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Vent: That time I fumbled a wheel true on a customer's touring build
I was working on a customer's touring bike last Friday, trying to true a rear wheel for the first time on a new stand I just got. Everything was going fine until I tightened the wrong spoke nipple and the rim went completely out of whack, like a sideways smile. I was at my shop in Portland, and I actually had to step back for a minute because I was so frustrated. Ended up loosening all the spokes on that side and starting over from scratch, using a spoke tension meter I borrowed from a buddy. It took me almost two hours longer than I planned, but the wheel came out dead straight in the end. The customer picked it up Saturday morning and said it rode smoother than his old one. Has anyone else had a build go sideways and had to redo almost everything?
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markh853d ago
Have you ever seen that video where a wheel builder explains that truing is basically just trial and error until you get a feel for it? I think that's why stepping away for a minute is smart, sometimes you just need to reset before you really mess something up. Sounds like you came back with a solid plan, glad the customer was happy with the end result.
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the_claire3d ago
That video rings true for me. I've had wheels where I was so close to perfect but kept chasing it and making it worse, so I learned to just set it down and come back later with fresh eyes. The reset is probably the most underrated tool in the whole repair kit.
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