Loose spoke needs tightening...

[Maz]

I noticed the other the day that there is a spoke on the front wheel (Jalco Dynamics 270) that is very loose. I found this out by 'strumming' the spokes with my fingers. This spoke will also twist/rotate freely between my fingers. I've never tightened the spokes before. How do I do this?
Thanks

 

[ianrauk]

Get a spoke key.
Oil the nipple.
Tighten spoke.

Plenty of You Tube vids Maz.

 

[fossyant]

That ^ - it's a doddle

 

[Maz]

Thanks. Which is a good spoke key?

 

[Maz]

Get a spoke key.
Oil the nipple.
Tighten spoke.

Plenty of You Tube vids Maz.

The spoke wouldn't even start to tighten by hand. Does this mean the thread is damaged?

 

[ianrauk]

Thanks. Which is a good spoke key?

One that fits.
They are all much muchness.

 

[ianrauk]

The spoke wouldn't even start to tighten by hand. Does this mean the thread is damaged?

The thread may have gone or the nipple.
New spoke and nipple time maybe?

LBS time if not confident £10 plus cost of new spoke and nipple.

 

[accountantpete]

If the thread has gone (are you turning it the right way - looking down on it you turn clockwise) then you can replace very easily.

Take tyre and rim tape off. unscrew nipple with screwdriver.

Remove spoke and measure the length (v imp) or better still take it to the LBS and get new one of same length with nipple.

Replace and tighten up to approx same tension as other spokes.

check the trueness of wheel.

 

[Dusty Bin]

(are you turning it the right way - looking down on it you turn clockwise)

That would loosen it. Looking down on it, you would need to turn it anti-clockwise to tighten. Assuming you mean looking 'down' on the spoke nipple from the hub..

 

[Maz]

I have rotated the wheel so that the loose spoke is vertical (top of spoke is hub side, bottom of spoke is the rim side).
Which way do I turn the nipple to tighten it?

 

[PpPete]

Stop - back away from the spoke key. Think.

Think of the spoke as (very long) bolt, and the nipple as a nut.

So looked at from the rim end = the nut end: tighten by turning the nipple clockwise. 's obvious isn't it ?

If you are looking from the hub end of the spoke, if the spoke were really a bolt you's turn it clockwise to tighten, right? But you can't because it's fixed at the hub, so instead you tun the nipple anti-clockwise.

IME if you think it through from first principles yourself you are less liekly to forget it before the next time.

 

[Maz]

Well I got a spoke key and after spending 15 minutes figuring out which channel to use, finally got it tightened up! It needed at least 2 full turns to get it the same tension as the other spokes.
Thank you!

 

[fabregas485]

Was the spoke damaged in the end then?

 

[Maz]

Was the spoke damaged in the end then?

No, the spoke was OK, thank goodness.

 

[Tim Hall]

I found this out by 'strumming' the spokes with my fingers.

Singing my life with his words.