Catrike Speed: Spoke tension seems low

[rocketman]

It appears that my 2005 Catrike Speed tadpole trike has low spoke tension on
the front wheels. For comparative reference, I can deflect the spokes 1/4"
with my fingers. That's pretty low spoke tension, IMO. Is it that way for
a reason? If tight spokes on the front of tadpole trikes are more fragile
than loose spokes, then I'd better leave 'em alone. They seem round and
true, and haven't presented any problems other than pinging a little in
corners.

R

 

[S. Delaire \Rotatorrecumbent\]

All spokes should have a "tone" to them.
Take a wrench and tap them, listen to the sound, they should have a sharp ring
that is (close to) the same for all spokes. If it sounds flat then they are
loose.
Happy cycling
Speedy


rocketman wrote:

> It appears that my 2005 Catrike Speed tadpole trike has low spoke tension on
> the front wheels. For comparative reference, I can deflect the spokes 1/4"
> with my fingers. That's pretty low spoke tension, IMO. Is it that way for
> a reason? If tight spokes on the front of tadpole trikes are more fragile
> than loose spokes, then I'd better leave 'em alone. They seem round and
> true, and haven't presented any problems other than pinging a little in
> corners.
>
> R


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[Joao]

S. Delaire "Rotatorrecumbent" wrote:
> All spokes should have a "tone" to them.
> Take a wrench and tap them, listen to the sound, they should have a sharp ring
> that is (close to) the same for all spokes. If it sounds flat then they are
> loose.

Speaking of that, have you watched "The Triplets of Belleville"? There
is one scene where the main character is truing a bicycle wheel, and
using a tuning fork when to get the same tone from all spokes.

 

[[email protected]]

rocketman wrote:
> It appears that my 2005 Catrike Speed tadpole trike has low spoke
tension on
> the front wheels. For comparative reference, I can deflect the
spokes 1/4"
> with my fingers. That's pretty low spoke tension, IMO. Is it that
way for
> a reason? If tight spokes on the front of tadpole trikes are more
fragile
> than loose spokes, then I'd better leave 'em alone. They seem round
and
> true, and haven't presented any problems other than pinging a little
in
> corners.
>
> R

That's dangerously low spoke tension. Low spoke tension will allow them
to fatigue and break in short order.

For maximum durability, spokes should be tensioned as close to their
yield point as possible. This prevents the tension cycles that cause
metal fatigue.

If your Catrike's wheels are machine built, they were probably
delivered undertensioned. A good human wheel builder can crank much
more tension into a spoke than a machine.

What's the solution? Remove the wheels, lubricate the nipples and
nipple seats, and crank 'em down. High, even tension will make for the
most durable wheel you can get.

It's possible that the spokes are already fatigued. If you start
breaking spokes, you're better off having them replaced completely by a
competent wheel builder.

Jeff

 

[Alexander Rice]

Funny thing is that Catrike wheels are all hand built by Mark Power of
PowerOnCycling. I just went and gave mine ('04 Speed) a squeeze and I'd
rekon that I can deflect the spokes by a similar amount to you and it's
wheels are fine. I think perhaps you are over-reacting although there's
no harm in taking it to a recumbent competent LBS for a check.

My beater upright OTOH has 27" wheels and large falnge track hubs, the
spoke tension is such that I can bend the spokes by about 1". I'm
waiting for them so start to break then I'll re-build it - all the
nipples are rusted up making it impossible to re-tension them.

Alex
>
> That's dangerously low spoke tension. Low spoke tension will allow them
> to fatigue and break in short order.
>
> For maximum durability, spokes should be tensioned as close to their
> yield point as possible. This prevents the tension cycles that cause
> metal fatigue.
>
> If your Catrike's wheels are machine built, they were probably
> delivered undertensioned. A good human wheel builder can crank much
> more tension into a spoke than a machine.
>
> What's the solution? Remove the wheels, lubricate the nipples and
> nipple seats, and crank 'em down. High, even tension will make for the
> most durable wheel you can get.
>
> It's possible that the spokes are already fatigued. If you start
> breaking spokes, you're better off having them replaced completely by a
> competent wheel builder.
>
> Jeff
>

 

[[email protected]]

I can tell you that none of the spokes on the Cat Speed I bought were
tensioned properly. Right wheel was different than the left and the
dishing was wrong. I had a local shop set it up equally and not only
did the tracking improve, but the brake steer lessened as well. The
rear was also not well tensioned. The ride as delivered was adequate
until about 20 miles. At 26 I was out of control . The most I have
ever been scared on a trike was prior to the wheels being repaired.

On Wed, 25 May 2005 12:10:00 +0100, Alexander Rice <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Funny thing is that Catrike wheels are all hand built by Mark Power of
>PowerOnCycling. I just went and gave mine ('04 Speed) a squeeze and I'd
>rekon that I can deflect the spokes by a similar amount to you and it's
>wheels are fine. I think perhaps you are over-reacting although there's
>no harm in taking it to a recumbent competent LBS for a check.
>
>My beater upright OTOH has 27" wheels and large falnge track hubs, the
>spoke tension is such that I can bend the spokes by about 1". I'm
>waiting for them so start to break then I'll re-build it - all the
>nipples are rusted up making it impossible to re-tension them.
>
>Alex
>>
>> That's dangerously low spoke tension. Low spoke tension will allow them
>> to fatigue and break in short order.
>>
>> For maximum durability, spokes should be tensioned as close to their
>> yield point as possible. This prevents the tension cycles that cause
>> metal fatigue.
>>
>> If your Catrike's wheels are machine built, they were probably
>> delivered undertensioned. A good human wheel builder can crank much
>> more tension into a spoke than a machine.
>>
>> What's the solution? Remove the wheels, lubricate the nipples and
>> nipple seats, and crank 'em down. High, even tension will make for the
>> most durable wheel you can get.
>>
>> It's possible that the spokes are already fatigued. If you start
>> breaking spokes, you're better off having them replaced completely by a
>> competent wheel builder.
>>
>> Jeff
>>