Preparing a Bicycle Wheel for Tensioning

Video Transcript

"O.k, what I'll do to prepare the wheel for tensioning, I'll bend these spokes in gently with my thumbs, so they follow the flange on all spokes that have heads in. Anything that has heads in will need to be bent fractionally in, just so it follows a nice smooth line over the hub flange there and prepares it to cross to the rim. Put the wheel into our Truing Jig, see if we can position it so we can see what we're doing here. And we'll use a light oil at the base of each spoke nipple. Starting at the valve hole, it's always an easy reference, we'll put just a drop between the nipple and the eyelet of the rim. This is going to allow us to put good tension into those spokes, without any resistance as we tighten the thing up. It will also protect that inner section from little bit of rust, when this thing is in service out in the real world where there's mud puddles and rainy day rides. Once those drops of oil are in place, give it a quick spin, let centrifugal force pull the oil into the holes and we're ready to start advancing those nipples."