That time a shop veteran told me to stop chasing spoke tension with a gauge

Old timer named Gary at the co-op I used to volunteer at said I was overthinking wheel builds. He told me to just get the spokes tight by feel and listen for a consistent ping when you tap them. I thought he was full of it since I had just dropped $60 on a Park Tool tension meter. After a month of fighting with loose spokes and wobbly wheels, I finally tried his method on a customer's old hybrid. First wheel I built by ear came out perfectly true and I haven't touched the gauge since. Has anyone else found that the old school methods actually beat the expensive tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninah104d ago

Ha, Gary knew what he was talking about! Your ears pick up way more than a gauge ever will. Old school wins again.

the_lucas3d ago

Yeah @ninah10, but heres the thing that gets me, how do you know when the ping is actually right and not just tight enough to not wobble? Like I tried Garys trick on a rim that was already bent and the pings sounded fine but the wheel was still garbage. Is there some trick to pick out the high and low spots with your ears, or do you gotta feel for the dish too? Cause tapping spokes only tells you so much, the brake rub is what really decides if youre done.