Repetitive buckles on my Mavic Open Pro's! Grrrrr

Someone built me a pair of Open Pro's around 10 weeks ago, (with Campag Record hubs) and since then I have had to true them once a week (mainly the rear one) I do about 140 miles per week. Anyone got a clue why they wont stay true!? Any help would relieve my frustration.

Darren

Sounds like a poor build to me unless your riding style points you towards potholes. Lack of tension or dry threads? I'm no expert but IME a set of decent hand built wheels have always been sturdier than factory offerings.

Think this is in the wrong forum but the problem will actually be that the spoke tension is too high. If you back all the spokes off half a turn or so and re-true it should stay true.

The trick when you're tensioning a wheel is to keep tightening all the spokes evenly and then stress relieving them by squeezing parallel pairs of spokes (you can probably find a better description or diagram if you google it) to remove the residual twist in them. If the wheel goes out of true when you do this then the tension is too high and you should back them off half a turn, true the wheel and repeat the process.

If you have access to a spoke tension meter you can accurately measure the exact force involved. I think the maximum recommended tension for an Open Pro is around 100kgf.

Think this is in the wrong forum but

Regal, which is the right forum?

Can you take them back to the builder? They should be the first port of call. The over-tensioning advice is right, but it may be uneven tensions, possibly made worse by the subsequent truing. Any wheelbuilder worth their salt will want to put right any problems.

I'm not Jobst Brandt, but if you're local I'd be happy to have a look/re-tension.

Regal, which is the right forum?

The thread has been started in the Forum Help & Testing Area section. The OP would probably get more assistance in the Mechanics and Fixing section.

As to the question, I'd take them back to the builder. A properly built pair of wheels shouldn't be going out of true like that.

As vioced by others. Take them back to the builder.

Sounds like a tension problem though. The tension in the rear especially can get very high very quickly if youre not careful.

It could just be that the wheels were'nt quite destressed enough after building, and instead destressed themselves during use. It is pretty common for wheels to require a little retruing after they have 'bedded-in'. But if they need a lot of retruing you my have ramped up the tension yourself. Its not nessersarily a poor reflection on the builder. So dont be embarassed to take them back for a tune-up.

Bad build. If the builder has any pride in his work he'll want to sort this for you. If you no longer trust the builder, take a hit and get them retensioned by somebody with a rep.

i've ridden open pros for 10 years on all my bikes never had an issue
is it potholed where you live are you big boned ?

Bigbonesist^

just eliminating all the improbables
sherlock holmes would be proud of me

No pot holes in my area and I've just moved back to Melbourne for 6 months, so can't really take them back to the builder. I am around 93 kgs but still.....

36x18- that was a very kind offer but I'm living in Oz for six months. Think I'll find a reputable wheel builder here to have a look at them.

Mick @ Croydon Cycle Works.

He'll probably give them to his latest apprentice though. If you tell him I sent you there, he'll build them himself but they will explosively self-destruct after a week, taking the frame down too ;)

Nah, he's a legend, really.

how comfortable do you feel playing around with the spokes yourself
you could loosen all the spokes and re tighten them yourself
would avoid the need to re build and the complexity therein

just keep each movement constant and you should be good to go
check out a wheelbuilding tutorial on t'internet and have a go your self
i taught myself by dismantling and old crappy wheel worked out how it all went together and how it is done
have build up numerous wheels recently all to a satisfactory standard
never buckled a wheel i built myself

"i've ridden open pros for 10 years on all my bikes never had an issue
is it potholed where you live are you big boned ?"

no rims or hubs should really affect this issue- weak rims will buckle more easily but what this sounds like is that they are going out of true - which isn't one off impact bending rim (buckle) but the wheel loosing it's tension balance. we've heard the spokes may be too tight - but they may also be too loose - and also if too much oil has been used on the threads of spokes then they'll unwind easier - hence requiring more tension to keep it all from coming apart.

darren oz > are you finding the wheels are noticeably loosing any tension?

re ^ the dry thread comment......i'd have thought dry threads are not ideal for building and truing but once built would lend a certain robustness against loss of tension , so it's not a good idea but i can't how it would be the problem - unless i've overlooked anything?

if you're truing the wheels presumably you know what you are doing and you can sort this by adding more tension once it's true?

depends on how the wheels were built and how the spokes were crossed, I always build wheels with the main pulling spokes on the outside of the hubs front and rear, then tension is a case of experience and feel, some people use locktite or similar to stop the nipples moving, I always use oil on the threads of the spokes before putting on the nipple. modern wheels with radial spokes are not as comfortable as wheels built with the spokes crossed 3 times. like they say its a 'black art'