Spoke Wrench

[Toolish]

I am going to have a go at truing my wheels as they are getting a bit of a wobble. I have 2500km on them so I guess they are due for a bit of a birthday.

Anyhow, to the point. How do I determine what size spoke wrench I need. Do I measure spoke diameter, distance across the flats on the nipple etc?

If it helps the bike is a Shogun Katana with Alex DA-16 rims

[jules21]

spoke wrenches are a hoax perpetrated on unexpecting cycling enthusiasts. the only way to avoid rounding the nipples is to take the tube and tyre off and use a screwdriver. don't let anyone else (possibly more competent than i) tell you otherwise!!

[hoboct]

I don't know what the exact size is, but I find the blue coloured Tacx spoke key I have works fine with most all modern, conventional wheels.

Don't get one of those "universal" spoke keys (the ones that look like a circle or hexagon), they suck and will round the flats on the spoke nipples in no time at all.

[drubie]

Don't get one of those "universal" spoke keys (the ones that look like a circle or hexagon), they suck and will round the flats on the spoke nipples in no time at all.

+1 - the circle ones are hopeless. The dual sided Pedro spoke tool should fit your spokes - look in the hipster fixie section of the LBS.

[rustychisel]

Don't get one of those "universal" spoke keys (the ones that look like a circle or hexagon), they suck and will round the flats on the spoke nipples in no time at all.

+1 - the circle ones are hopeless. The dual sided Pedro spoke tool should fit your spokes - look in the hipster fixie section of the LBS.

Thanks, good to know. Mine is now 30+ years old and going strong. In fact, the yellow paint I used in about 1981 to denote the 15 gauge hole is wearing off, but it's done good work. Maybe they made them tough in those days?

[Nate]

I've got the park tools triangle one & also the one that came on the multi tool i have is SUPERB.

Rounding off the nipples? how tight are you doing them up???
or i'm guessing there's corrosion & they're stuck on?

Either way both tools i have feature multiple sizes (3 on the park & 4 on the multi i believe), and you just need to ensure you select the smallest possible - you might need to wiggle it on a little instead of having slack.

Either way - they're fine.

[thomas_cho]

I am going to have a go at truing my wheels as they are getting a bit of a wobble. I have 2500km on them so I guess they are due for a bit of a birthday.

Anyhow, to the point. How do I determine what size spoke wrench I need. Do I measure spoke diameter, distance across the flats on the nipple etc?

If it helps the bike is a Shogun Katana with Alex DA-16 rims

Measure the flat between the nipple.

For the Park Tool series:
The SW-0 (black handle) is sized for 3.22mm (0.127") (also the SW-40)
The SW-1 (green handle) 3.3mm /80 ga./.130 nipple
The SW-2 (red handle) 3.45mm /80 ga./.136 nipple (also the SW-42)
The SW-3 (blue handle) 3.96mm /105 ga./.156 nipple

The cheaper spoke wrenches can be poorly machined, and may not fit your nipples securely, resulting in rounded nipples. If not getting the park ones, then go for those which grip the nipple on 3 sides, almost no chances of slipping.

[serrin]

I've rounded a few nipples with those nasty round, multi-holed spoke wrenches. The park one is a bit more, but well worth it in my opinion.

[fixie]

I use the red Spokey for my road wheels. It really is an excellent tool and costs peanuts, well about $5 or so from Ribble along time ago. The essential gripping part is made from high tensile tempered spring steel and is made to fine tolerances. Red for road. Yellow for that other dimension. Make sure you get the correct size. Much cheaper than Park or Sapim.

The Sapim one looks nice but I have never tried one and they are ridiculously expensive.

[hartleymartin]

I think that spoke keys only work if the wheel builder did actually put some grease on the nipples when assembling the wheel. I've used both the screw-driver and spoke-key method to true wheels (yes, I still think that it's a black art, but I have attempted it myself to get reasonably true wheels). I find that the screw-driver is good for wheels where the spokes and nipples have slightly corroded together.

[oldplodder]

When truing wheels, determine the out of true portion of the rim first. Mark the centre of that then work from there in both directions.
If the deflection is to the right, loosen the closest right spoke a quarter turn, then tighten the adjacent left the same amount. Gradually work away from there, reducing the adjustments a little for each spoke set. I have made minor adjustments with the tyre fitted. Really major stuff requires tyre removal as you will need to file off the protruding spoke ends. It is not a black art but does require some patience to achieve good results. Try it out on an old wheel first if you are nervous. You will be pleased at how easy it becomes with practice. Most wheels that look bad can be trued. If the rim has been bent, take it to your LBS. My old 4 way spoke key does a good job and I haven't rounded any nipples. Just don't force them and make sure you have the correct sized slot. Some penetrating oil may assist if any are tight. Try and loosen the nipple first, lubricate the thread, then tighten it gently.

[oldplodder]

Forgot to mention, if your rims are deep Vs, no problem with protruding spokes due to the cross sectional shape. They are well away from the tube. It is the traditional rim type you need to take care with.

[udi]

I started using spokeys to build and true wheels 35 years ago and never looked back. They act on more of the nipple surfaces than some others, so are less likely to round the nipples.