Re-spoking wheels

PudseyPaul

Hi all
I am restoring an old bob Jackson bike and have begun replacing the spokes of the wheels as they were shot. Having never done this before I used a method of replacing one spoke a time but not fixing it too tight. However disaster has struck as the rim has warped big time. I assume this is down to tension.
Any tips on how to rectify this? It's the rear wheel.

desweller

If I were you, I'd probably slacken the whole wheel off, dob a bit of oil on each spoke nipple, and retension the whole thing from scratch. That way I'd know it was right.

I've only built a few wheels though so someone else probably has better advice...

k-dog

That makes sense - you're putting the new spokes on with low tension so the older ones which are probably a lot tighter will pull the wheel into a funny shape.

You'd be better taking the whole thing apart and starting again - make a good diagram of the current pattern or you can find plenty of guides online.

Bit of a black art though so it might not turn out great - and to do it right you'll need a truing stand.

geoff_ss

I wonder if it's worth respoking without also changing the rim? If the original spokes are so-called rustless (which they aren't really) then it's possible the wheel wasn't of the highest quality in the first place. I hope you're using good quality stainless (DT, preferably) for the repair. It's simply not worth spending the time using inferior components.

As k-dog says, if you're putting in loose spokes when the old ones are still tight then the wheel is bound to go out of both round and true. Slacken all the spokes off before you replace any then re-true it. You don't need a wheel stand. I've built lots of wheels just using the bike's frame. Although a wheel stand is better, it's not essential.

PudseyPaul

Thanks for the advice. I started to slacken the spokes and it has come back in line. The spokrs are high quality stainless and the wheel is made by weinmenn.