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My rear wheel went out of true recently, and armed with a spoke key, some blue-tack and a pen, I tightened the half-dozen or so very loose spokes and trued it, pretty well I thought for a beginner.
But it's warped again and some of the spokes are very loose within a couple of weeks. Clearly I need to tighten the spokes much more to keep them tight, but I would have thought that would warp it.
So what's the approach? Tighten hard and try to true from there? Any advice appreciated. It's a 29er, if that makes any difference.
You can't just tighten the spokes more than needed to keep them tight, cos you'll just warp the wheel in the opposite direction
Yes, that's what I was getting at. How do I keep them tight for more than a few miles, then? Using something to stick it will surely stop me ever being able to true them again?
Did you true it in both directions, or did your tightening of the spokes leave a flat spot?
I did it in batches of four spokes around each loose one - loosening some, tightening others. My pen showed I had got it reasonably true and it felt pretty smooth. Now it's back to square wheels like a clown again.
A buckled rim is a buckled rim, unless the buckle is very small, it can't be trued out permanently. Still, good wheel truing practice; mine manages to stay good for about two weeks!
Ideally all your spokes should be at the same tension
When you say out of true what makes you think the spokes have gone loose again ??- the nipples could all be undoing but it is highly unlikely the cause is more likely uneven tension/crap build
You may have twisted the spokes as you tightened and it has gone out of true once they pinged ???
How out of true as well
Ah ok - that's the way to look at it I suppose. Ok thanks I thought it was just my usual ineptitude!
Cheers
Junkyard - so loose as to be hanging out showing thread. Pretty sure I turned the nipples.
Out of true - very!!
Need to sign off now as up in a few hours. Any suggestions welcome though! Sounds like a new rim at some point though.
Cheers
You went wrong by loosening some. Assuming the wheel was built correctly when you bought it, spokes can only get looser over time and not tighter. Therefore you should only be looking at the loose spokes and assume the others are to the correct tightness.
I learnt that the hard way 🙁
Also one you have trued the wheel, I find it helps to go for a short ride over a few fields. Seems to fix any twisting of spokes, I then just give it a quick go over, tightening spokes as needed by a quarter of a turn