Is a Park TM1 tension meter required to lace a new wheel

[super slim]

Is a Park TM1 tension meter required to lace a new wheel, or are fingers easier?

I have relaced two 26" and one 20" wheels using www.Troubleshooters.com/bicycles/wheelbuilding/ as my guide, and taken a very long time to true the rims radially and sideways to within 0.75 mm (30 thou"), as after seeing a mechanic fix a plane shipped bike and buckled 700 c wheel, my adjustments were too great by a factor of 3 or 4!!!

Am I better off getting the three wheels (two 700c rims + Hope Pro EVO 2 disk hubs and 700C or 26" rim and a Shutter PD8 Dynamo disk hub, using Sapim CX Ray Bladed spokes ) assembled and trued as best as I can, with an even tight spoke tension(drive side twice other side) (by fingers) and spend the $?? on getting a LBS to true the three wheels instead of spending $70 on a park TM-1 spoke tension meter?

How important is the spoke tension if tight?

 

[MrSteve]

It's Pretty Important

I've been truing spoked wheels by both sound and feel since the late 70's.

Mopeds used to come factory fresh with wildly out of true wheels,
So I have a tremendous amount of practice under my belt.

My Sofrider needed wheel spoke tensioning and truing, fresh from the factory!

Aluminum rimmed spoked wheels that do not have steel eyelets for the spokes
will wear and need retensioning/truing more often than other, more robust wheels.
Wheels with a low spoke count need more attention than do more robust designs.

To answer your questions,
yes, spoke tension is important.
Yes, the correct tension is important.
Yes, if you can't get it right by sound and feel then you must either
have your wheels trued and tuned by a professional or spend the money
for that Park tool and learn to use it properly.

-Steve

 

[hamishbarker]

It's not mandatory, but I've

It's not mandatory, but I've found it makes for a very reliable build. Wheelbuilding is not cost effective for me (I'm too slow, better for me to do something else more productive), but I do it anyway because (A) local shop prices for spokes and rims are very high, so Ibuy online and build at home, and (B) with the tension meter I set the tension to a mid-high setting and the wheels I have built have stayed true for thousands of km of commuting, so they do seem to be well built.

The only thing I wish I had bought was a dish stick to ensure that my rear wheel builds are symmetric. One I built is a few mm off centre (runs true but is 3mm closer to the left chainstay) because I didn't have a dish stick and just built to a defined ratio of left to right spoke tensions. (drive side spokes have around 50-100% higher tension depending on the hub flange offsets from centre.).

So if your hourly rate that you can ear money at is good, and you have a competent LBS with reasonable spoke and rim prices, let them build and true your wheels. Otherwise buy the tool and learn a new skill.

 

[super slim]

Steve and Hamish,
      

Steve and Hamish,
Thanks for the replies, and I will be adding a new skill!

I have reversed the wheel (with no tyre on it) on the wheel truing stand and swung the frame with the two aligning screws back into position to check if the rim is centered, which it has not always been!! So re-tension all spokes on one side and try again! This is where I have over adjusted, so many iterations!!!

My local LBS who used to be good, but changed hands 6 months ago, charges for the spokes 8 times the price from on line, but only 4X for brass nipples!

 

[hamishbarker]

are you sure that the

are you sure that the aligning screws are equal distances from the dropouts on both sides? it could be either your wheel OR the aligning screws might be off centre.

 

[Eric Winn]

There is an app for that

There is an app for that!

Sorry - couldn't resist.

See:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spoke-tension-gauge/id518870820?mt=8

and a video by Keith Wakeham who I believe is part of the 4iiii power meter team, see:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/09/4iiiis-introduces-precision.html?

-Eric

 

[Lief]

wicked!

Eric,
Love the sound app for testing tensions!

 

[super slim]

Hamish if the  rim is

Hamish if the rim is centred, then when turning it around, then distance to one of the stops will be the same.

The I Phone app looks good, pitting I only have an Android as I am Apple free!

The only Andoid app I can find does not work with bladed spokes, so I will have to borrow my son's old screen damaged IPhone.

I will try it out on my hand built Silvio V1.0 TWE wheels with 28 and 24 off 3.4*1.1 bladed spokes, and 30*19 AL rims, which are 6 years old and as straight as a die, with only a slight buckle after Air Canada (NOT Qantas or Virgin!) baggage handlers were having FUN with my Qantas cardboard bike box!

 

[super slim]

I tried the apple app, but I

I tried the apple app, but I could not get consistent tension readings on the same spoke with twanging, plucking, and hitting it with a wooden chop stick, so I think I will go with the TM-1

 

[Ian Smith]

Bike shop

Slim,

Have you tried BMCR or Mike Turtur Cycles? They've both had good reviews on Adelaide Cyclists. BMCR will give a discount for BISA members (free membership). I know engineers like to play, but sometimes it's easier and quicker just to hand over the cash and parts and get it done - no fuss. The other option is Gary Mills from Star Cycles on The Parade, Norwood.

BTW, keep an eye out for a fresh conversion being built at a house near Goodwood Oval (John Kent is the builder)

PPS, Wolffie admitted to me yesterday that your trike is a riot with the motor.

Ian

 

[super slim]

Ian,  
     Thanks for those

Ian,
Thanks for those good wheel builders in Adelaide!!!

I am a stubborn oldish bastard, so I will try to build these wheels with a TM-1 tension meter, and if I can not get them as straight and round as my TWE wheels, I will then take them to a professional wheel builder.

Its good to see more Cruzbike riders in Adelaide!!!

Super Slim