Stopped at a shop in Portland and watched a guy rebuild a wheel with a spoke tension meter

Everyone online swears by the Park Tool tension meter as the only way to true a wheel right. But this old timer in Portland just used his thumb and a pluck test, no gauge at all. He had that wheel within a millimeter in maybe 10 minutes, checking each spoke by feel and sound. Meanwhile I spent $150 on a meter and still second guess myself. Anybody else think we lean too hard on tools instead of just building up that instinct?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliawalker1mo ago

But do you think that old timer learned that feel by building tons of wheels and making mistakes, or was he just born with better instincts than the rest of us? Because I've been trying the pluck test for years and my wheels still end up with a wobble that drives me crazy. What's the secret to actually developing that touch without a pile of practice?

ivanl761mo agoMost Upvoted

Keep at it even when it feels pointless... I built probably fifty wheels before things really clicked. The wobble finally started dying down when I quit trying so hard and just let my hands figure it out. Maybe try building three wheels a week for a month, nothing else, just that one skill. Your fingers will learn what your brain keeps overthinking.