Why do spokes come loose

After this they still kept coming loose every day but I could no longer afford to keep getting them fixed so did them myself after that. They still kept coming loose. Returning home I took them back to the shop and they rebuilt them with new spokes. Sadly by this time though the rim was dinged but anyway, they still rebuilt them. I end up checking spoke tension after most downhills..

I had some Crests on wheels from Superstar and the rear non drive side went really loose after a few pingy miles with some spokes going totally loose. The front and drive side were OK though. I swapped munqe chicks s for s for an alps tripped and swapped them back when I got home. Tools: adjustable wrench, two tire irons, wire cutter, bicycle spoke wrench, file, bicycle pump.

Materials: replacement spoke. They should all have a nice high note. You should have them trued and tensioned about once a year if you ride often. If an otherwise undamaged spoke has snapped at the thread or in the straight section between rim and hub, it was probably faulty. A faulty or damaged spoke should simply be replaced. Wheel buckled? With a spoke key and some patience, you can fix this without a trip to the bike shop.

Spokes that keep coming loose indicate certain problems that you can resolve either by yourself or by a professional, depending on the situation, by understanding the basics of bicycle spoke wheel construction. Wire spokes support the wheel rims of the bicycle. The inner ends fit into ports on the wheel hub, and the outer ends thread into spoke nuts at the rim. Spokes are designed to allow tension adjustments by tightening or loosening the spoke nuts.

Looking at the spokes on a wheel, you'll notice that they consist of pairs that cross over in the middle, and that the right spoke nuts are offset from the left spoke nuts at the rim.

The crossovers provide the necessary support to keep the wheel from collapsing. The offset nuts allow you to true the wheel, similar to aligning the front end of a vehicle. Spokes can loosen from hitting bumps hard or from landings following jumps. If you hear tapping or clicking sounds coming from a wheel, you should reach for your spoke wrench and start jiggling to find the loose spoke.

Active Oldest Votes. I have to say I think this is a myth, for a properly built wheel. Improve this answer. To test whether the nipples are unscrewing, simply use a magic marker to mark one side of the nipple after the wheel is trued a final time after break-in. If the marks twist around during use then the nipples are unscrewing. Add a comment. You may be suffering from low spoke tension over the whole wheel.

The spokes will twist, especially on the straight pull varieties. The standard remedy for an already built wheel is simple. Aero spokes are held in place by a gizmo that slips over the flattened body.

I just use an adjustable wrench to hold them in place. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Sign up using Email and Password. Post as a guest Name.