First rear wheel set up my bike came with. Spokes were loosing up constantly. It about ruined my faith in ever enjoying my machine. It was like every 300 miles.
So like I waited for three days to go by when the Local LBS had time for it. He said my spokes were to long.... That my wheel set needed about 1/4 inch shorter? or so.. OK what ever. I road that thing on those spokes and dropped what I was doing forever re-tightening them darn things. Took the fun out of things until I restored my faith and began to preload them more properly... after this the wheel began to stay tight .
Problem was those spoke being way too long robbed part of the threading from the seen that the nut resides on. In short the spoke nuts were gripping like one quarter of the available threads.. A natural and proper preload in my situation with the right length spokes left the nut gripping on threads through and through. After proper preload they never came loose again.. Think mebbe those ols spokes stretched dunno?
In the end I took my hub threw the spokes and rim to the side. Put a Large Marge rim and new spokes. The ones from Holmes Hobbies. Had a long talk with him and my said 14 gauge spokes ''he told me to use'' are hella plenty strong.. I got the stainless Sapians. Used a online spoke calculator for the proper ''correct'' spoke length.
Set down laced up my very first wheel in an hour. ''Was for the other bike'' Figured out it was just too darned easy. Road the bike to my buddies house with a L.M. rim around my neck with a new tire and spokes in a back pack. Just to show off I laced my next wheel up on his couch in front of the TV. Just under one hour. With the commitment of riding home or carrying the bike. .. No truing stand of any kind what so ever was used. Never has this wheel seen one, or any of my wheels.. Can do a little eyeballing off the frame . The back of the BoXer frame is perfectly Square no dishing is at all necessary.
I have road every day since that wheel was constructed and have absolutely never ever had to do a follow up on it of any kind.. Spokes are perfectly text book perfect tight as I type to you same as I last touched them on that day.. No I did not use lock tight on my spokes and NEVER WILL
What did I learn? Some things I feel better doing myself? Not all the time lol. Here is the secrete. Every spoke is the same length. This means methodically stepped in the spokes , tightening the spoke little by little can be easily achieved looking at the top of the spoke nuts and using a screw driver until the screw drivers slips off. Don't use a crappy screw driver ether I used a good one.
Took my time stress releaving spokes and making them relax. Took a ton of methodical patient laps around the wheel with that screw driver and releaving stress always marking my spot where I left off..
Then my last two/three rounds I use a spoke wrench. I eyeballed the rim seam where the rim is formed and joined together and made a slight correction there. Done deal.. My three wheels are as straight and true as any bicycle wheel comes..
Oh Yeah there is a friggin huge night and day difference from a generic said 14 gauge spoke on a department store bike and these said Sapians. These Sapians look the bomb to me.Yeah they are thicker too.
http://holmeshobbies.com/ They are holding up to the rigors of electric motors..
This bike flat out kicks butt for me. Nothing comes loose or ever breaks..No complaints at all. For the price I got it at... gosh in hind sight it could have come with wet noodles for spokes lol and I would have made do.
The only prob I ever had was I needed to over haul my wheel
Just trying to help shed some hope for you. Yes a rear wheel will hold up on this machine!! I weigh over 200 pounds try 260? With never ending cargo too. This machine has been abused .. Still it just will not die it keeps on going...
Sometimes I feel guilty after pricing down hill components, R&D time design, craftsmanship.etc...I really did get a
smoking deal on this bike!!