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Had a customer yesterday that made me rethink my go-to spoke tension
Guy came in with a 20 year old tandem he built himself, and he told me he sets his rear wheel spokes at 110 kgf and they never break. I've been doing 120-130 on everything for years. Might try his way on the next heavy touring bike that comes through.
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casey6821mo ago
Yeah I feel you on this one. It's tough when you've been doing something one way for years and then someone comes along with proof that different works. I've had a few old timers show me their methods and it always makes me stop and think. There's something to be said about real world experience over just going by the book. Might be worth trying a test build at 110 and seeing how it holds up.
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taylor.sean1mo ago
Whoa, I actually read a study once that said wheels built with lower tension on the drive side actually last longer because it reduces stress on the rim bed. The idea was that 110 is near the sweet spot for aluminum rims, especially on something like a tandem where you've got way more load. It makes me wonder if I've been over-tensioning my own builds for no good reason.
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