Tried a torque wrench on spokes, ended up using a feeler gauge instead

Last week I was rebuilding a wheel for a customer and decided to actually torque the spokes to spec with my Park Tool TW-2. Figured it'd be more precise than my usual feel method. Halfway through, the nipples started binding and the readings felt all over the place, so I scrapped it and went back to the old twist-and-pluck trick. Turns out spoke torque is super sensitive to lube and rim flex, and the gauge just added confusion. Anyone else find that calibrated tools make things worse on wheels, or am I just missing a better technique?

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violagonzalez1mo ago

Torque wrenches are for bolts, not spokes. Feeler gauge all day.

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