Check your spokes!

[colorider]

S
All pavement so far.

Suprised you had any loose ones with all pavement!

 

[SpeedStar]

Suprised you had any loose ones with all pavement!

I was surprised too. Not what I was expecting.

 

[pqsqac]

What is the proven method of checking your spokes? I've never had to deal with them before on a motorbike only my bicycle as a kid and I would just break them off then not knwing any better. ;D
Thanks

 

[GrahamD]

I've never had to deal with them before on a motorbike only my bicycle as a kid and I would just break them off then not knwing any better. ;D
Thanks

Sounds like a plan.

You can test how long it takes before the bike lands on the ground. We need people like you. Need to know how many "spares" the bike is running ::025::

 

[jajpko]

What is the proven method of checking your spokes? I've never had to deal with them before on a motorbike only my bicycle as a kid and I would just break them off then not knwing any better. ;D
Thanks

I use a small screw driver or an awl. Tap the spoke gently and it should emit a pinging sound. If it is dull or no ping, it should be tightened. Some of the spokes on my rear wheel touch when they cross, so be careful and take that into account.
When you tighten the dull spoke, use the good spoke nearest to it to tune the bad.

Not all of the spokes will have the same pitch, so don't try to tune them all the same.. lol

From the post that have been made about loose spokes, I think a good truing once a year would be a good thing to do.

That's how I do it, your mileage may vary..

 

[stevepsd]

Suprised you had any loose ones with all pavement!

Probably from hitting all the pot-holes in our wonderful California roads!

 

[whisperquiet]

I snugged up a few spokes at 600 miles.........at 8300 miles, all are snug, but I don't pound my bike hard.............I use it as a street bike with some gravel roads thrown in. I will keep an eye on them though.

 

[tubebender]

Checked mine today. 3500 miles of 95% pavement riding.

Used an inch pound torque wrench w/ hex bit @ 53 in/lbs and found 5 on the front and 4 on the rear that tightened up.

Lateral runout after tightening was .02 inch (spec = .08 inch) on both wheels.
Could not do radial runout as I don't have the proper dial indicator to do it on the bike.

Will check it again after my next big trip in Feb.

 

[spasm]

this wrench looks good, not sure if it would work on the s10 tho. wot do u guys use ??
How To Tighten Your Spokes - MotoSport Demo

 

[markjenn]

this wrench looks good, not sure if it would work on the s10 tho.

It won't. This wrench is for a conventionally-spoked wheel where adjustment is made by turning a spoke nipple at the rim.

The S10 uses a completely different design where adjustment is made turning a nipple at the wheel hub. It requires a 5mm allen wrench. A conventional L-shaped wrench works well, but doesn't allow use with a torque wrench. A socket can be used with a torque wrench, but most allen sockets are a little too fat and interfere with adjacent spokes. There is a thread on here somewhere discussing which models which better, but if you just want to do a minor adjustment or tighten a bit, there is nothing wrong with just using a L key.

- Mark

 

[spasm]

i have used just the L key but find it very slow, maybe the T bar type will be better and faster, ::008::

 

[watertowerman]

Hi, I use a 5mm allen cut off and it fits right into a 3/16 socket with 1/4 drive on a 1/4 torque wrench. Works for me

 

[pluric]

Dumb luck. This was the only style hex with a handle in my tool box.... 5mm.
That never happens to me. Fits under the seat. Also fits the side case hex.
Just clears the front rotors to reach the nipples.

 

[colorider]

Dumb luck. This was the only style hex with a handle in my tool box.... 5mm.
That never happens to me. Fits under the seat. Also fits the side case hex.
Just clears the front rotors to reach the nipples.

Good find! I need to look for something similar to carry under my seat.

::008::

 

[NittanyXT]

Craftsman has some nice T-handle sets,I've used mine to snug up the spokes. They have 'em metric,standard and Torx and they can be gotten on sale for about 29 bucks a set. Probably one of the most used tools in my box.

 

[pluric]

This is getting old. Spokes were tight. Just these damn butter rims. I used to believe
it was just a fluke. Now I'm thinking they are just soft.

Middle of freaking no where bent so bad it won't hold air. Three or four good dings.

Stuffed a tube in it.

 

[terrysig]

don't know about the butter rims but I wanna ride where you ride! ::008::

 

[terrysig]

what kind of "offroad" air pressure were you running?

 

[RMac]

My spokes have never been checked as far as I am aware and I have 19100km on the bike. Today I checked the rear wheel and all spokes were well under the 6nm torque the manual calls for. I became a bit worried about my procedure as I tightened them, but when I checked this out later from a U-tube video I wasn't far off correct procedure. Now that I have tighened the rear spokes the tone they emit is much higher than I think they have ever been. Tomorrow I will deal with the front which also appears to be very loose. This is my first time with spoked wheel bike, so I think I will take the bike to a proper wheel place later on to make sure I haven't screwed up.

 

[protondecay123]

i have used just the L key but find it very slow, maybe the T bar type will be better and faster, ::008::

Find a long hex key socket. The short sockets will not give you enough space between the "inner" spokes and the "outer" spokes at the hub. You can get a torque wrench on the end of the socket for proper torque.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YKFI9C/ref=oh_o00_s01_i00_details