Building up a pair of 29″ wheels.

DT 350 boost hubs, xm481 rims, Sapim 20/18/20 spokes, alloy squorx nipples. Asymmetrical 3 cross build.

Both ends have gone together really well with lateral and radial runout of well under 0.5 mm. However, the average spoke tension on my cheap tension gauge gives a figure of 22, which for these spokes translates to 117 KGf. The max for the rim is supposed to be 122 KGf. So is it fine to be under but close. or should you aim to be well under to have a bit of a safety margin?

FWIW I have only built 1 wheel previously and that is holding up well on my enduro bike.

Once you fit tyres, the tension may well decrease.

I wouldn’t trust the numbers from a cheap spoke meter. They are fine to show that the tension is even but not absolute values.

Well you’re not really doing it right unless you give it one more half turn ‘for luck’, round a nipple off, curse yourself, back all the nipples off to get that one out, lose the new nipple in the rim well, then throw the wheel across the garage.

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I wouldn’t trust the numbers from a cheap spoke meter. They are fine to show that the tension is even but not absolute values.

That is what kind of worries me with the value being close to the maximum. I feel it will be OK and that if anything the tension will decrease once the wheels get used. But wondered if most people aimed to be close to max tension, or whether the norm was to aim for well under it?

Does it ping? I don’t really trust tensionometers but as long as it bings or pings, I’d be happy. Not if it tings though.

I bought one of the cheap Wiggle meters. A while back I did have a Park one but sold it. The Wiggle meter read quite a bit under what I thought it should be. So much so I returned it.

They said to keep the old one and sent a new one. It was exactly the same. I’ve built a few sets over the years. If I’d tensioned it up to the gauge it would have twisted the rim or snapped a spoke. As nickjb said I’d only use it as a guide for even spoke tension.

It was well over a year before I used the Wiggle gauge to build a set of wheels, so I was out of practice. As it’s sounds like you’re doing I started doubting myself with what was the right tension. So I went to Halfords and checked the spoke tension on a load of their bikes by hand. I must of looked like a right weirdo. But it worked well in re calibrate me!

I’d also second putting the tyre on and re checking the tension. I never used to do it. But I built a set with old used rims and it made a big difference. After a bit of googling I found out that it’s not that uncommon even on new rims.

If you have a factory wheel check the reading on the cheap tension meter and use that for the new build.
I never normally use a tension meter but I got one just because for my last wheel. I was surprised how close my guesswork was to a factory wheel I had recently bought.

Don’t worry too much about the front wheel but for the rear, don’t be afraid to go well over the typical rim recommendations, especially if you’re fitting chunky tyres.

What Northwind says, my calibrated fingernail does the job, a nice even note around the spokes and my wheels stay tight and true.

Roger Musson’s book for the win.

Just tried the tension metre on the prebuilt front wheel on my 3 month old bike (the stock ones I want to replace). It reads 26 on both sides (symmetrical laced offset spokes). My new build are 24 one side and 20 the other so considerably less tension. The factory built front on my old bike are all showing about 6-8! So I think they might benefit from a tighten lol

Gonna leave em as they are and mount tyres and ride, then reassess after a short while. Thanks for all your input.

I’d be happy if the wheel was evenly tensioned and true, less concerned about the numbers. The tension will come out once the tyres on and you’ve put some miles on it anyway.