How do you true a Shimano rear wheel?

[Aston]

Hi all,

I've got a Shimano WH-550 rear wheel on my every-day bike, and a Shimano Ultegra WH-6600 rear wheel on my road racing bike, and I can't seem to figure out how to true them. The front wheels I can do no problems, but all the spokes on the rear wheels are in the way of each other, and I can't get sufficient access with my Icetools long-handle 4.3mm nipple wrench, or my Topeak short and flat one. There seem to be Philips-heads, on the other side of the spokes opposite the cassette, but there's a circle in the middle so you can't use a normal screwdriver on it.

Is there a particular tool you need, or is there a particular way of doing it? I can only get to some of the nipples from some angles with these tools, and I can't find a ParkTool style nipple wrench in 4.3mm.

Thanks in advance,
Aston

[Duck!]

You need the little Shimano spoke spanners to do it properly, and take the cassette off.

[Aston]

You need the little Shimano spoke spanners to do it properly, and take the cassette off.

Do you mean Shimano make a spoke wrench for it? Because I've got this http://www.icetoolz.com/ec99/rwd1111/pr ... &cty_id=73

and this http://www.icetoolz.com/ec99/rwd1111/pr ... &cty_id=73

The Icetoolz one I can only get a quarter turn, on some spokes, before hitting another spoke, and then I can only go backwards because I can't grab it from another spot (it won't fit). The Topeak one I couldn't even get on any of the nuts.

[Duck!]

The Shimano spoke spanners have off-square slots, exactly like "grown-up" spanners, so you can get to the nipples from different angles, although you still don't get a huge range of rotation (that said, you shouldn't be adjusting nipples by more than 1/4 turn at a time anyway).

As I suggested originally, take the cassette off; it's easier to work the radially-laced drive side.

[Aston]

The Shimano spoke spanners have off-square slots, exactly like "grown-up" spanners, so you can get to the nipples from different angles, although you still don't get a huge range of rotation (that said, you shouldn't be adjusting nipples by more than 1/4 turn at a time anyway).

As I suggested originally, take the cassette off; it's easier to work the radially-laced drive side.

Ah thanks. Have you seen anywhere that sells the spoke spanners that Shimano make?

[MelodyWheels]

Shimano don't play by the rules when it comes to nipple sizes.

PRO make a series of spoke wrenches for Shimano wheels in 3.6mm, 3.75mm, 4.0mm and 4.4mm which seem to cover almost everything Shimano.... well the current generation.

[Ross]

Pro = Shimano

[Aston]

Man that Pro nipple wrench looks so perfect, of course I can only find it in 4.4 and my wheel is 4.3, I bought it anyway, it should be enough to get out of any sticky spots.

The Shimano one is pretty much the same as the Icetoolz one I've got, and the Topeak one is hex rather than square, so God knows what that's supposed to fit. Thanks all!