Spoke maintenance

[BoneGraft]

Got me one of these coz the Berg's wheels needed some love in regards to spoke tension.

http://vsmr.net/albums/bitsnbobs/drc_prospoke.jpg

Bikebiz got one to me in a couple of days and it fits and works nicely. With half a dozen interchangeable tips to suit pretty much any bike. $25. 8)

Get one and some CRC and have happy wheels ever after! :up:

[albonator316]

i just got a pair of barkbusters from them with fatbar mounts for 80 bucks. very happy :D

[jmcd]

I just got the wheels for the 74 for 40 bucks!!!!Happy as well !!

[Woolf555]

Might have to look at getting a set myself for that price. I'm sick of screwing around with a dodgy little shifter :roll:

[MrSXV]

How often do u check or tighten your spokes?

[BoneGraft]

CRC the spoke nipples after every wash and do a quick "ping" check eack oil change. Takes about 5 minutes. Let me know if ya unsure of the actual process and I'll post a quick "how to".

[jmcd]

Yeah those are cool I almost bought some when I built my wheels , but when you have to pull a rim one direction or another for clearance I think torque spec kinda get thrown out . The ones I could find were over 100 bucks ,,no tips.

[BoneGraft]

Jas, mine is NOT the tension/torque wrench type. You use the pitch of the spoke when struck to determine even spoke tension.

I did think about one of the flash torque wrench ones for about $300 with tips but when ya think that we are looking for even spoke TENSION, not even spoke nipple torque, they seem to be barking up the wrong tree.

Maybe in a shop building new wheels from new parts a spoke torque wrench would be sweet, but in a wheel thats seen some use/dirt/water so the nipples could be abit sticky/part siezed just doing it by ear seems to work better for me.

And ALWAYS CRC or WD40 the spoke nipples before you try to adjust them. I don't need to tell ya how a broken spoke or stripped nipple could stuff up ya day.

[Woolf555]

I did think about one of the flash torque wrench ones for about $300 with tips but when ya think that we are looking for even spoke TENSION, not even spoke nipple torque, they seem to be barking up the wrong tree.


That's a good point.

[BoneGraft]

Had a few requests for a "how to" so here ya go. Stolen from the motorcyclecruiser website...

Start by giving the wheels a good clean and lube all the spoke nipples with CRC etc to help prevent them from seizing.

Wire-wheel maintenance involves a few simple tasks and even fewer tools. The wheel needs to be inspected on a periodic basis for physical damage, loose or worn components, alignment problems and, most importantly, spoke tension. So what's periodic? Certainly, I'd give my rims the once-over if I whacked a pothole or big frost heave or maybe ran over the neighbor's kid's bicycle. Of course, since the whole job takes maybe 15 minutes to half an hour, you may want to perform it on a more regular basis.

While a decent job of inspecting the wheels can be done with the bike on its kickstand, it'll be far easier if the bike is upright, with both wheels off the ground. If your bike doesn't have a centerstand (and whose does these days?), use a lift or whatever it takes to get the bike into position.

A cracked rim is rare but not unheard of, so I like to start by inspecting that hoop for fractures. Most are small, hairline fissures that radiate outward from the spoke holes, and in most cases will run from one hole to another. If any are found, the rim will need replacement, but like I said, cracks are rare. Hub cracks are even less common, but it never hurts to give everything a look, just in case you're one of the lucky ones.

Modern wheel bearings are paragons of reliability and generally don't cause any problems unless they've been severely abused, typically by being hosed down with a high-pressure washer or steam cleaner (which tends to wash the grease out of them), or just by a lot of mileage. In any case, a wheel bearing will normally start to "rumble" or whine before it reaches its expiration date, so the easiest check is to just spin the wheel and listen; if it doesn't turn smoothly or there are weird noises coming from the hub center, a further look is warranted.

A bearing can sometimes develop excess freeplay, which will affect handling for the worse and eventually cause bearing failure. To check freeplay, raise the wheel slightly off the ground and grasp it at opposite points (12 and 6 o'clock work as well as any). Try to move the wheel back and forth, 90 degrees to the axle. In some cases, slight movement may be normal or at least acceptable (your service manual will have the details), but as a rule, any kind of shift indicates the bearings need adjustment or replacement.

The last type of wheel check is for true or runout (jargon for out-of-round). There are two types of runout: axial, which is a side-to-side wobble, and radial, which is an up-and-down hop. Both checks can be performed well enough by eye, at least initially, as all you're going to do is give the wheel a spin and watch it rotate. If the wheel appears to be rotating true, chances are pretty good everything's fine. Since no wheel is 100 percent perfect, manufacturers typically allow between 1 and 2mm of runout in either direction.

If there's any doubt, fix a pointer to the frame or fork (a tie-wrap will do fine), and allow it to just kiss the rim at the closest point. For axial runout, position the pointer to the side of the rim. To measure radial runout, select a point on the rim's inner or outer edge. Slowly rotate the rim until the gap between the pointer and the rim is at its greatest. If the dimension exceeds the manufacturer's recommendation, the wheel will need to be trued.

Assuming no problems are found, the final and most critical phase of the operation is to check the spokes. The time-honored method is to give each one a tap with a small wrench or screwdriver handle and listen to the sound. A nice, clear ping indicates the spoke is reasonably tight, while a flat, dull thunk means it's loose, and, as you can guess, a loose spoke is little more than a broken one that hasn't had the good sense to come apart yet. Just remember, you're not tuning a zither, so don't expect every spoke to hit a perfect C-sharp.

Use a spoke nipple wrench. If you've never seen one, a spoke wrench is a short wrench with square-cut jaws designed to fit snugly over the spoke nipple. They're available from any motorcycle dealer for less than 10 bucks, and if you don't know what size to order, you can get a universal wrench that'll cover the most commonly used sizes.

Starting with the spoke nearest the tire valve stem, apply moderate pressure with your wrench. Moderate means just that; typically, spokes are tightened to somewhere between 20 and 60 in.-lbs., which equates to 1.6 to 5 lbs.-ft. That's not much, and it's easy to overtighten the spoke if you get ham-fisted. I should also warn you that it's difficult (if not impossible) to accurately torque a corrosion-seized spoke. If the nipples are rusty or obviously loose and resist tightening, it's time to have the wheel looked at by a pro. Chances are the nipples have seized, and if that's the case, you'll need to consider plan B, especially if the wheel is badly out of true.

If the nipple turns easily, give it no more than a quarter turn. Skipping the next three spokes, repeat the procedure at the fourth spoke in line. The butt end of that one should be on the opposite side of the rim from the first. Work your way around the rim giving every fourth spoke no more than a quarter turn. When you get back to the original spoke, move to the next one in line, again tightening every fourth spoke. Repeat the procedure until all the spokes are nice and snug. Doing it this way may seem tedious compared with just tightening every spoke in line, but going at it the easy way may pull the wheel out of true. The every-fourth-spoke method takes longer but ensures the rim stays round, and as we all know, a round wheel is a happy wheel, a happy wheel makes for a happy motorcycle and a happy motorcycle always has a happy rider.

Hope thats all clear, if ya got a Q ask away...