Spoke Tension Meter That Is Easy On The Hands?

I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an entire
wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost over
$200?
--
Pete Cresswell

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an entire
wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost over
$200?

When I was a kid, someone demonstrated pinging the spokes with a tea spoon
and listening to the pitch.

Its one of several tricks I never got my head around - wheel building is one
of the few things I'd have to pay someone to do.

On Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 8:33:58 PM UTC+1, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an entire
wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost over
$200?
--
Pete Cresswell

Actually, that one appears to work on the same principle -- and perhaps to be a rebranded version -- of the only inexpensive spoke tension meter I know that works, the Park Tool TM1 for Euro 65, same as the Union for Euro 88.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/i...=spoke+tension

Sorry not to be more help.

Cheapest meter I know that doesn't hurt your hands is the DT Swiss base analogue tensiometer at Euro 392 (!) can be seen at
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/i...ter&cat=direct

Andre Jute
Toolfondler

In article ,
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an
entire wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost
over $200?

See:

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/support/tensiometers/

Roger Musson reckons tensiometers aren't really necessary. But the
Park tool tensiometer is good enough. Available for about 50 quid
in the UK:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-spoke-tension-meter/

Don't know how "hand-friendly" the Park tensiometer is likely to be.

I don't have a tensiometer and have never used one when building
wheels. Has worked well for me but, as usual, YMMV.

If I ever got a tensiometer, I suspect I'd use it mainly to check
the spokes were evenly tensioned. Rather than just plucking them
which is what I've done up to now.
--
Dennis Davis

On Wed, 21 Sep 2016 15:33:49 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an entire
wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost over
$200?

Well, more manual labor will likely toughen your hands to the point
that using a tension meter won't be painful :-)

On the other hand, the DT Swiss tension meter probably is easier on
the hands than most of the cheap and dirty meters.
--
cheers,

John B.

On Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:00:38 +0000 (UTC), Dennis Davis
wrote:

In article ,
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an
entire wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost
over $200?

See:

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/support/tensiometers/

Roger Musson reckons tensiometers aren't really necessary. But the
Park tool tensiometer is good enough. Available for about 50 quid
in the UK:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-spoke-tension-meter/

Don't know how "hand-friendly" the Park tensiometer is likely to be.

I don't have a tensiometer and have never used one when building
wheels. Has worked well for me but, as usual, YMMV.

If I ever got a tensiometer, I suspect I'd use it mainly to check
the spokes were evenly tensioned. Rather than just plucking them
which is what I've done up to now.

The question I have always had is if the wheel is perfectly round and
with any side to side wobble is the question of individual spoke
tension something to be worried about?

Note: Individual meaning one or two spokes.
--
cheers,

John B.

On 9/21/2016 3:33 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an entire
wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost over
$200?

I'm curious about exactly how your hands get sore. Is it muscular or
joint fatigue from having to squeeze the thing so often? Or is it pain
from the relatively thin edges digging into your hand? If the latter,
might it be solved by padding the edges or using gloves?

Disclaimer: I've never used one of the things, although one of my best
cycling friends has one - unless he's sold it, that is.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 21/09/16 21:33, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an entire
wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost over
$200?

I use the Park TM-1 and I don't reckon it's any easier on the hands than
what you have, so I wouldn't be looking down that road.

In article ,
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 9/21/2016 3:33 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an
entire wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't
cost over $200?

I'm curious about exactly how your hands get sore. Is it muscular
or joint fatigue from having to squeeze the thing so often? Or
is it pain from the relatively thin edges digging into your hand?
If the latter, might it be solved by padding the edges or using
gloves?

I sense a marketing opportunity here. Get some traditional cycling
gloves -- the ones with the crocheted back. Split the pairs and
sell them individually as left-handed or right-handed wheel building
gloves for use with tensiometers. Sell them each at four times the
price of the pairs. You'll have a lot of the left-handed ones
remaining but, even so, you'll turn a tidy profit :-)
--
Dennis Davis

On 9/21/2016 7:30 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:00:38 +0000 (UTC), Dennis Davis
wrote:

In article ,
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've got a very basic WheelSmith tensiometer, but when I do an
entire wheel my hands get sore.

viz: http://tinyurl.com/jyzvl2f

Can anybody suggest something more hand-friendly that doesn't cost
over $200?

See:

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/support/tensiometers/

Roger Musson reckons tensiometers aren't really necessary. But the
Park tool tensiometer is good enough. Available for about 50 quid
in the UK:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-spoke-tension-meter/

Don't know how "hand-friendly" the Park tensiometer is likely to be.

I don't have a tensiometer and have never used one when building
wheels. Has worked well for me but, as usual, YMMV.

If I ever got a tensiometer, I suspect I'd use it mainly to check
the spokes were evenly tensioned. Rather than just plucking them
which is what I've done up to now.

The question I have always had is if the wheel is perfectly round and
with any side to side wobble is the question of individual spoke
tension something to be worried about?

Note: Individual meaning one or two spokes.


You're right as far as it goes. For a new rim freshly built,
spoke tension will be relatively uniform but not exactly
identical spoke-to-spoke. In theory, a new wheel should have
equal tension for all spokes on the same side of a hub but
in this real physical world, not so much. (on a surviving
wheel of many urban commutes all bets are off)

The tensiometer tells you if the overall tension is
suitable. That value depends on rim material/model and how
much offset your hub introduces on the right side.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971