Had a customer call me out on my spoke tension method last Tuesday

This guy comes in with a worn out rear wheel and watches me work for a minute before saying 'you're not using a tension meter are you?' I was just going by feel like I always have, but he showed me how off I was on three spokes with his Park Tool TM-1. Anyone else switch from feel to using a meter and notice a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.charles26d ago

Yeah that's like everything else, once you see the tool you can't unsee it.

smith.blair25d ago

Hang on a sec, I think you might be giving that tool a little too much credit. Sure a tension meter is more precise than feel, but feel is still totally valid once you've built enough wheels. The TM-1 is a good tool but it's not magic, and it can actually lead you astray if you don't also check for dish and roundness with a truing stand. I've seen guys with meters crank tension way too high on one side and then wonder why the rim starts cracking. You gotta use your hands too, not just the meter.