Why does nobody talk about how hard it is to true a wheel with bladed spokes

I was trying to fix a wobble on my Zipp 404s last night after hitting a pothole and spent 2 hours wrestling with the spoke holder tool before giving up and just living with it, has anyone else found a trick that actually works for these things?

3 comments

3 Comments

sammartinez9h agoRising Star

My buddy Mark spent three hours last Saturday fighting with his Enve wheels before he figured out the same inner tube trick @fisher.thomas mentioned. He was about to throw the whole wheel in the trash when he remembered reading about the rubber strip method online. He cut a thin strip from an old tube and wrapped it around the bladed spoke before using his spoke holder. Said it worked like magic after that, no slipping at all. I think friction is the real enemy with those things, just like you said, and a little bit of rubber fixes it way better than any fancy tool will.

willowr9611h ago

Man I feel your pain. Bladed spokes are a nightmare. The trick that saved me was using a bit of old inner tube rubber between the spoke holder tool and the blade. Gives you way more grip. Also try clamping the spoke with pliers wrapped in electrical tape instead of that stupid holder tool.

fisher.thomas10h ago

Whoa that inner tube trick is genius! It makes me think about how most problems in life come down to friction. Not just physical friction but the kind where two things just don't work together smoothly. Like when you're trying to fix something and the tool slips or the part doesn't fit right. We spend so much time fighting that friction instead of finding a little bit of rubber or tape to bridge the gap. That's a solid reminder to look for those simple workarounds instead of getting frustrated.