Rear spokes loose?
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Road Captain
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 646
Likes: 16
From: South FL
Rear spokes loose?
Hey guys,
Laced 16" wheels to my street bob hubs not too long ago (~800 miles or so).
To get straight to the point..... I noticed that the OUTER spokes on the rear wheel do not seem to be properly set in the hub. There is a gap between the head of the spoke and the indentation in the hub where it is supposed to sit. The INNER spokes are set in the hub fine. The heads are flush and lay flat in their holes.
Last night I used a flat head to pry the spoke head into the recess, then gave the spokes a 1/4 turn to tighten the head in place. Once all the heads were flush in the holes I went back and did the "ping" test and found that these spoke were still loose compared to the inner spokes. I tightened then until a got a consistent ping from all the spokes.
I ride to work this morning and notice that the same spoke heads had come loose from the hub again.
I'm lost.... is this normal for new spokes to have to "set" in? I imagine they stretch a bit after riding. It seems to only be the spokes that are in tension while accelerating. The wheels were laced by me and trued by a reputable indy.
Thoughts???
Laced 16" wheels to my street bob hubs not too long ago (~800 miles or so).
To get straight to the point..... I noticed that the OUTER spokes on the rear wheel do not seem to be properly set in the hub. There is a gap between the head of the spoke and the indentation in the hub where it is supposed to sit. The INNER spokes are set in the hub fine. The heads are flush and lay flat in their holes.
Last night I used a flat head to pry the spoke head into the recess, then gave the spokes a 1/4 turn to tighten the head in place. Once all the heads were flush in the holes I went back and did the "ping" test and found that these spoke were still loose compared to the inner spokes. I tightened then until a got a consistent ping from all the spokes.
I ride to work this morning and notice that the same spoke heads had come loose from the hub again.
I'm lost.... is this normal for new spokes to have to "set" in? I imagine they stretch a bit after riding. It seems to only be the spokes that are in tension while accelerating. The wheels were laced by me and trued by a reputable indy.
Thoughts???
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,629
Likes: 46
From: East Hartford, CT
Your not supposed just tighten spokes in any fashion.
I mean when I tighten the spokes I use a piece of tape and mark off every forth spoke then start by tightening with a spoke torque wrench set to about 30 then check every taped(forth) spoke then the third then the second ect..
then I set to 55 lbs per inch and go again from the beginning and go through them all in sequence.
That way the wheel stays straight!.
Just tightening in any fashon surely is throwing the wheel out.
Have the indy that did the work redo it cause something is definently wrong.
In all the times I have checked my spokes (twice a year) the rears have always remained tight.
I mean when I tighten the spokes I use a piece of tape and mark off every forth spoke then start by tightening with a spoke torque wrench set to about 30 then check every taped(forth) spoke then the third then the second ect..
then I set to 55 lbs per inch and go again from the beginning and go through them all in sequence.
That way the wheel stays straight!.
Just tightening in any fashon surely is throwing the wheel out.
Have the indy that did the work redo it cause something is definently wrong.
In all the times I have checked my spokes (twice a year) the rears have always remained tight.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,120
Likes: 17
From: Indiana
What Jeff said!! Make sure whoever you take to has someone experienced to true and torque them properly. They have to center the hub within the rim from side to side and top to bottom. Or you'll have them loosen up on you and you if you just tighten the ones that are lose eventually you'll screw it up. I had a shop do it that was recommended to me. First thing he asked me was "why didn't you bring it in one the bike?." apparently he trues them using the forks as his truing stand, I should have walked out right away. Don't bring it to anybody like that because he screwed my front wheel up worse and didn't guarantee his work. I called all the HD dealers in my area and they didn't have anyone with confidence, it was more of a "sure I believe I can do it." I called a dirt bike shop and they did an amazing job on it. Brought both wheels in removed from the bike. They removed the tires and did it properly.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,403
Likes: 72
From: North Dakota
What spokes did you use? I reused my originals but shortened them about 3 threads and have had no issues for 3 years. Also, as stated above, is the hub centered, left to right, in the rim? If not, some spokes will be short and some will be long. I bought the Harbor Freight Truing Stand for $40 and trued them myself. As a bonus, you can also balance them yourself, just checkout YouTube.
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Road Captain
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 646
Likes: 16
From: South FL
Managed to get the wheel back to the shop to double check my work. They put it on the truing stand and all is well.
They said the key is small increments to the spoke tension. They also noted that once the tire is mounted up and inflated, tightening a few spokes here and there usually wont throw it off as long as you don't over do it.
Thanks for the advice!
They said the key is small increments to the spoke tension. They also noted that once the tire is mounted up and inflated, tightening a few spokes here and there usually wont throw it off as long as you don't over do it.
Thanks for the advice!
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