Good wheel tension by Feel
08-24-20, 10:24 AM
#51
Full Member
I'm a believer!
After discussions in this thread, I decided to throw down some cash and purchase the spoke tension meter mentioned here last week.
It arrived on Saturday and I have to say, I am quite impressed by its quality. It's well made, has good heft, and is very smooth in operation. Not bad for 30 bucks!
In quickly checking the wheel which I had only just "completed" last week, I found that though most of the spokes were within perhaps 10% of each other, some were under-tensioned and some over. It's hard to say if the tension numbers derived from the included chart are accurate, however I have very good confidence that this meter shows relative tension very accurately.
This meter is very quick to use. The relative tension of 40 spokes can be ascertained in less than 10 minutes.
So, I'm now a believer. I can recommend this tool for anyone who is going to build more than a couple of wheels. There are several meters listed on Amazon that all appear to be the same, though called different names and having different prices from $28 - $50. The one I purchased was $29.
It arrived on Saturday and I have to say, I am quite impressed by its quality. It's well made, has good heft, and is very smooth in operation. Not bad for 30 bucks!
In quickly checking the wheel which I had only just "completed" last week, I found that though most of the spokes were within perhaps 10% of each other, some were under-tensioned and some over. It's hard to say if the tension numbers derived from the included chart are accurate, however I have very good confidence that this meter shows relative tension very accurately.
This meter is very quick to use. The relative tension of 40 spokes can be ascertained in less than 10 minutes.
So, I'm now a believer. I can recommend this tool for anyone who is going to build more than a couple of wheels. There are several meters listed on Amazon that all appear to be the same, though called different names and having different prices from $28 - $50. The one I purchased was $29.
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08-24-20, 12:40 PM
#52
Senior Member
In a similar vein, when gyroscope-driven artificial horizons and turn-and-bank indicators were introduced for aircraft, seasoned pilots insisted that the instruments must be faulty because they showed the airplane turning or flying upside down every time they flew into clouds...
08-24-20, 12:41 PM
#53
Senior Member
It has been a while since I said I'd get back to y'all. Been busy.
Anyway, I've checking of and correcting my builds with the tension meter.
In some cases, I nearly got it perfect. In other cases, I was way off.
You can't use the times I was nearly perfect as an example, since the wheels were just as straight and I couldn't really tell they were evenly tensioned or not.
So this is definitely an argument for using a tension meter. It's a little tedious though.
So yeah, if I was in the middle of nowhere with few resources, I still feel like I could build a great wheel with just the frame and spoke wrench. However, I definitely feel better about my wheels after this project. I really haven't noticed any difference in ride quality.
Anyway, I've checking of and correcting my builds with the tension meter.
In some cases, I nearly got it perfect. In other cases, I was way off.
You can't use the times I was nearly perfect as an example, since the wheels were just as straight and I couldn't really tell they were evenly tensioned or not.
So this is definitely an argument for using a tension meter. It's a little tedious though.
So yeah, if I was in the middle of nowhere with few resources, I still feel like I could build a great wheel with just the frame and spoke wrench. However, I definitely feel better about my wheels after this project. I really haven't noticed any difference in ride quality.
08-24-20, 01:10 PM
#54
Senior Member
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