# Spoke keeps coming loose...



## r.shoemaker78 (Feb 23, 2012)

So I recently purchased a set of wheels that were custom built. The ride is great and they now have 500 miles since I purchased them but on a ride last week I hit a big crack and by the end of the ride I realized 2 front spokes were completely loose. I re-tensioned the spokes till the rim became true. Next ride I noticed the same rattling noise from the front wheel and found two more spokes loose. I did the same thing and yesterday it happened again. I would think putting loc-tight or something similar is a bad idea but I'm not sure what else to do at this point, I don't have a spoke tension gauge and have always just used feel.

Am I just an idiot and need to add more tension around the entire wheel??

Build -Alexis c3.1/3.2 rims, 24 radial laced front, 2x 28 spoke rear, DT Swiss 240 hubs, sapim cx-ray spokes.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

First you should check the rim for tiny cracks. Look very carefully for theses cracks at the nipple holes.

It's possible that the two spokes were loose before the wheel took the big hit. Wheels that have not been built properly allow spokes to bed and stress relieve when riding and loosen. Correctly built wheels will have had all the stress relief and spoke wind-up removed during the building. Read my site and you will learn what is needed for this.

Wheels need sufficient tension and equal tensions to stay tight and true. The spokes could have loosened the 2nd time because you didn't do a good enough job.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

r.shoemaker78 said:


> Am I just an idiot and need to add more tension around the entire wheel??


Like Mike T. said it sounds like your overall tension is too low. Absent rim cracks this should never be an issue on a front wheel.


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## dcgriz (Feb 13, 2011)

r.shoemaker78 said:


> So I recently purchased a set of wheels that were custom built. The ride is great and they now have 500 miles since I purchased them but on a ride last week I hit a big crack and by the end of the ride I realized 2 front spokes were completely loose. I re-tensioned the spokes till the rim became true. Next ride I noticed the same rattling noise from the front wheel and found two more spokes loose. I did the same thing and yesterday it happened again. I would think putting loc-tight or something similar is a bad idea but I'm not sure what else to do at this point, I don't have a spoke tension gauge and have always just used feel.
> 
> Am I just an idiot and need to add more tension around the entire wheel??
> 
> Build -Alexis c3.1/3.2 rims, 24 radial laced front, 2x 28 spoke rear, DT Swiss 240 hubs, sapim cx-ray spokes.


The Alex Crostini R3.1 you have (I had to decipher your description but I think that's what you got) is a very flexy and lightweight rim to begin with. Combine that with fewer spokes, flexy spokes, a few potholes and maybe a not so lightish rider and these wheels have been known to come out of true often. Maybe that's also one of the reasons they have been discontinued.
What you bought is a very lightweight wheelset (around 1300 grams?) built with the purpose of reduced weight for race day duty at the expense of durability. What is happening to you now, has often been happening to others as well so I don't think is inadequate tension related as very competent builders have had their turn with them. It's the wheel being asked to perform to different conditions/parameters than designed for.

Edit to add: I would tension them equally, stress relieve them repeatedly, lock them in place and hope for the best. Usually I am not a proponent of locking spokes in place but I think your choices are limited here assuming you have been tensioning and stress relieving them properly so far.


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## r.shoemaker78 (Feb 23, 2012)

Well the rim is done, it is bent probably from the hard impact. Its not drastic, maybe 2-3 mm out of round at its peak but its right at the point where the two spokes keep coming loose and upon further inspection there are several hair line cracks near the a couple spoke holes.

It would be nice to find a rim with very similar ERD so I wouldn't have to replace spokes and all...or is that a pipe dream??


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

I'll 2nd that the rim may have been bent on impact, and you will never be able to fix it via truing. 

Check that the spoke tension is even via tone. If you can't make the wheel true with even tension, then the rim needs to be replaced. 

Did you buy these new? Your post doesn't specify, but I'm guessing not. If not and the rim passes the test above, then check for rim cracks as Mike T mentioned.


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## MayorOfMormania (Jun 19, 2011)

r.shoemaker78 said:


> Well the rim is done, it is bent probably from the hard impact. Its not drastic, maybe 2-3 mm out of round at its peak but its right at the point where the two spokes keep coming loose and upon further inspection there are several hair line cracks near the a couple spoke holes.
> 
> It would be nice to find a rim with very similar ERD so I wouldn't have to replace spokes and all...or is that a pipe dream??


I'd err on the side of caution, 20 new spokes shouldn't break the budget. Get a good rim and new spokes, and get riding. Blowing dollars to save quarters is never a good idea.


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## VinPaysDoc (May 23, 2005)

r.shoemaker78 said:


> It would be nice to find a rim with very similar ERD so I wouldn't have to replace spokes and all...or is that a pipe dream??


Given that they are laced radial you should be able to make do with either a 598 or 599 ERD rim. The spoke length calculation for the Alex Rim comes in at 281 mm. CX Rays come in even numbers. I would suggest that you measure the spokes to determine if they are 280 mm or 282 mm.

Rim choices available in 24 hole drillings:

*DT Swiss RR 440* - 450 gm ERD 599 ~$80
*Kinlin XR 19W* - 396 gm ERD 598 ~$45 (Fairwheelbike review recommends limit 180lbs)

You can read about these rims here: https://fairwheelbikes.com/cycling-blog/products/2013-rim-roundup.html


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## r.shoemaker78 (Feb 23, 2012)

I bought them used, approx 1500 miles on them and I have put about 500 miles on them since buying them. I was loving them as they ride much smoother than my old heavy Ritchey DS comp 20/24 wheels. I really purchased them for the low price and hardly used DT Swiss 240 hubs with the intention of building up a nice 23 mm wide rim in the future.

I'll just roll on my old front wheel for now and get some new rims/spokes down the road.

Thanks for the input.


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