Vent: Tried to true a wheel without a spoke tension meter and made it way worse

I was at a group ride last Saturday and my rear wheel started wobbling bad. Pulled over to fix it on the spot with just a spoke wrench. Thought I could eyeball the tension like some old timer showed me once. After 20 minutes of turning spokes, the wheel looked straight but the rim had a flat spot I didn't see. Rode another 3 miles and the tire blew off the rim. Walked home pushing the bike. Next day I borrowed a friend's Park Tool tension meter and realized I had the spokes all over the place. Has anyone else had a field repair go this wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin69217h ago

Fixing a wheel on a ride is hard, and blowing a tire after all that work really stinks.

milessmith19h ago

Tension meters are cheap enough that trying to feel it out is just asking for trouble lol.