mercalia wrote:well I built the only pair of wheels I will ever build ( I hope) in situ using a spoke blutacked across the forks for roundness and the brakes for lateral adjustment. I used a cardboard "C" tool from Mussons book for dishing. But then I had a known good pair of Spa Wheels to have for comparison. I found having a Parks tension meter far more useful for knowing when to stop tightening and for consistancy purposes than a special truing stand. I am quite happy with the results, which have received a lot of battering ( given my weight ) over about 3500 miles so far mainly on rough tracks, without the need to tweak the spokes, bar I did adjust the dishing once.
If you dont have a tension meter how on earth do you know when to stop tightening? In my case the spokes I used were different to the ones on the SPA wheel so plucking the spokes and the note you get not a good quide?
Certainly comparing "my" wheels with the original 1-Down ones, the Dawes ones were rubbish, lacking in tension consistancy for one
Yes, getting the right tension is a concern to me too. I suppose if you are experienced, plucking might work but if you aren't, fat chance!