Finally figured out spoke tension by feel after 8 years of guessing

Ngl, for the longest time I was just tightening spokes until they 'felt tight' and hoping for the best. Switched over to using a Park Tool TM-1 gauge about 6 months ago after a customer in Denver brought in a wheel I built that was a total potato. Now I actually check every spoke and my wheels come out straight on the first try. Anyone else have a tool they put off buying for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

jackson.matthew4d ago

Did you have any trouble getting used to the gauge at first? I remember when I finally bought a tensiometer for my guitar builds, I felt like I was overthinking it for a whole week before it just clicked.

oscar7433d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, yeah I totally get that. Honestly I grabbed one of those cheap digital tension gauges and spent like three days second-guessing every reading. The trick for me was just to stop trying to be perfect and instead trust the numbers after a few consistent pulls. Once I accepted that +/- 2 pounds is fine for most builds, it stopped feeling like brain surgery. Just stick with it for a few more string sets and it'll click for you too.