carlom0

Could you please tell me what would be the correct spoke tension for a Specialized Cross trail bicycle?
Thank you.

Andrew R Stewart 

Which set of spokes? Most rim braked bike ft wheels have the same tension for both sides of the wheel. Rears, and disk ft wheels usually have a dish which requires one side's spokes to be higher tensioned than the other side's. Also its the rim that generally "controls" the spoke tension maximum. So what rim?

Questions like this one often suggests there's some issue or concern about the current condition. Are there issues or problems we don't yet know of? Are the wheels straight, true, dished or other? Are you breaking spokes?

With so little info mentioned there's little we can be specific with. Andy

FBinNY 

The whole tension issue is overhyped.

It's actually fairly simple.

There's a minimum tension, such that spokes never go slack when the rim deflects.

There's a maximum tension which is something below 80% of the yield strength, leaving room for the added service load. This is also subject to what the rim can take.

Any tension that meets these conditions is correct. As a rough general rule I try to keep tensions in the 50-110kgf range.

Of its not quite that simple because both condition s depend on spoke gauge with thiner spokes calling for lower tensions.

That said. The OP begs the question. Why are you asking? Unless you have a problem like the wheel being out of true, or an obviously slack spoke, I suggest that you follow rule #1 --- Don't fix what ain't broke.

OTOH- If it's simply a desire to learn, keep in mind that simple answers on forums are only a starting place because the devil is in the details.

carlom0

Thanks for answering me. They are rim brakes and the rims are running straight and true. My question is because the spokes do not all feel like they have the same tension. Some feel tight and have a higher pitch when plucked and some feel looser with a lower pitch.

FBinNY 

OK

Even tension is important, but not critically so.

If you were headed on a long tour, you might have someone check them out, and possibly get the tension more even.

Otherwise, unless you have wheel trueing skills, I suggest leaving bad enough alone until the wheels need trying anyway.

Andrew R Stewart 

No description as to which spokes seem tight or less so. Again, on a bike there will be a variation of spoke tensions due to wheel design and placement. Can you be more specific as to which wheel and side you checked the tension?

One could bring their bike to a shop for their more expert opinions if concerns continue. Andy

maddog34

Loose spokes can happen from break-in of wheel sets, a curb strike, a pothole, or running over that yapping poodle the old neighbors with the Cool Studebaker think is their long-dead son... or just neglect. you have chosen NOT to neglect your wheels.... GOOD!

tip #1..:instead of "plucking"spokes, strike them with a screwdriver handle... using two at once creates A Bicyclophone! (Radial lacing works best for this)

check for any extra-loose spokes... bring up their tensions to an OK level first... then go around the wheel to look for any other extra-loose ones... then watch,read, and learn... enjoy!

https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/...on-measurement

there are many more excellent Vids on how to do this... unfortunately, there are also some really lousy vids.... Sigh.

Tip#2.. Remove the Tire and tube before you do anything truing-wise.(shop guys do quicky tunes with the tires still on)

work slowly and carefully... one spoke won't solve every problem... and you'll discover that changing one spoke can alter the tension on a completely different area of the wheel.... You can do more by loosening a really tight one than tightening two kinda loose ones, as far as moving the wobbles that you just introduced to your once fairly straight wheel....

(Top Secret tip time!) A big warp to the right will usually have two satellite warps of smaller amounts to the left... work the big warp first...

tip #3... if the wheel is warped more than about an inch out of true, you will usually not get it straight with just spoke-tightening/loosening.

biggest mistake i see is folks wanting to just tighten the holy crap out of one spoke and never even try to loosen one opposite or use adjacent spokes.... followed by rounded off nipples, snapped spokes, and the occasional hack job by twisting sharp angles into spokes to "tighten it up!"...

now.. i recommend Learning on a Cheapo wheel that looks like garbage first... You DO have a truing stand and/or CENTERING GAUGE, correct? And raunchy Wheel Bearings make the task just that much tougher....... they need your love too, ya know!

KerryIrons

Yes, spokes will always show tension differences as you go around the wheel whether front or rear wheel. But simply saying "feel looser with a lower pitch" tells us virtually nothing. You have asked a quantitative question (how much spoke tension) and given qualitative descriptions of your concerns. Very hard to discern what to suggest.

mrrabbit 

If it's the 2016 model with basic 32 hole wheels and rim brakes...

90-95 KGF for front wheel would be a good ballpark.
100-110 KGF rear drive side would be a good ballpark.

Close relative tension spoke to spoke on each side of a wheel is the most important.

Once you start getting quite a few spokes hitting the 95 and 110 target, time to finish off the wheel.

If it stays put true, tension and dish-wise after a stress relief cycle, you're good to go.

=8-|

dsbrantjr

Never Fix A Running Piece!

zandoval 

When I first got my spoke tension meter I thought I was going to get my wheels straight, true, and within accurate specs. Ha... Maybe on a brand new wheel tolerances can be of smaller increments, but on my old beat up wheel sets there is just no way. My best use for my spoke tension meter is just getting into the ball park and that's good enough for me. Once I am in the ball park its a matter of a half turn here, or there, on this side or that. And then, like some kind of magic trick I find a true wheel. Then it's Happy Happy, Joy Joy...

As to the OP: Most likely the only way to get your true reading is to take "your meter" over to a brand new bike of the same manufacture with its same exact wheel set then take measurements. That is the front wheel and then the rear noting drive and non drive side measurements. Also be aware that these measurements are with your meter and may not match others exactly.

Lombard

When you say some feel tighter and some feel looser, do you mean spokes on the same side of a wheel? I gather you know that drive side spokes on an 11-speed freehub will have about twice as much tension as non-drive side spokes, correct?

Koyote

I highlighted the key part of your post.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Iride01 

I use to adjust spokes myself. I could always get a wheel back into true by tightening and loosening various spokes. However I eventually realized that I could have some spokes excessively tight and others loose and wobbly. And the wheel being perfectly true.

So not wanting to learn all the in's and out's of wheel building I just started taking my wheels to the bike shop whenever I had a concern.

And you know what? They don't charge very much to true and adjust them. In fact if they don't need anything I've had them give them back to me for no charge at all. Despite me watching them spend at least fifteen minutes of their time with them.

carlom0

The spokes on both of our bicycles had uneven tension from the time I bought them new from a dealer several years ago. maybe I'm making an issue over nothing, that's why I asked just in case there was a problem. Thanks for your input.

FBinNY 

Bicycle or wheel quality has to be considered in the context of planned use.

There's no denying that they could be better, and maybe last longer, which might matter if you were planning an extended loaded tour. But otherwise, odds are these will be more than adequate for your CNN purposes.

Lombard

The question is how uneven are they? Is their tension more than 20% off from each other?

LeeG

It’s easy to discern differences in tension between spokes without it indicating that rhe wheel is incorrectly built.

pdlamb

I'd want to know the magnitude of the differences before I'd say there's no indication that the wheel is incorrectly built. If the spoke tension variation is more than 5-10% on a front wheel or drive-side rear wheel, there's a problem. NDS rear spoke tension may vary more, but if there's a 30-50% (or more) variation, especially on a new wheel, that should have been addressed and corrected during the build.

Lombard

30% is a football field! I would argue it is actually more important for NDS spoke tensions to be even, otherwise you have spokes possibly going slack while riding.

Yan 

120 kgf.