Hi Relja. Got here from Googling “bicycle wheel doesn't spin freely” videos and as a wheel-trueing novice, enjoyed your
wheel trueing vid. I have some questions - apologies if they've already been answered before here - I’ll dive into the forum more extensively when I get more time.
Hi Larry and welcome to the forum.
You've posted some pretty good questions and I'll do my best to answer each.
1) Ideally, shouldn’t all the spoke tensions left and right side be close to the same? Or is it more important that tensions are all close to the same “each” side?
Some wheels have what's called a "disk." That is: one side of the hub has spokes attached closer to its centre (in terms of left-right axis) compared to the opposite side.
A picture explains it clearly than words:
To accomodate for the cassette, the right hand side (drive side) flange is closer to the hub's/frame's centre line. In order to keep the rim in the centre line, the right hand side spokes must be tighter (higher tension), otherwise, the rim would be off to the left a bit.
The picture shows a rear wheel (hub), but the principle is the same for the front wheels with disc brakes, only with switched sides. The disc mounting section makes the flange on that side (in this case it's the left, non-drive side) be closer to the hub's/frame's centre line.
So, nowadays, even on many front wheels we have higher tension on one side compared to the other side. With rim brake single speed bicycles, both wheels have the same tension for all the spokes - because hub flange distance is the same for the left and the right hand side (no need to accomodate for a wide cassette or for a braking disc/"rotor").
2) If I understood correctly, spoke tightening = counterclockwise, and loosening = clockwise. Is this the same on both sides of the rim?
Another great question because that is a part that's quite confusing. Here's how to visualize it:
- Look at the rim from the outside - so that you are looking through the spoke hole, towards the rim's centre (don't do this with spokes under tension without eye protection).
- Imagine the spoke being a normal bolt.
- And imagine the nipple being a normal nut
(which they effectively are).
From the outside, you would turn the nipple clockwise to tighten, right? Now, when using a spoke wrench, the only difference is that you are gripping the nipple from the opposite side.
When in doubt, I always visualize it like that: how would I turn it normally, from the outside of the rim (the part where the rim tape and the tyre goes)?
So, even though it looks illogical (counter) when you are working from the inside, with a spoke key, the thread direction and tightening principle is always the same.
This "mental gymnastics" helps me not make mistakes when I am tired and when I either swap between using an external nipple driver and a spoke key alternatively, or when I'm working with nipples that require an external driver even for the final tightening (deep aero rims for example).
3) In your
video at 28:06 you say if you don’t have a tension meter you can use a
guitar pluck? Didn’t catch that…
The tighter a spoke, the higher tone it makes when plucked. Just like a guitar string. This can help with comparing relative spoke tensions.
4) I don’t expect to true rims very often. (All these years riding - never have). When I search bicycle wheel spoke tension meter, the prices are all over the place. I don’t have us$285 for the
Wheel Fanatyk meter, not even $105 for
ParkTools one. Is a cheapo us$25 on Amazon worth anything, or do I need to save up and get an expensive one?
I have built good wheels without a tension meter. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. One of the first things I did when I got my first tension meter was to check and measure the wheels I had built (the ones I could get my hands on) - and they were OK.
For me (other people may differ), tension meter helps me work faster (especially since my hearing for tones is pretty bad, sigh), but I can make a good wheel without a tension meter.
The caveat is that without a tension meter, one needs to use some similar wheels (similar in terms of rim diameter, depth/strength, spoke count, and thickness - lacing pattern is less critical), and use hands and a guitar pluck to get a feel for how tight those spokes are. Also note that dirt, as well as mounted tyre can affect both the tension (when using a tension meter) and the sound (when using a guitar pluck) - more dirt and higher pressure make a greater difference and vice-versa.
Hope this helps more than it confuses. Let me know if you have any other questions.
For anyone coming across this, I would recommend these resources as awesome and a lot better than what I can provide:
- Wheelbuilding Book by Roger Musson
The fastest, simplest, easiest way to learn how to build good wheels - this works, this is how I do it, it has been tried and tested countless times, and it beats any other tutorial, book, or video (I am in no way affiliated with the author nor make any money from the book's sales). It costs just over $10 - for lifetime updates of newer editions.
Very well written and explained.
- spokelength-project.com/calculator/
My favourite spoke length calculator (and probably objectively the best spoke length calculator in the world) - limited to buyers of the above-recommended book.
- The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt (Amazon affiliate link)
The best explanation of why bicycle wheels are built the way they are. Sure, hubs today are stiffer so that one part is no longer correct (see this video for details), but the basic principles and calculations are spot on (an it too is very well written and explained).
- BikeGremlin wheel building resources (free, but not as good as the above-listed resources) - my wheelbuilding videos and wheelbuilding articles lists.
Relja
