loose spokes

[fogrider]

So a buddy pops a rear spoke and the wheel goes out of true. its bad enough that the tire (700x25) is rubbing the frame (there is not a lot of clearance to begin with) and we don't have a spoke wrench. luckily, there is a bike shop across the street, kind of, well they were able to get it so it spin and clears the frame and brake with quick release opened.

He gets the wheel into the shop that built the wheel and they true it up. but on the first ride we check on the wheel half way out, and the spokes have loosened. not a little, but a lot. one spoke is completely loose with no tension whatsoever. We make our way back to the shop (about 15 miles) and they say the rim (aluminum 32 spokes, about 3 years old) had a kink in it and they think the rim is shot.

I've had spokes break and the wheel goes out true and then re-trued, and it would be good for months to years. And I'm pretty tough on rear wheels and go through a rear wheel about every 5 to 8 years and maybe 5 spokes. So this is the first spoke my buddy broke on this wheel, seems like the rim should still be good...only thing I can think of is the lack of spoke prep. other thoughts?

[Kontact]

Did the nipples actually turn loose or did the rim change shape so much that the spokes became loose?

Many kinks can be taken out by flexing the rim - something a good mechanic may know how to do.


But I don't understand how they trued the wheel and sent your friend back out on the road and then claim that the rim was bad. Either the rim was in good enough condition to replace the spoke and true or it wasn't. When are they claiming this kink happened?

If they did anything wrong, it was not undoing the tension added by the second shop.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by fogrider

So a buddy pops a rear spoke and the wheel goes out of true. its bad enough that the tire (700x25) is rubbing the frame (there is not a lot of clearance to begin with) and we don't have a spoke wrench. luckily, there is a bike shop across the street, kind of, well they were able to get it so it spin and clears the frame and brake with quick release opened.

He gets the wheel into the shop that built the wheel and they true it up. but on the first ride we check on the wheel half way out, and the spokes have loosened. not a little, but a lot. one spoke is completely loose with no tension whatsoever. We make our way back to the shop (about 15 miles) and they say the rim (aluminum 32 spokes, about 3 years old) had a kink in it and they think the rim is shot.

I've had spokes break and the wheel goes out true and then re-trued, and it would be good for months to years. And I'm pretty tough on rear wheels and go through a rear wheel about every 5 to 8 years and maybe 5 spokes. So this is the first spoke my buddy broke on this wheel, seems like the rim should still be good...only thing I can think of is the lack of spoke prep. other thoughts?

Broken and loosening spokes is because the rim is bent/deformed/dented and the tension at that spot is too low..You can sometimes tighten the spokes at that spot, to get the tension acceptable and kinda even, at the expense of roundness or trueness or both. The only solution IS a new rim.

Tension keeps spokes tight, not 'glue'...