Technical > Wheels, Tyres and Brakes

Spoke tension

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PH:

--- Quote from: ourclarioncall on February 21, 2022, 07:21:29 pm ---If I tighten spokes that that are on the left side of the wheel, thin will that pull the rim towards the left ?

--- End quote ---
Yes, but you're also trying to even it out, so a little tighter on the left and let the right ones out a bit, 1/4 turn at a time for each, 2 spokes either side ought to be enough, find an old wheel and see how you get on.  Being a master wheel builder is a skill, but getting a wheel round and rideable just takes a bit of practice.

Moronic:

--- Quote from: ourclarioncall on February 21, 2022, 07:21:29 pm ---
So when you tighten a spoke , is the spoke pulling the rim in the direction of the side the spoke is on?

Sorry if my question is confusing

If I tighten spokes that that are on the left side of the wheel, thin will that pull the rim towards the left ?

--- End quote ---

Yes and it is important to remember that the rim relies on even spoke tension to remain circular. The rim is malleable concentrically as well as laterally. As observed above, it's an art.

I'm thoroughly impressed by the balance and resilience of the wheels in my Thorn. I imagine they will benefit from occasional maintenance, and I've got some research to do on finding someone I'd trust with them. I certainly won't be getting in there myself.

PH:

--- Quote from: Moronic on February 23, 2022, 09:11:19 am ---I imagine they will benefit from occasional maintenance, and I've got some research to do on finding someone I'd trust with them. I certainly won't be getting in there myself.
--- End quote ---
Well built wheels shouldn't require any adjustment to spokes and tensions for their life.  My SJS built Mercury rear wheel is a couple of years older than the bike, so at least 7 years, the spokes haven't been touched. I pop it into the wheelstand when I'm doing a service to check true and give the spokes a ping to hear if there's any tension difference (There's an app to judge that precisely, but you can hear any significant difference) At the same time I'm looking for cracks or corrosion around the spoke holes,  and if the bike is going to see any winter riding on salted roads I'll dribble a bit of ACF-50 in there (Or any other corrosion inhibitor) That's it.
The art of wheelbuilding is to get the spokes tight enough that they don't fatigue, without overly stressing the rim. Easier than it sounds, as that's quite a narrow window and not all wheeelbuilders agree which to prioritise.  Right choice of components helps and non dished wheels, like a Rohloff, do make it simpler.  Get that right, and the lifetime of spokes and rim, if you can avoid corrosion and wear from breaking, it pretty much infinite.  The exception is damage, though even then a good wheel can take a lot, the wheel in the accident that wrote off my original Mercury's fork is still round and true! though the hub makes a horrible noise so it's not in use. OTOH they don't like a sideways impact, I've had a wheel bend almost in half from a much more minor collision at right angles. 
Machine built wheels are a different story, both wheels on my E-bike needed re-truing after a couple of thousand miles and the cheap hybrid I used for deliveries before it broke two spokes in a year.

Moronic:
Thanks PH. Best news I've heard in a while.  :D

ourclarioncall:
Thanks PH

That was very Helpful insight 👍

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