Wheel Truing

[Schwee]

I'll be lacing and truing a new 21" rim to my star hub. Stainless spokes, as y'all have recommended.

It's been years since I've trued a wheel, but I remember one time I had it almost perfect when I made one more turn and snapped a spoke.

How do you tell when the spokes are tight enough?

[itsRICH]

from what ive read, theyre good when to tap with a screw driver and you get a good dull sound not ping, if its a ping theyre loose, im considering re truing/relacing mine, but ive never done it before only tightened a few

[awander]

I think it's exactly backwards of what Rich wrote, dull sound is loose and ping is tight.....

[old.wrench]

Schwee,
As far as sound goes, a "ping" is what you want, not a dull "clunk". Now, as far as transferring that sound into a torque value, I'm not going to be much help. But, I'm sure it's very low - like in inch-pounds. For a ball-park figure, I'd consider the threads on a spoke to be in the neighborhood of equivalent to a 10-32 fastener. I've laced and trued a bunch of wheels, and for me it's a "feel" thing gained by experience. Too tight and you'll bust a spoke or possibly pull a nipple through the rim, too loose and you'll wear out the spoke holes in the hub and the nipple holes in the rim, among other problems. They do sell torque wrenches designed for wheel-wrights, but I've never had the opportunity to use one. I wish I could be more specific than to say it's a "feel" thing .

Geo.

[Huck]

My buddy is good at it, his dial indicator is a beer bottle. He does allot of plinking on the spokes, like he’s getting them in tune. Then after he’s got it set, goes around with a punch to make sure each nipple is set correctly in the rim. Then goes back around and checks them all again. The wrench is no bigger than your little finger I’ve never seen him pull what I’d consider hard on them.

[itsRICH]

I thought I had it backwards, I just double checked the book, my bad

[Cotten]

Schwee!

Chrome spokes might snap if you look at them wrong,
(something about "hydrogen embrittlement"),
but stainless is holy, and much stronger.

That's just one reason why chrome is evil.

....Cotten

[PanPal]

I helps to lube up the threads on the stainless spokes also. They can guld to the nipple and wrench them off. Especially if the nipples are stainless as well.

[Mark44]

I helps to lube up the threads on the stainless spokes also. They can guld to the nipple and wrench them off. Especially if the nipples are stainless as well.

"guld" - ???
I get why you'd want to lube the threads, kind of like putting anti-sieze on spark plug and other threads that you don't want to sieze. I've never seen "guld" before, though.

[RUBONE]

I've never seen "guld" before, though.

I suspect the intent was "gall". But then I tend to have an imagination and don't expect a perfect world.

[Mark44]

I've never seen "guld" before, though.

I suspect the intent was "gall". But then I tend to have an imagination and don't expect a perfect world.

Nor do I, but I honestly didn't understand what PanPal was saying.

[Omarine]

I agree its a feel you develop. But if you remeber nothing else, when a spoke nipple has been overtightened with a spoke wrench, you can see the roundness distorting around the spoke threads. Those small wrenches though weak, can and will distort the flats as well.

Having the nipples seat snugly, if it makes noise against the rim, its likely too tight. Nice ping, not a dull thud...

I like to true a wheel over several evenings and true within .015" if possible. The book says .030" is acceptable...

If that 21" rim with star hub is going on a springer with a drum, then i found the offset to be .050" to center the tire between the legs. Measured the same way the 18" rims were measured in the HD manual...

[PanPal]

Sorry for the confusion. I had no idea how to spell it. What I have seen is alike materials fuse together when not lubed. If that is the definition of gall, thats what I was trying to say.

[old.wrench]

I haven't yet run into a situation where the nipples needed to get hammered to seat them in the rim, the nipples will find their seat in the rim as you turn them to true the wheel. Maybe if you had a rim that was punched at an angle for something other than a star hub you'd need to do that (make sure you don't bash the threads). I have found it helpful on occasion to tap the heads of the spokes with a punch where the spoke heads seat in the hub. Occasionally the bend at the head of the spoke will be off a little, a good rap with a punch will center it in the spoke head recess in the hub.

I will say that the way a wheel goes together is a thing of beauty when you have the right hub/rim combo and a decent set of spokes. It really doesn't start getting tricky until you try mixing and matching odd-ball combinations of hubs and rims .

Geo.

[Cotten]

Golly, Old Wrench!

I alway religiously tapped every nipple with a brass drift, until it stopped changing their musical note.
It seemed to eliminate need for re-trueing after road duty.

If anyone needs some Buchanan thread lube, just ask (and pay the postage).

BUCHLUBE.jpg

I hope to never do another one.

....Cotten