Originally Posted by
Drwecki
So what are the signs that you guys notice that makes you check the tension o the wheel. I just don't get these responses. People assume too much about other people's abilities on this blog. I just want to know what makes you go to the tension-O-meter in the first place? There are objective signs that a wheel is too loose? aren't there? I feel like some of you may pay the LBS too much money a year for labor!
Someone who doesn't have a fair amount of experience and knowledge isn't going to HAVE a ready-made answer handed to them. That knowledge comes from experience.
People assume a certain amount of knowledge based on what a person is doing or trying to do; someone who's lacing up and truing wheels has the experience to AT LEAST have been exposed to the ideas of the
tensiometer, or the 'musical' plucking of the spokes.
Objective signs of LOOSE SPOKES (not a loose wheel, different problem) are having to re-true a wheel frequently, snapping/popping noises coming from the wheel as it rolls, things like that.
Personally, I have yet to pay the LBS a dime for labor; but I would not hesitate to do so if there was a concern I wasn't capable of handling, or had doubts about. You express your significant concern about not being stranded due to broken spokes or a collapsed wheel, yet you want to complain about people who suggest you take it to the experts?
You do what you can; if that leaves you short of where you want/need to be, you "call the guy". In the meantime, if you want more expertise, you go about getting it yourself, and that usually means trial and error. I got where I am with bike mechanics by T & E, with a certified mechanic looking over my shoulder; now, though not certified, I'm a shade better than he is!