What’s this Blue Tool – Spoke De-stressor?

In this video https://youtu.be/JjuerFUYB7M?si=OeV8qVPRfOuC8Odm he produces a little blue tool for reducing the spoke wind-up.

I thought Park Tools because of the blue but can’t see anything of their website. I’ve tried all the wheel building suppliers I know of but no luck. Does anyone know what it is or where to get one?

Post a picture…..

Do you mean spoke pliers? Hold the spoke so it’s doesn’t get wind up.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41yKUNGblrL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_FMwebp_.jpg

Post a picture…..

Or the timestamp at least..

Looks like a little hook, I like the standing on the spokes method!!

Looks like something he’s had 3D printed

Sorry forgot the time stamp whilst trying to get the video link in.  26:25

Never seen one of those, I use the wheel pro gardening glove and squeeze pairs of spokes method to do the same thing. That tool would save wear and tear on my delicate hands

I stand on ’em but then I weigh 60kg, that might not be such a good idea if you’re a big un

That’s the method I usually use. But now there’s a new tool to buy!

I stand on them, I’m about 1.5 north winds.

I’ve been lead to believe: standing on them is to stress the new hubs in a way which produces the same effects as riding – the hard steel spokes bite into the softer alu hubs – you then do another tensioning session afterwards to get their final tension.

To de-twist the spokes you bring one side of the wheel into you abdomen, holding the opposite side with both hands and then, using your elbows, apply almighty pressure to try and turn them into the shape of Pringle – aka a hyperbolic paraboloid. This momentarily decreases the spoke tension enough to allow them to de-twist all by themselves.

apply almighty pressure to try and turn them into the shape of Pringle

Ali Clarkson demonstrates here: 29:28

I put some cardboard down or a bit of leftover carpet to protect the endcaps and the rim from accidentally contacting the ground and getting scratched, hold the wheel at 9 and 3 o clock like driving an old bus and apply pressure causing the spokes to ping, turn the wheel a quarter turn and repeat a few times, flip it over and do the other side, it works the same as standing on it but not as harsh, I can understand people worried about standing the spokes.

This is relevant to my interests, just rebuilding a rear wheel.

I never do the ‘hub on the ground, pushing the sides of the rim’ method any more after I accidentally folded a cheap road rim, plus as I understand it this isn’t de-stressing the spokes, it’s just releasing any wind up.

I was planning on using a rolling pin between the spokes to ‘lever’ the spokes apart a bit. Somehow just grabbing and squeezing doesn’t seem very scientific lol!

Levering between spokes with a big adjustable/tyre lever/whatever plus a bit of a squeeze with gloves on has always worked well for me

I’m guessing, but as that fella builds perfect wheels in about 15 minutes, his blue tool saves a fair bit of time with the spoke destressing. He just leaves the wheel in the stand and tweaks them, rather than take the wheel off, put it on the floor, bouncybouncy .etc…

I stand on ’em but then I weigh 60kg, that might not be such a good idea if you’re a big un

some years back I lent a wheel against the front bumper of the car and stuck the bike in the fork mount roof rack.  got in drove forward and heard a crunch. reversed back to see what id hit.

hope floating rotor was wrecked and it had part cut through a few spokes but the wheel was basically fine. Theyre amazing things

I emailed Nobl who replied straight away. It’s a 3D printed tool they made themselves. But they also said squeezing with fingers works just as well.

that fella builds perfect wheels in about 15 minutes,

That fella is fast!

I used to do piecework as a student and we could do a pair in about 45 minutes, while watching Neighbours.  We had a pint glass full of spoke nipples on the mantelpiece and would do up to 40 wheels a week sometimes!

I was climbing a lot at the time too so got really strong fingers.

I’m not as strong now, but still build wheels and have a 3D printer so might make one of those tools next time I build a wheel!

desperatebicycle
Full Member

I’m guessing, but as that fella builds perfect wheels in about 15 minutes, his blue tool saves a fair bit of time with the spoke destressing.

Yep, this is the real difference between amateur and pro wheelbuilding- I can build a boring, regular type wheel that’s probably 95% as good as the best wheel you can buy and tbf that is not very hard, but, it takes me like 2 hours. Whereas the pro guy I used to use could take a laced wheel and make it as good as my best, while having a conversation with someone else and watching the shop and answering a phone, in a few minutes.

I can build a boring, regular type wheel that’s probably 95% as good as the best wheel you can buy and tbf that is not very hard, but, it takes me like 2 hours.

Same! I still like to ‘think’ I’m good at building wheels but I don’t get quite enough practice so every time I build one now there’s a couple of false starts and some head scratching.

Currently building up a DCR road rim which seems to be doing all the hard work for me, dished and true with barely any tension on the spokes, so only I can mess this one up now lol!

Whereas the pro guy I used to use could take a laced wheel and make it as good as my best, while having a conversation with someone else and watching the shop and answering a phone, in a few minutes.

Yeah, but you’d have to make the coffee while he was doing it 😉

It’s a 3D printed tool they made themselves

I coulda told you that.. oh yeah,  I did! 😀

BruceWee
Full Member

Yeah, but you’d have to make the coffee while he was doing it 😉

I was not trusted with teh big fancy steam engine 🙂

Was using my Park ‘bladed spoke holder’ tool for the first time today, and it looks like the perfect big plastic coated lever to de-stress spokes with, almost as if Park unofficially designed it that way : )

but, it takes me like 2 hours.

Is that all? How!?

-asking for a friend 😉

Get one of those depth-adjustable spoke drivers and a little drill/electric screwdrivers. Massively speeds it up, both because it gets the basic assembly done super fast but also it means every spoke starts equally tensioned

I reckon you could build a usable wheel just using one of these doofers. Not a good wheel mind you.