How often should you tighten bike spokes? If your wheels were built well, once a year or less take it into the shop and get a touch up. If you do mess with your wheels it is just as important to loosen the opposite side spokes as you tighten one side to cure a hop. Sometimes if only one spoke is loose you don't need to loosen others.
How do I know if my spokes need tightening?
1) Rattle and Hum: Tighten Those Spokes
For the most part, you shouldn't hear a lot of 'rattling' from your ride. If you notice a rattling sound when you pull it down from your hangers, or when you cross a fence, take note.
What happens if you tighten your spokes too much?
Too much tension can also lead to failure of the hub flange. The wrench flats of the spoke nipple can become deformed and rounded by forcing the nipple to turn while the spoke is at too high tension.
How tight should tension spokes be?
When should I true my bike wheels?
Lift up your bike, spin a wheel, and take a look at it from the front or rear. If you can see it wobbling more than five millimeters left to right, it's time for a wheel true. In extreme cases, an untrue wheel's rim might make contact with rim brake pads, or the tire will rub the seat stays or chainstays.
Related question for How Often Should You Tighten Bike Spokes?
Do my wheels need to be trued?
The wheel does not have to be perfectly round or true; slight runouts are acceptable (a few millimeters). As long as there are no loose spokes and the wheel is reasonably straight (the rim and tire mustn't rub on the brake pads), it will ride nicely and hold up fine.
What is buckled wheel?
A bent, buckle or out of shape alloy wheel is something we see quite frequently in our branches. Usually caused by poor road conditions, if a wheel hits a pothole or even a kerb hard, it can cause the wheel to bend, buckle or create what is known as a flat spot.
Should all bike spokes be tight?
The spokes should feel tight and firm. They should have just a little give when you squeeze them fairly hard. Squeeze a few spokes on other bikes to get an idea of how they should feel. It is rare for spokes to be too tight, but it is very common for them to be too loose.