Originally Posted by
Jeff Neese
That's key. If someone wants to build their own wheels entirely by feel or by plucking, go for it. But if it's someone else's wheels (and especially if you're charging for that service) and the tool to objectively measure the results is available, why wouldn't you? It's simply a matter of being as thorough as possible.
I can inflate my tires and come pretty close to what I want, just by squeezing the tire. In fact, I don't even carry a pressure gauge or have a frame pump with one built in. On the road, I go by feel. But of course when I get home I always get out the pressure gauge and actually measure.
That makes sense and I think it is reasonable. But for the "why wouldn't you?" part, one example:
In my city (Novi Sad), there are a lot of bikes, cyclists, and bike shops.
I don't know a single shop that has a spoke tension meter. Why? How?
People here are poor, they can't pay a decent price for the service, and shops must work very fast, very cheaply, or go out of business.
The quality is far from very good, but it gets the job done, bikes get back on the road.
I'd also argue that, with enough practice and experience, you can build good wheels without a tension meter, and there are probably builders who work faster and easier without one (using just a pluck or similar methods).
Relja