Spoke tension and Dimensions?

the non drive will be whatever pulles the rim to center. are you truing it or replacing the spokes?

Just truing the wheel and wanted to double check that spoke tension is within suggested limits and balanced when I'm done.

discobean7 said:

Just truing the wheel and wanted to double check that spoke tension is within suggested limits and balanced when I'm done.

This may be stating the obvious, but before you begin, you will want to have the METAL version of the Ksyrium spoke wrench.

Mail order is probably just as fast (OR, faster!) than getting one from your LBS -- JENSON'S used to carry them (maybe, they still do).

discobean7 said:

Have a set of Ksyrium SL3s that I was truing. Unfortunately I'm at a loss with spoke tension. On the Park Website I've seen the Zicral spokes listed under 3.3mm round, but there is also 5.3mm x 1.8mm bladed aluminum that fits with what I have measured. Also what are the recs for spoke tension? I've seen 90-110 (and 100-120) for the front and 130-150 for drive-side rear. What are the recs for non-drive-side rear? Thanks.

I would start by dialling it up to the average tension of the other non-drive spokes, and then fine-tune by truing the wheel. Unless you wish to retension the wheel completely.

artemidorus said:

I would start by dialling it up to the average tension of the other non-drive spokes, and then fine-tune by truing the wheel. Unless you wish to retension the wheel completely.

Certainly a reasonable suggestion, I will try that. I was really looking for specific recs for the non-drive side to check the prior work of my LBS and to make sure that I have properly tensioned the spokes following lateral truing.

discobean7 said:

Certainly a reasonable suggestion, I will try that. I was really looking for specific recs for the non-drive side to check the prior work of my LBS and to make sure that I have properly tensioned the spokes following lateral truing.

Find a NEW, rear wheel ... take a tensiometer, and check the factory tension on the spokes.

discobean7 said:

Certainly a reasonable suggestion, I will try that. I was really looking for specific recs for the non-drive side to check the prior work of my LBS and to make sure that I have properly tensioned the spokes following lateral truing.

The Mavic tech support site does not specify a tension range for the non-drive side. The drive side (or, what Mavic calls the "rear free wheel side"😉 range for that wheel is "130-160 kg". Presumably, they really mean "kgF". As Insaneclimber said, the proper non-drive side tension will be whatever gets the wheel correctly dished.

Maybe this will help, but when I build a rear wheel, I tension all of the drive side spokes to near maximum tension. Then I dish the wheel. Then I do all of the lateral and radial truing. Then, as they say, rinse and repeat. Don't obsess about what the non-drive side tension is. My only concern with drive side tension is that there are not any spokes that are grossly different from the norm. I've seen wheels that are perfectly true that had a really loose spoke on the non-drive side. You can usually feel this easily with your fingers. The most important thing when building a rear is to get as near as you can to max tension on the drive side and be very consistant with all drive side spoke tensions.