Dented a $90 rim because I ignored the shop owner's weird tip

This old shop guy in Portland told me to always check spoke tension by feel, not just the gauge. I thought he was full of it. Last Tuesday I hit a pothole on a group ride and my rear wheel folded like paper. Took it to him after and he showed me two spokes were way loose for like a week. Now I give every wheel a quick squeeze before I even mount a tire. You guys actually do the hand test or you trust the tool too?

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1 Comment

shah.ben18d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl the hand test is one of those things old guys know because theyve been burned a hundred times. Its the same reason my buddy checks his oil by smell even though the car has a sensor. Tools give you a number but they dont tell you about the little things, like a spoke that feels dead even when the gauge says its fine. I do both now, gauge for the record and fingers for the feel. That pothole lesson probably saved you from a worse crash down the road too, so thats the cheap part of the $90.