spoke tightening

Is there a way to tighten spokes without a spoke tightening tool?
(there's a tonguetwister for you) Perhaps using pliers or something. (If
you hadn't noticed I'm not particularly technically minded, I just ride
the buggers)


--
MrBoogiejuice
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MrBoogiejuice's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5515
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394

You can get a cheap spoke tool for £2 or a good one (park) for £5. Well
worth it for a unicyclist. Spoke nipple are fairly soft and are easy to
damage with the wrong tool (eg pliers). A small adjustable panner might
just work but you'd be a lott better of getting the right tool

There are a few different sizes so take your uni along to the shop.


--
nickjb - one wheel short
------------------------------------------------------------------------
nickjb's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1074
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394

you truely are a wealth of useful information, ta very muchly


--
MrBoogiejuice
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MrBoogiejuice's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5515
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394

You can use a flat screwdriver, but you will have to take off the tyre
to get at the nipples, this is my prefered method to true a wheel as I
don't have to think to hard about which way to turn the nipple. This
mehod only works though untill the thread starts to stick out the top of
the nipple.


--
Matt.P.Herbert
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt.P.Herbert's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5486
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 07:29:16 -0600, MrBoogiejuice wrote:

Is there a way to tighten spokes without a spoke tightening tool?
(there's a tonguetwister for you)

It's a mindtwister as well. In a way, every tool you use to tighten
spokes is a spoke tightening tool by definition. The only way one
could say 'yes' to your question is to use bare hands. It would be
stretching to call those a tool.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
I have a feeling you might need two points of contact with the ground for such a thing to work? Or at least training wheels on the front and rear. - John Foss commenting on a picture of a one-wheeled vehicle he saw on RSU.

You can use a (preferably small) cresent wrench. Keep it adjusted
tight, or you will round off the nipples. I've done this, and it works
in a pinch, but it is much less convenient then a spoke wrench (one has
to keep adjusting the cresent wrench, and it does not fit easily between
the spokes).


--
duaner - -

duaner.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
duaner's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/4297
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394

I'm fairly sure that you should use the special kind of tightener with
the torque meter. I believe unevenly tightend spokes van result in a
bent rim. Someone please confirm this


--
thin_air - ride the wheel

If you come to a fork in the road...
take it
------------------------------------------------------------------------
thin_air's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/4504
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394

thin_air writes:

I'm fairly sure that you should use the special kind of tightener with
the torque meter. I believe unevenly tightend spokes van result in a
bent rim. Someone please confirm this

Tension (the force pulling on the neds of the spoke), not torque (a
sort of radial force turning, say, the nipple) is what is measured.
The device used is called a spoke tensiometer, but I've heard they
don't work on small wheels (don't know about a 24").

To get the tension right, I go by feel and sound. The spokes should
make a nice ringing sound, ideally all about the same pitch. I go for
a slightly higher pitch that you'd hear in run of the mill wheels, the
theory being that tighter is better as long as the wheel doesn't
deform. Last time I built a wheel I had my LBS check it with a
tensiometer, and it read 150* while they recommended 130. I'm happy
with the extra tension. Oh yeah, you can take your wheel to a
friendly LBS and have them measure the tension for you.

Anyway, here's the critical part: TENSION IS ONLY ONE OF FOUR
VARIABLES YOU NEED TO KEEP UNDER CONTROL WHEN BUILDING OR REPAIRING A
WHEEL. You also have to keep the wheel round (same distance from the
hub along the circumference); true side to side; and symmetrically
dished (same distance to each crank). All of these factors are
controlled by varying the length/tension of the spokes. Fortunately,
you can adjust them somewhat independantly of each other. See the
sheldonbrown.com wheelbuilding page for some good instructions.

Good luck.

Ken

* I thinks they said kilograms, but the unit should be newtons or
pounds force

thin_air wrote:
*I'm fairly sure that you should use the special kind of tightener
with the torque meter. I believe unevenly tightend spokes van result
in a bent rim. Someone please confirm this *


a torque setting would be ineffective, as you would not be measuring the
tension on the spokes, but the torque of the spoke nipple.

for example, a loose spoke that had a rusty, stuck nipple would register
as a higher (and therefore apparently tighter) torqued spoke, and not a
stuck nipple.

There are tools called tensiometers (sp?) that guage the spoke tension
by 'plucking' each spoke giving a number. if all spokes are tensioned
properly on a perfectly true wheel, each spoke would register the same
number when 'plucked'


An easy way to remember which direction to work (thus saving you from
having to remove the tire.

If you have the wheel set in front of you in a truing stand (or a clamp
holding onto the frame, and using the inverted frame as a truing stand,
here's something you can remember

remember righty-tighty lefty loosey?

if you are doing nipples above the hub, this is true
if you are doing nipples under the hub, the reverse is true.


--
Sofa - You Tu Tu Tuni?

'Unicycle Product Reviews'
(http://www.brianmackenzie.com/LUC/unicycleReviews.aspx)

'London Unicycling Club Website ' (http://www.brianmackenzie.com/LUC/)
version 3.0


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sofa's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/706
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/30394