The use of tensionometers is less important, I believe, on older wheels. On older wheels even if the wheel has kina uneven tension, the low tension spokes are still doing something - or maybe its because spoke tension in generall is more evenly distrubuted a good build is less important. Maybe.
On modern high-dish wheels, though, if tension is uneven, some spokes may actually be completly untensioned. I think that on such wheels it is generally more difficult to "twang" a spoke on the non-drive side and identify what the tension is.
More important than tensionometers, though, are 2 key ingredients to great wheelbuilds. The first is that spoke prep is super important - 5 or 6 speed wheels can be cheated on and oil will do the trick - but do that on a modern high dish wheel and everything will fall apart - literally. Secondly, the use of lighter guage spokes on non-drive rears really helps - and double butted on everything.
Mike "now I just wheels for myself since liberation!" Kone in Boulder CO
At 08:37 PM 4/19/02 GMT, kmacafee@isd.net wrote:
>I have never used one personally and know people who swear by them. But I
built
>a lot of wheels in the 70's and 80's without one for myself and friends and
>to the best of my knowledge, never had a spoke break in any of them. In
fact,
>I still commute on a set of clinchers I built in about 1973 and have never
had
>any problems.
>
>I have no doubt they are better at determining consistent tension than the
"twang"
>method. But,I have always maintained that building strong straight wheels was
>as much art as science and some people were born with the aptitude for it.
>Kind of like using a paint gun -- anyone can lay paint but only the naturally
>gifted can do it well.
>
>Kevin MacAfee
>St. Paul, MN