Spoke key.

[Milzy]

What’s a good value spoke key?
Do you tighten where the gap gets bigger between your pad? Righty righty, lefty loosey.

 

[richardfm]

I use one of these
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/spokey-pro-red-for-euro-us-spokes/

Spokes have a normal right hand thread, so to tighten a spoke you are turning the ripple anticlockwise as you look at the nipple/spoke towards the time.

This image illustrates it
https://bikebooboos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Spoke-tighten.png

 

[Paulus]

Be aware, the spoke key is a simple tool, you can really do some damage with it though if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[Rusty Nails]

What’s a good value spoke key?
Do you tighten where the gap gets bigger between your pad? Righty righty, lefty loosey.

You tighten the nearest spoke on other side to where the pad starts to touch the rim. That pulls the rim away from the touching brake block.

Tighten the nipple anti-clockwise when looking along the spoke from the axle. And only small turns of the spoke key at a time.

Adjusting an out of true rim with the wheel still on the bike is OK if in a hurry, but not really accurate if out of true at more than one point. It is rare on an old wheel when a rim is out of true only at one point.

You will probably make mistakes the first time.

 

[figbat]

You should also ‘blend’ the spokes either side of the one in question, and loosen the spokes on the opposite side. It’s as much art as it is science. Twanging the spokes can give you a sense of tension and any differences.

For on-the-trail emergencies I have a valve cap on one wheel that fits spoke nipples (the other valve cap does valve cores).

 

[a.twiddler]

You should also ‘blend’ the spokes either side of the one in question, and loosen the spokes on the opposite side. It’s as much art as it is science. Twanging the spokes can give you a sense of tension and any differences.

For on-the-trail emergencies I have a valve cap on one wheel that fits spoke nipples (the other valve cap does valve cores).

Worth having Schrader valves for the convenient caps?

 

[Milzy]

I know you say it’s rare on one spot but it’s a Hunt four season and it’s massive in one place. Prob from dropping off the kerb thinking they’re bombproof.

 

[figbat]

Worth having Schrader valves for the convenient caps?

These are Presta valve caps.

 

[PeteXXX]

My Crank Brothers multitool has a spoke key.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I know you say it’s rare on one spot but it’s a Hunt four season and it’s massive in one place. Prob from dropping off the kerb thinking they’re bombproof.

If it is massive in one place then it's likely to need tweaking on several spokes and could be tricky.

If it's out of true radially, with a flat spot, after dropping from a kerb it will be even trickier.

Good luck.

 

[Big John]

These are the sort I use to build wheels. I've got various coloured ones to cover the different nipple sizes. These are spoke nipple size specific. You need to know what spoke nipple size you have before buying one of these.

https://www.bikeparts.co.uk/product...2TKZ3iHWeBqvTqN8ph5zXO4zqoU5Jc94aAtbmEALw_wcB

To carry in your saddlebag when you're out you're better off with one of these. Then if someone you're with needs help and they have a cock eyed nipple size then chances are it'll fit, as long as they don't have an ebike. Then you need yet another tool to cover ebike spoke nipples.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Pa...3fnkVT7W3fOKRL-g747YwuP16E7JtpXAaAnCIEALw_wcB

 

[Milzy]

What about the keys that show the tension on a digital display so you can make every spoke the same tension?

 

[Big John]

What about the keys that show the tension on a digital display so you can make every spoke the same tension?

I didn't even know such a thing existed. Every day is a school day, eh?

Can you show us the link to one of these please? Or do you mean a spoke tension meter?