Posted on August 16, 2022 by Cory Benson
One may think a great wheelbuilder only truly needs a spoke wrench and the master’s touch, but Unior’s new online Unior Spoke Tension App takes building perfect wheels to a new level. Working together with SpokeCalc, whose online tools will help you from the start by selecting the correct spokes, the Unior App helps dial in the perfect tension and creates a visual summary of each wheel built…
Wheel building is undeniably an art. But there is also a science to it, as well. A wheel builder needs the right tools – a good spoke wrench, a solid truing stand to start, and then a spoke tension meter to really build uniform and balanced tension into the new wheel. Now, Unior’s free online Spoke Tension App gives wheel builders an easy way to track & visualize tension as they build, and then export a tension report that can be passed on to the new wheel’s owner.
It’s a relatively straightforward tool, and something similar to what large-scale production wheel builders already use (like when we toured DT Swiss more than 5 years ago). In fact, it’s a slightly simplified version of the subscription service wheelbuilding tools created by SpokeCalc.
But working together with fellow Slovenian Aljaž Trenta of Spoke Calc, Unior’s free online app brings premium tension tracking into reach for anyone with a Unior Spoke Tension Meter 1752/2 – whether you are a professional custom wheel builder or an ambitious home mechanic.
The Unior free tool is easy to use. Just pick your spokes, target spoke tension (which Unior & SpokeCalc will also help you with), and then start entering your measurements as you tension the wheelbuild.
The Unior Spoke Tension App creates an easy-to-understand table & graph of the tension balance for each wheel, and it can be printed or saved when you are done for quality control and tracking.
Again, it’s free to use with the Unior tensiometer, and web-accessible from any device.
Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.
Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking on and off for over 25 years, since before several of these even had names in our industry.
Prior to that (and at times, concurrently), Cory worked as an Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, a IBD bike shop designer & consultant, an independent product designer, a bike shop mechanic, and a mountain biking instructor.
Based in the Czech Republic for over 15 years, Cory spends much of his time traveling around Europe, riding bikes, and meeting directly with many of cycling’s key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next. A technical off-road rider at heart since the 1990s, Cory’s cycling has evolved to cover everything from the wide range of riding aero road bikes on dirt roads to thrashing enduro bikes in the European bikeparks & trail centers, with plenty of XC, CX & gravel in between.
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Hasn’t Park had a spreadsheet for doing this for years? And it’s free.
Right! I can also see no advantage in the Unior app. On the contrary, Park even takes into account the material of the spokes…
These tools are misleading for aluminum rims as well as some carbon rims. The reason being is the seem on an aluminum extrusion uses either pins or an internal sleeve. Either one of these methods require more force to manipulate resulting in a spike in tension around that area. Carbon rims being molded have less of an issue in this area however there are some carbon rims that also use a sleeve(s) to assemble the rims. The next issue is the tensiometer itself. This tool is highly subjective due to the nature in which it measures tension. This tool relies on a calibrated spring, however the speed at which you release the spring or the location you place the tensiometer on the spoke can dramatically affect the reading. At best all spoke tensiometers should be treated as a ball park tool (pun intended). One last piece of insight. All though this article is to tout the way this tool can help even out the tension of your wheel build, the tension the wheel is built to is just as important. Note that many rim manufactures state the maximum tension a wheel should be built to (this tool alone does not take that into account). Also note that what ever tension you build your wheel too it will drop by roughly 10 to 15% once the tire is mounted and inflated!
So how are we supposed to build a wheel if the rims and tools don’t work?
Practice and patience are the only “tools” really needed, along with a good fitting spoke key. Tensiometers *may* help but are not necessary; tools do not replace learned and practiced skill, despite what people would like to think.
You’re incorrect. Trying to get tensions even by feel on low spoke count/ high tension wheels is nigh on impossible without a regular measurement by something other than feel. I’ve run blind tests on ‘artisan built’ wheels that weren’t checked by tensiometer against ones that were, and the ‘feel built’ wheels had tension discrepancies of over 20 KgF on spokes on the same side of the wheel.
The question I have here is regarding the engineering process that exists or does not exist before a wheel is built. Surely, the ‘in use’ forces that a wheel is to be subject too (static, dynamic and impact) must first be calculated, a factor of safety applied to determine the maximum allowable stresses in the wheel in use. Wheel design variables (eg. rim depth, spoke length and type, tension (required for the type of riding) and flange width need to be determined and then entered into a math model of the wheel to determine actual stresses in the wheel. Actual calculated stresses always need to be less than max allowable stresses to result in a functional wheel otherwise it will become a litigation fanfare for the lawyers. Does a wheel builder actually design a wheel for end-use or just simply pick a set a parts from a catalogue and assemble the parts for the client with no design or build specification to work too????
There’s a range of components and build patterns that have been seen to work over years, but as technology changes, practices change as well. You no longer have to build 36H for durability, as rims are stiffer and tougher, and can take higher tensions without failure on fewer spokes. Spokes are stronger, threads are rolled with better precision, and hub forgings are better. But even and high spoke tension has always been the determinant of a reliable wheel.
Specifying independent tension targets by side of the wheel is not how experienced wheelbuilders work. Specific tension on the low side is dictated by high side tension combined with hub/rim geometry. In this regard I think the Unior tool actually makes it more confusing for newbies.
Unless you’ve got a tensiometer with a tethered data download capacity (digital dial gauge readout) entering every spoke tension for a wheel on a chart is tedious and unnecessary, except for batch QC purposes. So if you’re not a manufacturer, then don’t bother. Just try to get the tension within 10% of the target tension indicated, which is the best feature of this app.
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