the wheel would make noise but was quiet as a mouse when off the ground. Started breaking spokes. After I broke 3 of them, I rebuilt the wheel with new spokes and nipples. No more noises and looking back, the spokes were probably not nearly enough tensioned previously. The wheel is tensioned now and no longer makes any noise.

When you're truing your wheel, and especially when lacing it, don't forget to stress the wheel once it's "done". Do this by putting one end of the axle against the ground or a bench or something , and rotate your hands around the wheel with gentle yet firm pushes. You'll hear all sorts of pinging and creaking from the spokes settling into all of their grooves and holes. You may have to go back after that and put some finishing touches on the wheel.