Put your thumb around one spoke and your fingers around the spoke next to it and squeeze.
The spokes should feel tight and firm
. They should have just a little give when you squeeze them fairly hard.
How tight do you tighten bicycle spokes?
What if my spokes are too tight?
Spokes that have too much tension can result in
deforming and/or cracks near the nipple holes of the rim
, as seen in the image below. Notice crack at red arrow. Too much tension can also lead to failure of the hub flange.
Can you over tighten a spoke?
Spoke tension is important to ensure your wheels are strong, reliable and long lasting. Spokes that are too loose will continue to loosen and require constant wheel truing.
Spokes that are too tight will cause damage to the rim, spoke nipples and hub flanges
.
How do I know if my spokes are tight enough?
Once the rim is free from blips and serious flat spots, check the tension of the spokes. Put your thumb around one spoke and your fingers around the spoke next to it and squeeze.
The spokes should feel tight and firm
. They should have just a little give when you squeeze them fairly hard.
Should I use a spoke tension meter?
When you get to low spokes counts and carbon rims which require higher tensions and more critically, even tension, then a tension meter becomes almost essential
.
Can MTB spokes be too tight?
It is rare for spokes to be too tight
, but this can happen if you are not taking care when adjusting loose spokes. That being said, it is more common for the spokes on the freewheel side of the rear wheel to be tighter than the others.
Can loose spokes make noise?
Loose spokes can also cause noises
.
How do you torque a dirt bike spoke?
How do you measure spoke tension?
If spokes are laced, pluck them where they cross. You will then be listening to the sound of two spokes at once. If the tension of two laced spokes is very different, you will hear a dull thud. Pull the spokes across each other with your fingers to see which is looser.
How do you tighten bike spokes without tools?
How often do you true wheels?
You should have the wheels and spokes trued and tensioned about
once a year
(if your ride often). Bicycle spoke rings can be plucked just like any other stringed instrument such as a guitar or a harp.
How do you true a BMX wheel without a truing stand?
How do I know what spokes I need?
- The number of spoke holes in the hub and rim.
- The effective rim diameter, called the “ERD”
- Hub flange diameter at the spoke holes, also known as the Spoke Pitch Diameter.
- Left and right hub flange spacing relative to the hub center.
How true should a bike wheel be?
The wheel does not have to be perfectly round or true;
slight runouts are acceptable (a few millimeters)
. As long as there are no loose spokes and the wheel is reasonably straight (the rim and tire mustn’t rub on the brake pads), it will ride nicely and hold up fine.
Can you true a wheel with the tire on?
The absolute answer to your question is
yes
.
How do you check the spoke tension on a mountain bike?
How do you check bike spokes?
Why do some bikes tick?
A spring-loaded part that engages a set of teeth when moving in one direction, but slides over them when moving in the other direction
. The pawls in a freewheel make a ticking sound when a bicycle coasts.
Why is my crank clicking?
Most of the time, the true cause is a
loose chainring bolt
—tighten them up and that’ll quiet most creaks. After you check the chainring bolts and if you still hear the noise, look at your pedals, crank bolts, seatpost, and seat. By checking these first, you’ll save an hour of digging into your bottom bracket.
Why does my bike click when I pedal?
A clicking noise is the most common sound your bike can make.
It can be due to the rider pedaling fast, and the chain wants to jump up and down the rear cassette to accommodate the demands of the pedal
. To identify the sound, you can slow down from pedaling and observe whether you still hear a sound.
