Fly2High

Guys,

What are the best tools to use to build a wheel and keep it true?

Is the Park Pro 2.2 the best?

Which dish tool?

Which spoke tension tool?

etc?

AS for price I would like to keep it under $350 for the truing stand. Everything else is more dependent on quality, durability and ease of use as to its price. I would like to get out with a complete setup for under $500

thanks

mconlonx

"Best" and "complete setup under $500" are generally mutually exclusive.

I don't know how it would cost out, but I would go with Park tools for a decent, basic setup:
TS-2.2 stand
TSB-2 stand base
WAG-4 dishing tool*
SW-22.2, SW-20 spoke wrenches
TM-1 tension meter

Depending on need/goals:
SBC-1 ruler
Specialty spoke wrenches
BSH-4 bladed spoke holder
ND-1 nipple driver

*dishing tool would be totally optional on my end, as I get away with a home built rig involving wood blocks, workbench, and a drywall screw. I'd also make a nipple holder/driver for deep and double wall rims with a spare or recycled broken spoke and nipple.

FBinNY 

There are NO wheel building tools except spoke wrenches and the ones you were born with. All the others are only for convenience and reference, and can be done without or improvised very easily. If you're building lots of wheels, then there's a certain convenience factor, but they don't impact the quality of the finished wheel.

Pick whichever suits your taste and budget, and focus on improving your own skills.

fietsbob

So, you got a pile of dosh to put into this ? there are dial indicators on Parks Top priced stand,
https://www.parktool.com/uploads/thum...5a_430x390.jpg

Campagnolo Made a Dish Gage , in their Complete tool set.. part No. N

Etc, etc.

AnkleWork

This one is probably "best", but the price is not shown in the article:

The robot wheel building revolution - BikeRadar USA

Fly2High

Anything equal to the PARK TS-2.2 stand? I hear it does not come set up and needs another item to get things centered before it can be used. I do not mind getting the extra tool but why do they not go the extra mile and adjust it from the factory?

mconlonx

It doesn't need to be centered before it can be used. It can be off-centered and still work fine. Unless you're one of them anal/OCD type of people...

This might be closer to "best," but at $450 doesn't really fit your <$500/setup qualification.

Nor does this one...

Fly2High

uhh, yeah. I am one of those...

DTSCDS

"Best"
I don't think the Performance "Spin Doctor" truing stand would ever be considered the "best" available, but it can get your wheel as true as you want it to be. There is an article out there on the internets someplace that gives some 'hacks' that can make it a bit more user friendly. That's what I did. It uses long bolts with plastic knob/handles attached to make for a much more precise adjustment. For $60 (you can frequently find it for $50 on sale) it'is all I will ever need. So for me, it's the "best" out there.

mconlonx

Then pony up for the 1554-1 centering gauge -- you'll want/need it anyway...

RoadGuy

Used Park Tools TS-2s often show up on Craigslist for $50-$100.

When you get the stand at the price you can buy whatever extras you want new (or feel are necessary, and still be under your $500 limit.

I've used a TS-2 stand, Park spoke wrenches, and a homemade nipple driver to repair and true hundreds of wheels over the past 20-25 years, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

melloveloyellow

How many wheels are you planning to build?

I bought Musser's book (online download, ~$10), a nipple driver (~$20), a Spokey (~$10), and built a truing stand and dish gauge from Musser's plans (in the book) out of plywood leftovers in my garage ("$0"). A metric ruler and a drawing compass help to measure your hubs. Some heavy gloves help to stress the spokes. I bought a pair of spokes to use to measure ERDs per Musser, too. (Used spokes w/nipples would do fine) Plus, some other items such as a pencil, a felt pen or sharpie, masking tape, a shrader or presta valve section from an old tube, cotton swabs, a guitar pick etc. many of which you may already have.

Using this, I've built 8 26" wheels. Some have 5K+ miles w/o any issue. It didn't take much dough, but I had the wood & tools to make the big stuff.

on the path

I've had this tool for years. It's a slotted-head screw holder. It turns out that it makes a great substitute for a nipple driver. Very easy to use and I dare say more efficient, as it can be spun quickly between the fingers. The other end is a magnet.

Aladin

EXACTLY.. especially the 'improving your own skills'. One earns those.


Dishing tool.. is noob foolishness. But some kids never give up their 'nooks' either.

cny-bikeman

I'm with FB - tools are useless without knowledge, and fancier tools are a poor substitute. If you want to invest in something first learn all you can about wheel structure and truing, as well as the different theories and practices regarding spoke, hub and rim selection - IF you plan to build a lot of wheels. If you are only building a few for yourself the latter is a bit of a waste in my opinion.

As for wheel building, it can be done by a 12 year old (not just lacing, start to finish) as I've trained people that young to do it. There's no great skill involved and neither does it require fancy tools. Unless you have vision and hearing problems you don't need dial indicator gauges either. It sounds, though that you are obsessive not just about things being right but having the external validation that they are in the form of high-end tools, or perhaps just the knowledge that you have them. If that's the case then go for the higher end recommendations here.

A dishing gauge is primarily a productivity tool. Reversing the wheel shows you double the dish error, so is more than sufficient for one-off builds.

on the path

I understand your sentiment, but you're statement is a bit absurd. Gerd Schraner, author of "The Art of Wheel Building" and former wheel builder for Eddie Merckx, built many wheels without using a tensiometer. He started using a tensiometer and realized that his senses as a mechanic were not as keen as he had believed, and acknowledged that he built better wheels after he started using a tensiometer.

I prefer to think of additional tools as an augmentation of skills as opposed to a substitute for skills and knowledge. I can tension spokes by sonic pitch and musical intervals, but I think using a tensiometer is a good idea.

wrk101

FWIW, I picked up everything on your list, USED, for $100 (two different purchases, not all at once). Stand was the older version TS2. I picked up the Park tension tool from a shop going out of business, the Park dishing tool came with the truing stand.

If you are resourceful, its possible to do this for not much $$.

Note, to get stuff at these prices, you need to think local. C/L, shops going out of business, etc. At least 75% of my bike tools (and I have a lot of them) were picked up used.

cny-bikeman

I would agree that a tensiometer is a useful tool, and were I to resume building wheels I would certainly use one. The problem is that some rely on it before they understand wheel structure and dynamics, so we see questions on the forum from people who don't understand how spoke tension can vary a lot when their wheel is true.

Other than the tensiometer I think FB's statement is accurate. The end result is essentially the same no matter what quality of tool you use, and the time factor varies by very little as well.

Jeff Wills

IMO: good tools shorten the learning curve. Once you've learned the process and developed a feel for "correct" spoke tension, you can build adequate wheels anywhere.

I've built many straight and durable wheels in my living room with spoke wrench and basic truing stand. (It helps that my wife is very tolerant and facilitates my bicycling habit.) I've trued and tensioned a couple on a flipped-over bike frame, so even the truing stand isn't a necessity.

I've never used a tension meter. There's probably a wide variation in the as-built tension, but I give them a bit of touch-up truing after the first couple rides. After that, they last thousands of miles without maintenance.

xlbs

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Jobst Brandt's book...the number one tool for anyone serious about building wheels...free to download...

Gresp15C

Do you know a good download site? Otherwise, I'm certainly not averse to buying it.

Sixty Fiver

Agreed... give me a spoke wrench and a place to mount a wheel and this is all I need to build a wheel I can guarantee for life.

When I teach we use the Park wheel building suite, in my shop I don't use a Park stand or dishing tool and will say the tension meter is a useful tool but again, not essential if you really know what you are doing.

xlbs

Just do a search on Jobst Brandt...it's free...or, here you go...

https://poehali.net/attach/Bicycle_Wh...bst_Brandt.pdf

Gresp15C

Thanks! I know what I'm going to be reading next.

Xicaque

I like the Park TS