Originally Posted by
serpico7
Sheldon Brown's wheel building article talks about eliminating the twist in spokes by turning the nipple a little further than you need, and then backing off by the same amount.
Pieces of tape on representative spokes (front, rear drive-side, rear non-drive side; I like the spoke(s) following the valve stem hole) will let you see what's going on in that wheel and compensate appropriately.
You can feel it (where the nipple takes the same torque to turn in both directions there's no more windup) but that's more of an acquired skill.
I'm just about done tensioning a wheel, but didn't bother with backing off each time I turned a nipple.
1. Can I just go around the wheel and tighten each nipple a 1/8 turn and then loosen 1/8 turn and solve the torsion issue that way?
No. It might be more or less than 1/8 turn.
2. Is that even necessary?
Yes. Otherwise the wheel will probably make popping noises the first time you ride it and go a little out of true.
Does squeezing pairs of spokes (e.g., 1 & 3; 2 & 4, etc.) pretty much eliminate the torsion?
No. Stress relieving increases tension.
You can set the wheel on the ground on its axle (put a block of wood under the axle to save your floors) and go around the wheel pushing on opposite sides thus reducing tension on the spokes near the ground. Flip it over and do the same for the other side.