Stop using Park Tool cone wrenches for spoke tensioning, get a real tension meter

I wasted 3 hours last weekend trying to true a wheel by feel on a guy's touring bike. Used my Park Tool cone wrench to pluck spokes and guess tension like I always did. Got it 'close' but the wheel kept going out of round after 20 miles. Finally broke down and bought a DT Swiss tension meter for $65. First wheel I did with it came out perfect. The difference was night and day. Why do so many of us still rely on the 'pluck and hope' method when a basic tension meter is cheaper than replacing a rim? Has anyone else had a wheel fail because they were just guessing?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantthomas1d ago

...and that's exactly what I told my buddy who still uses a butter knife to adjust his derailleur. Look, I get it, the cone wrench method feels like some sort of secret handshake from the old days. I spent a whole summer doing that exact thing, thinking I had some kind of sixth sense for spoke tension. Then I built a wheel for a neighbor's kid's bike and the rim was so out of whack after a week it looked like a potato chip. That DT Swiss meter is a total game changer though, I even use it to check tension on my beater commuter now just for peace of mind.

skylerg171d ago

Man, are you really checking tension on a commuter bike with a meter? That feels like bringing a torque wrench to tighten a picture hook. I mean sure, if you're building a race wheel or something, I get it. But a beater commuter? Just ride it until the wheels wobble and then give 'em a wiggle with your fingers, it's a bike not a spaceship.