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Loose spokes

Started by Iain Jones · · Last activity · 15 posts · 963 views

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Original section
UK and Europe
Published
24 March 2004
Last activity
26 March 2004
Original author
Iain Jones
Posts
15
Discussion status
Public discussion
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  1. A couple of months back, on a day ride, I noticed worryingly
    that one of the spokes on my front wheel was loose. It was
    the spoke with the magnet for my computer on it, and I
    figured out that it had been knocking against the sensor on
    the fork during the day. So I tightened it up (not tight,
    but to the same tension as those around it - I haven't a
    clue about wheel maintenance), repositioned the sensor and
    rode off again. It's been fine since.

    But then last week, changing the brake blocks, I noticed
    that one spoke on the back wheel was loose, very loose. No
    sensors, no magnets, nothing which it could have been
    catching on. So again, I tightened it up again, but noticed
    that some spokes around it were much tighter than others.
    Again, it's been fine since.

    Is this anything to worry about, and should I get both
    wheels checked out? I don't know much about bike maintenance
    and even less about wheels! Intending to learn though, I've
    got Haynes' Bike Book on the way in the post.

    The wheels are Rigida Vela rims & Shimano hubs.

    Cheers Iain

  2. Iain Jones said:

    A couple of months back, on a day ride, I noticed
    worryingly that one of the spokes on my front wheel
    was loose.

    Have you got disk brakes?

    :-)

    Looks like you need to retension your wheels (ie _increase_
    the tension). Spokes shouldn't unscrew if they are tight
    enough to start with. Sheldon Brown's website has useful
    info, as does the book "The bicycle wheel" and I'm sure
    google will help you with URLs...

    James

  3. BTW maybe I should mention: a few weeks ago, one morning
    riding to work there was loads of snow around, and having
    never ridden in snow before (in three years of cycling), I
    fell off but at the time I was going so slowly my computer
    didn't realise I was actually moving. So I didn't expect
    this to do any damage to my bike/wheels, but could it be
    something to do with it?

  4. "Iain Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    A couple of months back, on a day ride, I noticed
    worryingly that one of the spokes on my front wheel was
    loose. It was the spoke with the magnet for my computer on
    it, and I figured out that it had been knocking against
    the sensor on the fork during the day. So I tightened it
    up (not tight, but to the same tension as those around it
    - I haven't a clue about wheel maintenance), repositioned
    the sensor and rode off again. It's been fine since.

    But then last week, changing the brake blocks, I noticed
    that one spoke on the back wheel was loose, very loose. No
    sensors, no magnets, nothing which it could have been
    catching on. So again, I tightened it up again, but
    noticed that some spokes around it were much tighter than
    others. Again, it's been fine since.

    Is this anything to worry about, and should I get both
    wheels checked out? I don't know much about bike
    maintenance and even less about wheels! Intending to learn
    though, I've got Haynes' Bike Book on the way in the post.

    The wheels are Rigida Vela rims & Shimano hubs.

    Cheers Iain

    It's the old poorly built wheels syndrome, the wheels need a
    proper retensioning on them - a job that can be done at home
    but it's probably easier to get a shop to do it if you're
    not mechanically minded.

    Unless the whole wheel is done properly the spokes will
    continue to come loose, some will break and eventually
    some time down the line you'll need new wheels. It's not
    dangerous and any deterioration will be gradual rather
    than dramatic

    Russ

  5. James Annan said:
    Iain Jones said:

    A couple of months back, on a day ride, I noticed
    worryingly that one of the spokes on my front wheel was
    loose.

    Have you got disk brakes?

    Nope, dual pivots.

    Quoted message said:


    :-)

    Looks like you need to retension your wheels (ie _increase_
    the tension). Spokes shouldn't unscrew if they are tight
    enough to start with. Sheldon Brown's website has useful
    info, as does the book "The bicycle wheel" and I'm sure
    google will help you with URLs...

    I know his website, so I'll have a peek. Should keep me
    occupied while I've got the flu, and I took the week off for
    some days out too. Not looking for pity, honest.

    Cheers Iain

  6. <snippity spokes unscrewing>

    IIRC my LBS trues wheels for £7 each (might even be five) so
    it won't be too expensive to get them done properly. On the
    other hand as it's a fairly cheap job it /must/ be easy so
    you might as well have a go yourself!

    The raving feminists at the other LBS do bike maintenance
    courses (for women only)
    [1]. I've often thought about donning a wig and stuffing a
    couple of potatoes down my top[1] so I can go too.

    [2] How on earth do they expect to get full membership of
    the golf club when they do

    [3] They may be small, but they're firm.

  7. On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 22:09:32 +0900, James Annan
    <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    <[email hidden]>:

    Quoted message said:

    Spokes shouldn't unscrew if they are tight enough to
    start with.

    They can, though, unless you buy Symmetrispokes[tm]

    --
    Guy
    ===
    May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
    posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.uk

    88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
    Washington University

  8. Iain Jones <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    BTW maybe I should mention: a few weeks ago, one morning
    riding to work there was loads of snow around, and having
    never ridden in snow before (in three years of cycling), I
    fell off but at the time I was going so slowly my computer
    didn't realise I was actually moving. So I didn't expect
    this to do any damage to my bike/wheels, but could it be
    something to do with it?

    No. Simply falling off cannot loosen your spokes, whatever
    your computer's level of awareness at the time.

    --
    Dave...

  9. "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]>typed

    Quoted message said:

    On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 22:09:32 +0900, James Annan
    <[email hidden]> wrote in message <[email hidden]-
    net.or.jp>:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Spokes shouldn't unscrew if they are tight enough to
    start with.

    Quoted message said:

    They can, though, unless you buy Symmetrispokes[tm]

    And only another week before Sheldon announces another ground-
    breaking invention...

    --
    Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

  10. "Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Just zis Guy, you know?"
    <[email hidden]>typed

    Quoted message said:

    And only another week before Sheldon announces another ground-
    breaking invention...

    Amazingly consistent, is Sheldon's product development
    lifecycle...

    --
    Guy
    ===
    May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
    posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.uk

    88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
    Washington University

  11. Mark Thompson <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    The raving feminists at the other LBS do bike maintenance
    courses (for women only)

    Please can you give me details of this LBS? Bike Maintenance
    classes seem to be quite hard to find and I like to make a
    note of places offering them.

    [I run classes in Cambridge, by the way. And you don't need
    to cross-dress to attend!]

    David Green

  12. "Mark Thompson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    <snippity spokes unscrewing>

    IIRC my LBS trues wheels for £7 each (might even be five)
    so it won't be


    too

    Quoted message said:

    expensive to get them done properly. On the other hand as
    it's a fairly


    cheap job it

    Quoted message said:

    /must/ be easy so you might as well have a go yourself!

    Its a skill, and it irritates me when I attempt it. Like
    brick laying, people who know what they are doing just make
    it look easy.

    Quoted message said:

    The raving feminists at the other LBS do bike maintenance
    courses (for


    women only)

    Sounds a bit retro and stroppy. I've only been in one bike
    shop where they are the right age to be milly-tant 80's
    feminists.

    I'd rush home to my closer LBS.

  13. Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    The raving feminists at the other LBS do bike maintenance
    courses (for women only)

    Please can you give me details of this LBS? Bike
    Maintenance classes seem to be quite hard to find and I
    like to make a note of places offering them.

    [I run classes in Cambridge, by the way. And you don't
    need to cross-dress to attend!]

    bicycledoctor.co.ukbicycledoctor.co.uk

    Click on events, and it's the first one. It appears to be
    run by the WSPU (Women something something something) so I
    presume its women only because it's always been. I suppose a
    man might be able to get on it - I had a friend who, by
    virtue of being a single father, was a valued member of the
    local Mothers Union!

    By the way, how much do you charge for your bike courses?

  14. "Mark Thompson" <[email hidden]> wrote
    in message

    Quoted message said:

    bicycledoctor.co.ukbicycledoctor.co.uk

    Ha! Thought so.

  15. Mark Thompson <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    By the way, how much do you charge for your bike courses?

    £33 (£18 concessional) for 5 x 2hr evening sessions.

    More details at <camlearn.netdo search.p
    hp?PHPSESSID=72d69140f827f55847b112df3bea20fe&q=bicycle&sea-
    rch=Site&from=Home>

    David Green.

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