Slack spokes?

[Xiorell]

I'm tarting up an old mtb at the moment trying to keep as much original as I can.
The 26in wheels are in decent condition, all true etc loads of life in the braking surface. Only thing is, if you grab a couple of spokes and give then a bit of a squeeze they feel a bit slack/saggy, not taught like a brand new wheel.
I have a little spoke tool, if I go round every single spoke and just give them a little tighten up, is this likely to sort the issue out? Just need to get them taught again

 

[calibanzwei]

Short answer yes, however over tightening in an area will pull the wheel out of 'true' - trueing a wheel is a dark art to me still

 

[Amanda P]

In theory, if you tighten every spoke by exactly the same amount, the wheel should end up exactly the same shape it is now, but with tighter spokes.

In practice, if it's an old wheel, the nipples may not turn freely - they tend to stick, or only move in jerks when the spoke can't twist any more. This is particularly true if the wheel was originally built dry, with no lubricant on the spoke threads (many builders dip them in something waxy for just this reason). If this happens, it's almost impossible to ensure you tighten each spoke by the same amount, and you may have to true the wheel when you're done.

That needn't be a big problem - truing isn't really so difficult with some patience.

If the wheels are true and working, I think I'd leave them as they are. If they start breaking spokes, or if you're going to depend on these wheels for a long tour or something, then think about fixing them.

 

[Xiorell]

Ok cheers I think I'll have a go at them later , if they are ceased up I'll not bother. They just feel a bit too slack to want to use

 

[e-rider]

In theory, if you tighten every spoke by exactly the same amount, the wheel should end up exactly the same shape it is now, but with tighter spokes.

No, that is not true. The increase is not linear with increasing tension. If all the spokes were at exactly the same tension to start with then it would be true, but we all know that the tension is slightly different in every spoke.

If you take this approach you will almost certainly end up with a wheel that is no longer true.

 

[ushills]

I've just retensioned an old MTB wheel, the best bet is to loosen all the spokes and rebuild it as if it were a new build.

The tension in each spoke need to be the same (same pitch when plucked) and provided the rim is in good shape i.e round you will have a tight true wheel.

You can just tension until all have the same pitch and wheel is true but I prefer to slacken them all first.

 

[MrJamie]

I recall reading that the drive-side tension is different on the rear (higher?) and so you dont want to turn both sides by the same amount.

I dont think its that hard to true a wheel if youve got some time and patience to get it right

 

[Herzog]

My advice would be to 'start again'. Loosen all spokes off so that 1mm of the spoke thread is showing beneath the nipple. Then proceed as you would do if building a wheel (http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html - Initial spoke adjustment section in linked page).

If you were to go round tightening each nipple a turn in sequence, I'd guess that you'd end up with an uneven, lumpy wheel prone to spoke snapping. Wheelbuilding to a reasonable level is not as hard as many people like to make out. Give it shot.

 

[e-rider]

I've just retensioned an old MTB wheel, the best bet is to loosen all the spokes and rebuild it as if it were a new build.

The tension in each spoke need to be the same (same pitch when plucked) and provided the rim is in good shape i.e round you will have a tight true wheel.

You can just tension until all have the same pitch and wheel is true but I prefer to slacken them all first.

This is also not true. The tension in each spoke will be slightly different to account for variations in the physical properties of each spoke and the rim. The wheel is built based on being true, not on spoke tension. That said, there is an optimal spoke tension that needs to be achieved on each side of the wheel, however, each individual spoke will vary slightly from that, ie. you can build a true wheel but the spokes are too loose (or less frequently, too tight). However, if you go and tension every spoke exactly the same, you will have a far from true wheel. This is the basics of wheel building.