Rear Wheel. Spokes Detensioning. Creaking noise under braking or climbing.

Damaz

Squid
Hi All, have this ongoing problem with my rear wheel. It's fine for the first two rides after being trued. It then starts to creak under breaking or climbing. The wheel is a 2019 Mavic Crossmax Elite 29er. I replaced the spokes and nipples with Sapim xray and brass nipples. No joy! According to the Mavic tech doc. The drive side should be 120kgf and the non drive side 100kgf. Should the wheel have more tension than what's recommended?

Cheers!
 

Damaz

Squid
Are you a wide boy? ( No offence intended)
They appear to be a 24 spoke wheel which is light on for larger blokes....
lol! Body plus gear is about 100kg. They're 24 spoke wheels. I bought these wheels because the rider weight limit was 120kg. Thoughts?
 

teK--

Eats Squid
What's more important is the spokes on each side are as close in tension as possible to other spokes on the same side.

Big differences will cause some to unwind. That's why I usually prioritise even tension over a wheel that is perfectly true.

I run max tension on the drive side (rear) or the disc side (front) measured with the tyre off. The tension on the other side just ends up at whatever is needed to achieve correct dish.
 

Damaz

Squid
What's more important is the spokes on each side are as close in tension as possible to other spokes on the same side.

Big differences will cause some to unwind. That's why I usually prioritise even tension over a wheel that is perfectly true.

I run max tension on the drive side (rear) or the disc side (front) measured with the tyre off. The tension on the other side just ends up at whatever is needed to achieve correct dish.
I bought a Park Tool tension meter. I was able to get the tension very even on both sides, didn't make much difference and after the second ride the wheel started to creak under braking and riding uphill again. I never had a problem with 26inch wheels and I was heavier!
 

Nambra

Definitely should have gone to specsavers
What sort of riding do you do @Damaz? Those wheels appear to be rated for XC duty only and might struggle if ridden more aggressively.

Also, did you:
  • Use any thread lock on your nipples to stop them loosening
  • Lubricate the nipple / rim spoke hole interface when rebuilding the wheel
  • Destress the wheel
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
It's time for a new rear wheel. The wheels simply aren't coping with your weight with only 24 spokes.



Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 

SummitFever

Eats Squid
As you've found, 29" wheels are much more susceptible to this. Try checking the spoke tension with the tyre mounted. When tyres have a tight fit on the bead your actual spoke tension can drop significantly. 24 spokes is also a problem.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've run Mavic SLR wheels on a race hardtail and at 95kgs I put them behind their pay grade often, but only on mellow trails (Lysterfield). They held up without drama though, no buckling or tension issues.

I think at 100kgs it's too much to ask of them.
28 spoke minimum and then preferably 32 with a robust build. If there's one thing I hate doing is faffing with wheels or having a ride ruined by problem wheels.
 

Flow-Rider

Burner
When spokes unwind after being retensioned they tend to make a Xylophone like ping noise, you usually only hear it on the first couple of rides. Unless your spokes are very loose I would suggest looking at the hub or the seam of the rim.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
lol! Body plus gear is about 100kg. They're 24 spoke wheels. I bought these wheels because the rider weight limit was 120kg. Thoughts?
I heard that can actually be system weight. Rider + bike. So that leaves a more slender margin to play with.
 

Damaz

Squid
What sort of riding do you do @Damaz? Those wheels appear to be rated for XC duty only and might struggle if ridden more aggressively.

Also, did you:
  • Use any thread lock on your nipples to stop them loosening
  • Lubricate the nipple / rim spoke hole interface when rebuilding the wheel
  • Destress the wheel
XC no jumps or aggressive riding. I didn't build the wheel. When I retensioned the wheel I did destress it twice. Could the problem be not enough tension? If I add more tension what's the worst that could happen? A broken spoke?
 

Damaz

Squid
As you've found, 29" wheels are much more susceptible to this. Try checking the spoke tension with the tyre mounted. When tyres have a tight fit on the bead your actual spoke tension can drop significantly. 24 spokes is also a problem.
Thanks I'll try this.
 

Damaz

Squid
Is the wheel build properly tensioned and de-stressed?
I wasn't there during the rebuild so I can only assume so. When I retensioned the wheel using a TM-1 I did destress the wheels twice, there was no pinging sound during this process.
 

Damaz

Squid
When spokes unwind after being retensioned they tend to make a Xylophone like ping noise, you usually only hear it on the first couple of rides. Unless your spokes are very loose I would suggest looking at the hub or the seam of the rim.
What should I be looking for when inspecting the hub? There are no cracks in the rim.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
That would be around 110kg then. Still within 120kg maximum rider weight which is listed in the Mavic spec sheet.
Possibly a suspect build then. Like I say I had the SLR wheels (two sets actually) and both were fine for wheel strength.

Any chance you can get them checked over by a friendly LBS?
 

Landon

Likes Dirt
As mentioned, definitely re-check spoke tension once the tyre is mounted and inflated. Can you test ride the wheel in another bike?
 

Nambra

Definitely should have gone to specsavers
XC no jumps or aggressive riding. I didn't build the wheel. When I retensioned the wheel I did destress it twice. Could the problem be not enough tension? If I add more tension what's the worst that could happen? A broken spoke?
I'm a bit confused - you said you replaced the spokes and nipples in your original post - or did someone do that for you?

Increasing tension beyond the maximum recommended limit would be ill advised. It could result in damage to the rim - cracking or deformation around the spoke holes. Unfortunately @Oddjob is probably right - a narrow rim with a low spoke count is going to struggle with a heavier rider.
 
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