Spoke tension for old Weinmann alloy rims?

robbarker
robbarker Posts: 1,367
edited May 2008 in Workshop
I'm renovating an old Carlton tourer for a friend and am now working on the wheels. The rims and hubs are in good nick but the spoke threads had corroded into the nipples, so I'm going to rebuild them with new stainless spokes.

What tension will an old alloy Weinmann rim take? The rider is a light gurly and it's won't be laden too heavily, so I'm inclined to play safe and go for 900N. Does that sound about right?

Comments

  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Being strictly an amateur wheelbuilder, I purchased a Park Tool spoke tension guage.
    It came with a spoke diameter gauge and a chart showing the various spoke diameters,
    spoke material types, and the range of tensions that each type and diameter should have. I have been pretty good at the few wheels I have built so far using this chart and
    tension guage. They are still rolling down the road with minimum truing required. If you
    tell me the spoke diameter I'll tell you what the chart says. Other than that I can't say.

    Dennis Noward
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    Also "Being strictly an amateur wheelbuilder", only more amateur than Dennis, I've also just respoked a pair of Weinmann 27s.... no idea what the tension is! They feel OK so I expect they are!
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    meagain wrote:
    Also "Being strictly an amateur wheelbuilder", only more amateur than Dennis, I've also just respoked a pair of Weinmann 27s.... no idea what the tension is! They feel OK so I expect they are!

    Trust me, it doesn't get more amateur than myself.

    Dennis Noward
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Spoke tensions are supposed to be equal (or close) on both sides of the front wheel.
    However, on the rear, the tension is greater on the drive side than on the non drive
    side.

    Dennis Noward
  • robbarker
    robbarker Posts: 1,367
    Yup - I have a Park tensiometer - great bit of kit for the money and great for skinflints like me who dn't want to shell out for a DT jobbie. I just fear that the max tension given will be fine for the spokes, but not for these old rims. I suppose that going for somewhere near the minimum tension on the Park chart would be the best idea.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    robbarker wrote:
    Yup - I have a Park tensiometer - great bit of kit for the money and great for skinflints like me who dn't want to shell out for a DT jobbie. I just fear that the max tension given will be fine for the spokes, but not for these old rims. I suppose that going for somewhere near the minimum tension on the Park chart would be the best idea.

    I guess with the wheels that I built I tried to reach a happy medium between the
    minimum and the max. tension. Seems to have worked(so far). Although as far as tension
    goes I know more than a few people who have built wheels and just gone by the feel
    of the spokes by squeezing them together. I still use the tension guage. Gives me a
    more secure feeling about the wheel.

    Dennis Noward
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    " I suppose that going for somewhere near the minimum tension on the Park chart would be the best idea."

    I suspect that the old Weinmanns are sturdier than one might think - as long as not thinned on braking surface (and even well used ones don't seem to wear like today's lightweights do). IF I had a tension-thingy I'd go for mid point on the scale!
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    dennisn wrote:
    meagain wrote:
    Also "Being strictly an amateur wheelbuilder", only more amateur than Dennis, I've also just respoked a pair of Weinmann 27s.... no idea what the tension is! They feel OK so I expect they are!

    Trust me, it doesn't get more amateur than myself.

    Dennis Noward

    I dunno, Dennis, I bet I'm much more amateur than you because I just guess spoke tension :) My job used to be designing various measurement systems so I am (almost) obsessed with measurement so I don't know how I've resisted buying a spoke tension meter.

    I've built a few wheels with Weinmann rims and just tightened 'em up. Mind you, that was in the days before there were tension meters. I did once over-tighten a spoke and broke it under tension - it shot out the rim like an arrow from a crossbow. It could have been very nasty indeed if I'd been in the way. The rim, however, was unaffected. I think they're pretty strong though not as stiff as modern ones like the Mavic OpenPro.

    Geoff
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Geoff_SS wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    meagain wrote:
    Also "Being strictly an amateur wheelbuilder", only more amateur than Dennis, I've also just respoked a pair of Weinmann 27s.... no idea what the tension is! They feel OK so I expect they are!

    Trust me, it doesn't get more amateur than myself.

    Dennis Noward

    I dunno, Dennis, I bet I'm much more amateur than you because I just guess spoke tension :) My job used to be designing various measurement systems so I am (almost) obsessed with measurement so I don't know how I've resisted buying a spoke tension meter.

    I've built a few wheels with Weinmann rims and just tightened 'em up. Mind you, that was in the days before there were tension meters. I did once over-tighten a spoke and broke it under tension - it shot out the rim like an arrow from a crossbow. It could have been very nasty indeed if I'd been in the way. The rim, however, was unaffected. I think they're pretty strong though not as stiff as modern ones like the Mavic OpenPro.

    Geoff

    I bought the tension meter when I first decided I would try wheel building. I felt I needed
    all the help I could get. And I did.

    Dennis noward

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