Buchanan?s can recondition wire spoke wheels with new spokes, and can even lace up new rims to go with your existing hubs.
Before cast spoke wheels for motorcycles came on the scene in the 1970s, nearly all bikes rolled upon wire spoke wheels. Wire wheels are relatively light, strong and have some ?give? to them so that if you hit a pothole, they can flex slightly rather than break. This is why, to this day, off-road bikes tend to roll on wire spokes. And of course, wire spokes look really classic and cool. The disadvantage is that wire spokes can loosen over time, causing the wheel to go out of true and wobble. Adjusting or lacing a wheel takes some time and skill. While cast and other types of solid spoke wheels have come to dominate the street market, many cruiser and classic-style bikes still roll on wire spoke wheels, as do most bikes built 40 or more years ago. To check the tightness of your bike?s wire spokes, strike each one lightly with a wrench and listen for the resultant tone. Properly adjusted spokes of the same length should produce a similar tone. Should you hear a dull sound, however, that spoke is loose and needs to be adjusted. Spokes of different lengths, like inner and outer spokes or those on a conical hub, will produce a different tone from those of other lengths.
A truing stand makes proper spoke adjustment easy.
To learn the particulars of adjustment I met with Kennie Buchanan, Vice President of Buchanan?s Spoke and Rim, Inc., in Azusa, California. T...