Topic: Do you use a spoke torque wrench?

[Magpie]

The spoke torque wrenches seem crazy expensive. Can anyone recommend a less expensive one? I know you get what you pay for but..............
Thanks, Ciiff.

[bryanj]

Never used one

[Bodi]

I just tension them by sound, should all ting about the same tone.

[Alan F.]

I just tension them by sound, should all ting about the same tone.

I'm with Bodi.

I've seen mention of 3.75 - 4 ft/lbs or 45 - 48 in/lbs or  5.08 - 5.42nm

It might be interesting to check with a torque wrench and flat/straight screwdriver bit at the spoke nipple slot inside the rim next time I build a wheel, which should hopefully be soon just waiting on spokes now.

I think I bought the Harbor Freight 1/4" drive torque wrench when it was $8.99 a few years back, it goes down to 20 in/lbs.

[dave500]

like bryanj Ive never used one,they could be detrimental even?having equal tension on the spokes might run it out of true?to keep from egg shape some spokes may need more tension on them?

[Ichiban 4]

The spoke torque wrenches seem crazy expensive. Can anyone recommend a less expensive one? I know you get what you pay for but..............
Thanks, Ciiff.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just chiming-in here..Back in the 60's thru 70's..when spoke/wire wheels were dominant on bikes..we just used our experience and 'feel'
for the tightness with our hands [using a plain 'spoke wrench']..and as others here have mentioned.  After a little experience and getting a feel for how tight the spokes should be [listening to the 'tone' of spoke..when 'plunked' also serves to judge how tight they are..again as previously mentioned]..the rest becomes pretty straight forward..I suggest.

As we all probably know here..any extensive spoke tightening should be done with tube and tire removed [so as not to puncture the tube inadvertently]..and on a truing stand.

I sometimes wonder if one of reasons that wire/spoke wheels became less prevalent..was due to the extra time and skill required of technicians
to 'build and true' them (?) Personally..I actually prefer a well-built wire wheel over the alternatives nowadays..but I'm also old school' on a lot of my preferences nowadays LOL

Cheers

Ichi

[Magpie]

Thanks guys. I think I'l go with the "ting"or "ping" method.  Cliff.

[PeWe]

A clean tone on all spokes

[BenelliSEI]

Thanks guys. I think I'l go with the "ting"or "ping" method.  Cliff.

Cliff…. That works just fine. After about 100 km I usually pull every spoke another 1/4 turn to make sure. Any that feel looser get 1/2 turn.

[willbird]

The spoke torque wrenches seem crazy expensive. Can anyone recommend a less expensive one? I know you get what you pay for but..............
Thanks, Ciiff.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just chiming-in here..Back in the 60's thru 70's..when spoke/wire wheels were dominant on bikes..we just used our experience and 'feel'
for the tightness with our hands [using a plain 'spoke wrench']..and as others here have mentioned.  After a little experience and getting a feel for how tight the spokes should be [listening to the 'tone' of spoke..when 'plunked' also serves to judge how tight they are..again as previously mentioned]..the rest becomes pretty straight forward..I suggest.

As we all probably know here..any extensive spoke tightening should be done with tube and tire removed [so as not to puncture the tube inadvertently]..and on a truing stand.

I sometimes wonder if one of reasons that wire/spoke wheels became less prevalent..was due to the extra time and skill required of technicians
to 'build and true' them (?) Personally..I actually prefer a well-built wire wheel over the alternatives nowadays..but I'm also old school' on a lot of my preferences nowadays LOL

Cheers

Ichi

Even cars at one time had spoked wheels...my dad worked with a guy in the 70's who had a set on a caddy and wanted to trade them out for more modern wheels because his wife liked to hit curbs with them which required them to be re trued.

[MauiK3]

I use one. I get them to a point that is close and evenly tight. Then I make finer adjustments by hand. My goal is to know that they are all at least at the lower end of the torque value so I can adjust up through the range to true the wheel. With steel wheels this sometimes requires getting some somewhat tighter than others. Have to remember that pulling a rim sideways or vertically will tighten or loosen the opposing spoke depending on direction.

[Don R]

  This is a good discussion, I like them because we can all learn a little or at least hear that we might be on the right track. I did a wheel recently that got too tight, and I kept getting tighter trying to true it. I finally backed them all off and left it untouched for a couple days. When I went back to it later, it trued up fairly easily. 
 I've been going from feel also and have wondered how to adapt a torque wrench for checking purposes. Wouldn't a crow's foot type tool add to the length of the wrench and change the readings a little?

[Alan F.]

Don't forget 754 Frank's tip for 'setting' each spoke nipple to the rim with a brass drift before truing.

[M 750K6]

  This is a good discussion, I like them because we can all learn a little or at least hear that we might be on the right track. I did a wheel recently that got too tight, and I kept getting tighter trying to true it. I finally backed them all off and left it untouched for a couple days. When I went back to it later, it trued up fairly easily. 
 I've been going from feel also and have wondered how to adapt a torque wrench for checking purposes. Wouldn't a crow's foot type tool add to the length of the wrench and change the readings a little?

It doesn't seem right, but if the crow's foot is at 90 degrees to the plane of the torque wrench, the torque values are unchanged. This is true of any extension pieces too. Keep to 90 degrees and the torque value is unchanged.

[newday777]

Don't forget 754 Frank's tip for 'setting' each spoke nipple to the rim with a brass drift before truing.

As in hitting the nipple head with the drift to set it to fit it to the rim hole angle?

[Bodi]

Yes. To seat the spoke nut taper in the nipple. And a dab of grease or antiseize in the dimple makes truing and tensioning much easier.

[Alan F.]

I've seen mention of 3.75 - 4 ft/lbs or 45 - 48 in/lbs or  5.08 - 5.42nm

It might be interesting to check with a torque wrench and flat/straight screwdriver bit at the spoke nipple slot inside the rim next time I build a wheel, which should hopefully be soon just waiting on spokes now.

I think I bought the Harbor Freight 1/4" drive torque wrench when it was $8.99 a few years back, it goes down to 20 in/lbs.

Nope, it wasn't interesting at all but I learned that I'm probably tightening spokes to approximately 2.5 ft/lbs.

The pain in the a$$ part was removing a few spokes to file off the burrs that I raised on the brass nipples...

[Bankerdanny]

When I relaced the wheels on my 550F I just looked for a as little run out as I could manage and a consistent tone to the spoke when tapped with a screwdriver.

[M 750K6]

I don't try to get the same note from each spoke. I've found, so long as I get the wheel true, all I then do is tighten any spokes that have a dull sound, until they ring. Never takes the wheel out of true and they run fine on the road..

[MauiK3]

I'll dig mine out, the wrench has crows feet for different spokes and is set up with that in mind, it's specifically for spokes so it's calibrated accordingly.

[Alan F.]

Has anyone else ever laced a "straight pull" spoked wheel?
With no J-bend on the spokes lacing them up is a breeze because they all point in the correct direction when inserted into the hub, I was also surprised that removing any spoke was easy and nothing interfered.

[jgger]

I was checking out a BMW  adventure bike in a parking lot awhile ago, and it had 2 piece straight spokes. Instead of a nipple in the rim, it had a right/left threaded coupling in the muddle of the spoke.

[grcamna2]

The spoke torque wrenches seem crazy expensive. Can anyone recommend a less expensive one? I know you get what you pay for but..............
Thanks, Ciiff.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just chiming-in here..Back in the 60's thru 70's..when spoke/wire wheels were dominant on bikes..we just used our experience and 'feel'
for the tightness with our hands [using a plain 'spoke wrench']..and as others here have mentioned.  After a little experience and getting a feel for how tight the spokes should be [listening to the 'tone' of spoke..when 'plunked' also serves to judge how tight they are..again as previously mentioned]..the rest becomes pretty straight forward..I suggest.

As we all probably know here..any extensive spoke tightening should be done with tube and tire removed [so as not to puncture the tube inadvertently]..and on a truing stand.

I sometimes wonder if one of reasons that wire/spoke wheels became less prevalent..was due to the extra time and skill required of technicians
to 'build and true' them (?) Personally..I actually prefer a well-built wire wheel over the alternatives nowadays..but I'm also old school' on a lot of my preferences nowadays LOL

Cheers

Ichi

Truing the wheel 'round' (no up & down 'hop')and 'straight' (no side to side runout)with the spokes all evenly tensioned is most important.
When the wheel is nicely trued,all the way a 'round'  ,then it's good to go all around to each spoke while it's on the stand to give a 1/4 turn to each spoke for a full 360 revolution;this can be repeated(one revolution/360 degrees is mostly sufficient)a couple full 360 revolutions of the wheel,if needed.. and will draw All the spokes much tighter to their final torque.
I mention this as a time for final torque;you'll 'feel' each one of similar torque.
I need to mention that it helps to put a little motor(etc.)oil upon assembly of the spokes into the wheel on the inner flange of each spoke nipple where it contacts the hole in the rim(or just a spot of grease)and a bit of oil on the threads of each spoke;this will help finish torque.

Cliff,which style spoke wrench are you employing ?

[Magpie]

These 2.

This rim is so out of whack it's trying my patience.

[grcamna2]

Those two wrenches look good for the job & look long enough to apply decent torque to each spoke.
I have the same truing stand..
The rim is OEM? where did you source the rim ?
I ordered a rim for a 'good price' online and had a similar issue;the rim didn't 'true' when I applied even tension to each spoke.
 I found the new rim was somehow 'out' even when new;it could have gotten slightly bent during loading/transit from the country of origin from being in a container & the load inside the container shifted,at some point?  I don't know.
I ended up working with it until I found which spokes I could tighten that gave a good result;the majority of the spokes held that rim 'in true'..
There are a few spokes/positions on that rim which must have been the position where the rim was slightly damaged/bent 'just enough' to keep it from achieving a 100% True.
I then worked all the spokes while keeping in mind the slight 'inherent twist' to that rim and adjusted some of 'those spokes' areas on that rim with a bit less tension on one side.. and tightened the other ones around them(some tighter)to compensate for the slight rim deformity.
I first get the rim good side to side,then I work to see if it has any up and down 'hop' to it:I then go after truing it 'Round' so the rim will spin 360 degrees Round w/o any Up & Down 'hop' in it.
I know there's a better word than 'hop'.. I usually call it Up and Down 'hop',rather than 'side to side' runout. 
I would have rather just returned the defective/damaged rim and ordered better $ rims from Buchanans,etc. 

A rim like that will eat-up alot of my time and use up patience,never allowing me a 100% TRUE result,but I can work with it to get it as close as I can to tolerate it.. 
Reminds me of certain negative people that I've met in my life: Taker's    
No matter how much time I spend with them,it's a poor result later,for various reasons. 

[simon#42]

i use a spoke torque wrench and love it , yes they are quite an expensive tool but a the price of a couple of shop built wheels will cover it . i had trouble with a couple of bmw wheels that a pro had built . he tensioned the spokes by feel and it distorted the hub . now i know when i build a wheel the tension is correct . you wouldnt guess the torque of a cylinder head so why a spoke?

[Don R]

 My sandcast rolled rim had an out of round spot that was really aggravating me, before I thought it through, I got mad and whacked it with an orange plastic mallet. Then I thought OMG what have I done? Turned out I whacked it just right and no damage done.
  I wonder if a rim can be trued with every spoke the exact same torque, but maybe someone is that good. It isn't me. I did notice a loose spoke on one of my brother's wheels after they got new tires, I'll need to check them on the bike.

[grcamna2]

My sandcast rolled rim had an out of round spot that was really aggravating me, before I thought it through, I got mad and whacked it with an orange plastic mallet. Then I thought OMG what have I done? Turned out I whacked it just right and no damage done.
  I wonder if a rim can be trued with every spoke the exact same torque, but maybe someone is that good. It isn't me. I did notice a loose spoke on one of my brother's wheels after they got new tires, I'll need to check them on the bike.

Don,there are wheel building folks w/ lots of experience,all over the world who do just what you described;the individuals can even take a wheel w/ a bent rim,disassemble it and straighten the rim on certain home-made jigs,then reassemble it and whack on it a few more times.. and somehow that wheel is fully straight !  Those folks are amazing.

I have worked with many used wheels/spokes/rims and I do well when I attempt to get all of the used spokes to a similar 'feel'/torque.. not usually 100% possible.. but close.
I take each used spoke apart(when I disassemble a wheel)and lightly clean the male threads(small SS brush)on each spoke,then apply a little Never Seize on each spoke's threads,and w/ the spoke 'nipple',work each one until it threads and moves smoothly;then I reassemble the wheel.
I can get a more even 'feel'/torque between them all when I do this process.

I like using all new $ OEM spokes 
I set of new OEM or better spokes with a new,good quality rim? no problem. 

[andy750]

All this talk of checking spokes reminded me of the ill-fated CB750K5 I bought in 1992 in Monticello, NY (upstate) from a fireman from CT. I rode that bike 2-up from Monticello, NY to Cape Cod to NYC where I swapped the hot girl on the back for my brother who had flown in specially from Scotland for a trip across the US Easy Rider style. We left NYC for Gettysburg and I recall pulling over a couple of times as I was hearing an infrequent pinging sound coming from the bike. Arrived at Gettysburg for the night and thought nothing of it. The next day we set off along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Tennessee. Again with the pinging. It wasnt until we pulled off the highway at Knoxville I discovered the source of the pinging sound as the rear wheel collapsed as we sat at the lights  . The pinging had been been the spoke snapping one by one 

Spent 4-days in Knoxville waiting for the rear wheel to be rebuilt - set me back $180 - that included a new tube/tire.

Since then on other CB750s and many thousands of miles I never checked spoke tension but probably a good idea 

[Don R]

 Today I noticed the motion pro torque wrench adapter that clamps to whatever wrench you need to use. Like M750K6 said, it's at 90* to the side.  $53.99 on ebay.

[grcamna2]

Today I noticed the motion pro torque wrench adapter that clamps to whatever wrench you need to use. Like M750K6 said, it's at 90* to the side.  $53.99 on ebay.

I never used a spoke torque wrench yet;I would give it a go.

[seanbarney41]

Well, maybe I should find a more relevant thread to post this, but what the hell...Andy's story above reminded me.  Am I the only one that every example of a stock cb750k7/8 rear 17" wheel has exactly 1 broken spoke, all others tensioned just fine and rolling as true as any other 50 year old spoked steel wheel?  Probably just me, huh?

[newday777]

Well, maybe I should find a more relevant thread to post this, but what the hell...Andy's story above reminded me.  Am I the only one that every example of a stock cb750k7/8 rear 17" wheel has exactly 1 broken spoke, all others tensioned just fine and rolling as true as any other 50 year old spoked steel wheel?  Probably just me, huh?

Busted While truing or while riding?

[seanbarney41]

Well, maybe I should find a more relevant thread to post this, but what the hell...Andy's story above reminded me.  Am I the only one that every example of a stock cb750k7/8 rear 17" wheel has exactly 1 broken spoke, all others tensioned just fine and rolling as true as any other 50 year old spoked steel wheel?  Probably just me, huh?

Busted While truing or while riding?

not really sure...busted when I got the bike

[BenelliSEI]

Well, maybe I should find a more relevant thread to post this, but what the hell...Andy's story above reminded me.  Am I the only one that every example of a stock cb750k7/8 rear 17" wheel has exactly 1 broken spoke, all others tensioned just fine and rolling as true as any other 50 year old spoked steel wheel?  Probably just me, huh?

Busted While truing or while riding?

not really sure...busted when I got the bike

You’re not alone. The cb750K6 I just finished had a decent set of wheels on it. Original spokes, new tires had been fitted a few weeks before I got it. When I finally started working on it, noticed ONE rear spoke completely missing. When I pulled off the tire and tube, no trace of the nipple! Some tech decided 39 spokes were plenty…

I replaced them all.

Sean….. Incase you hadn’t noticed, Vintagecb750.com has started selling reasonably priced 17” rear wheel spoke sets. Something new……

[MauiK3]

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/tusk-spoke-torque-wrench-kit-p?s=1185350&v=20954&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrIixBhBbEiwACEqDJf12I31Q6fLE3qrp-0Yqjfx6LsIIJcA0hymTZRevrOdRJ94F508w7RoCio8QAvD_BwE

I use this Tusk wrench, nice tool.