Originally Posted by
Trakhak
Here's Brandt on the subject, from
this page:
"Stress relieving with a light grasp of spoke pairs is worthless, as is bouncing the wheel or bending it in a partially opened drawer. Pressing axially on the hub, while supporting the rim, requires a force larger than is manually possible but is effective for spoking machines (except the left side rear spokes that would collapse the rim). Another not-recommended method is laying the wheel on the floor and walking on it with tennis shoes, carefully stepping on each pair of crossed spokes. The method works but bends the rim and is difficult to control."
Ah, thanks, much appreciated. It's been close to 40 years since I read the book. Actually glad to know that manual stress relieving doesn't do much good, as I've never done it. One would think by now that this could be incorporated as part of the spoke manufacturing process, making the bend just a hair more than 90 degrees, so that installed, it bends back just a hair, for reduced stress on the outside of the bend, if that's where stress relieving helps.