Front spokes very loose - what to do?

[Eric7]

The front spokes on my Rad Mini ST2 are very loose.  I can pinch the spokes with just my thumb and index fingers and I can move where the spokes cross by 2 mm. I don't own a truing stand.  <added.  I checked a few, and all the ones I checked were loose> The front wheel does not make any sound.  It seems fine.  Maybe the steering is not as precise - but I am not sure.

So my question is?  What should I do?

I am thinking I would just go around the wheel and tighten each spoke half a turn. 

Any advice?

[handlebar]

The front spokes on my Rad Mini ST2 are very loose.  I can pinch the spokes with just my thumb and index fingers and I can move where the spokes cross by 2 mm. I don't own a truing stand.  The front wheel does not make any sound.  It seems fine.  Maybe the steering is not as precise - but I am not sure.

So my question is?  What should I do?

I am thinking I would just go around the wheel and tighten each spoke half a turn. 

Any advice?

I bought a spoke wrench to turn the nipples without rounding the corners. It has slots of several sizes. To make it easier to find the right slot, I filled the others with rubbery RTV.

Spokes probably aren't equally loose. Tightening them all could overtighten some. I tap them with a screwdriver and tighten the ones that sound dullest. If one won't turn, I apply penetrating oil with a cotton swab. I'll get the loosest on my first revolution, then get the pitches a little closer.

I check for trueness by bracing a screwdriver against fixed part of the bike, probably the fork in front or the chainstay in back, to see if there's much runout as the wheel turns.

[Eric7]

I bought a spoke wrench to turn the nipples without rounding the corners. It has slots of several sizes. To make it easier to find the right slot, I filled the others with rubbery RTV.

Spokes probably aren't equally loose. Tightening them all could overtighten some. I tap them with a screwdriver and tighten the ones that sound dullest. If one won't turn, I apply penetrating oil with a cotton swab. I'll get the loosest on my first revolution, then get the pitches a little closer.

I check for trueness by bracing a screwdriver against fixed part of the bike, probably the fork in front or the chainstay in back, to see if there's much runout as the wheel turns.

Thank you.  You are right, I should approach this more carefully.  I will take a magic marker and number every spoke from the tire inflation valve.  Then I'll test each one and see how many or if all are loose and start tightening the loose ones.

[Radio Runner]

Sounds about right, I would go around the wheel 1/2 turn. Those universal spoke wrenches are a jack of all trades yet master of none really. Better than nothing but instead I had a spare 14g spoke wrench and widened it with a small jewelers file till it was perfect for 12g Rad spoke nipples.

[handlebar]

Thank you.  You are right, I should approach this more carefully.  I will take a magic marker and number every spoke from the tire inflation valve.  Then I'll test each one and see how many or if all are loose and start tightening the loose ones.

Numbering them seems like too much trouble.

James Starley realized that by pulling together against both sides of the hub, wires could keep the rim centered and true while being much lighter than wooden spokes. If some are loose, increased strain will stretch or break neighbors. If spokes holding a sector of rim to the left are loose and you tighten those pulling that sector to the right, you will pull the rim out of true.

I think that happened to me only once. I don't even remember if it was a bicycle of a motorcycle. I detected the runout with a tool such as a screwdriver held against a fixed part of the machine. I figured out which group of spokes was pulling that section of rim to that side. I loosened them slightly and tightened the ones pulling the section back to the middle. When that was corrected, I went around equalizing the tension by sound.

Usually, I've avoided trouble by tightening those sounding a lot looser than neighbors on the first revolution, and getting them all to sound about equal on the second revolution.

[Eric7]

Thank you everyone.  I did two rounds of tightening.  In the end each spoke got 1 full turn of tightening.  Then I went back and tightened any loose spokes.  They feel OK now.  The front wheel was quite loose.  I am a little surprised because I mostly brake with the rear wheel and of course the motor drives with the rear wheel.

My bike has about 300 miles on it.

Thanks again.

[Radio Runner]

Its a machine built wheel after all, it may not have been brought to full tension like the other 500 wheel before it etc. You have most likly corrected the problem as long as the dishing didn't suffer. If spokes get loose again use NON permanent Loctite and they will stop from vibrating loose.

The rear wheel is a different beast all together since it will have increased dishing and a wider variation of drive and non-drive side spoke tension.