Pro tip: Don't lose the feel for wheel truing

I'm seeing too many shops rely only on digital tension gauges now. Back in my early days, we tuned wheels by ear and touch, no screens needed. Those old methods taught you to sense problems before they broke. Today's tools can hide real issues if you're not careful. A wheel might read fine but still wobble on a bumpy trail. Keep using a spoke wrench and your eyes to check every job. That skill saves rides when tech fails.

4 comments

4 Comments

mia_jones471mo ago

I was all about digital gauges until I had a wheel pass the numbers but still wobble badly on a trail. That experience made me see how relying only on tech can miss the real feel of a wheel. Now I mix the gauge with a hands-on check, and it's a much better way to build a solid wheel.

michaeld481mo ago

But @mia_jones47 is it a big deal for casual riding?

the_tyler1mo ago

Mixing the gauge with a hands-on check is smart because it trains your gut feel over time. You start to notice subtle patterns a screen can't show, like how a certain spot always feels soft. That built-in sense is what actually stops a problem before your ride goes wrong.

rose_reed9d ago

That wobble you felt even with good numbers, was it a side-to-side shimmy or more of a hop up and down? I'm trying to picture what a gauge would miss. Like, could a rim have a tiny flat spot that reads fine on tension but throws the whole wheel off balance when you're actually riding?