Reviews of Park TM-1 Spoke Tension Meter
Built Up My First Wheel
Pros
Needed a spoke tension gauge to build up my first wheel (rear mountain bike 29”). Typical high quality Park tool. Wheel is still true after 6 months of jumps, whips, and basic thrashing from my 200lb body.
Cons
Would be a bonus if engraved gauge numbers would be a different color making them easier to see with my 55 year old eyes.
Must have tool for wheel building
Pros
Ease of use
Possible to recalibrate
Cons
May not work with small diameter wheels
Other Thoughts
Compared to the Wheelsmith spoke tension meter, this tool is much easier to use and read. I have used the Wheelsmith tool for years, but found it inadequate when building a wheel with 2.3 mm spokes. The Park tool handled these just fine. The included conversion table covers a wide variety of spoke types.
Reliable and easy to use
Pros
I've used this tool to true wheels on everything from road bikes to fat bikes. I've also built a few wheels with it. Really a necessary tool to do proper maintenance on bike wheels.
Cons
May seem a little fiddly until you get used to using it. After that, you can check an entire wheel's spoke tension in a couple of minutes.
used the website, thank you.
I'm still on the learning curve. I'm happy with performance this far. I used the website, thank you.
Great way to check spoke tension
Pros
Easy to use
Can do with wheel on bike
Cons
none
Other Thoughts
I do about 3500 miles a year, with half on loaded tours. Hitting bumps, ruts etc, and plain ole road vibration causes the spokes to not be balanced, which will cause spoke damage at some point.
Good tool
Pros
Well made
Cons
Confusing to use
gets the job done
Pros
easy to use, very simple, accurate
Cons
don't use that often, but in the rare case you need one (and I did), this works very well
Other Thoughts
often on sale, when it is grab one
This tool will roll you straight.
Pros
Know the tension of your spokes while building a wheel.
Cons
They say measure twice. Cut once. Well, I don't know how much measuring I did with this thing to rebuild my wheel, but I was ready to just put the thing on my bike and ride already. Lots of measuring.
Other Thoughts
When you use park tools online graph after getting the wheel trued up, you see the differences in tension. It's amazing how much you can even it up just by knowing where to start. The graph is useful.
I have rebuilt 2 wheels with this tool. I built one before getting it.
A great assist to my beginning wheel building
Pros
Easy to use. Seems to give consistent readings.
Cons
Requires judgment in reading between the lines--but that is probably insignificant to the overall project.
Other Thoughts
I am glad that I invested in this tool to build my first set of wheels. I found the idea of spoke tension to be difficult to grasp in general, so it was nice to have a tool to provide a benchmark.
Amateur Wheelbuilding with Park TM-1
Pros
Simple and sturdy construction (no glass or dial gauges).
Easy to use.
Attractive anodized finish.
Bought on sale (reasonable normal price).
Made in USA.
Cool addition to the tool box!
Cons
Requires conversion table to obtain tension.
Looks less high-tech without a dial gauge.
Other Thoughts
I had built a couple 20" wheels for my folding commuter bike before I built a rear wheel for my full-size road bike. I found the TM-1 on sale, and took the plunge. I was easily able to build a dished wheel and, using the tool, get the tension of all the spokes to within 10% of the mean tension. The wheel has remained true with no spoke loosening or breakage. After this, I built a 20" wheel and had the same result.
I am a "quantitative" sort of person, and tightening spokes by tapping just didn't seem as satisfactory; I use a torque wrench on bolts, so why not measure tension on spokes?
No regrets about the purchase!
Park TM-1 Spoke Tension Meter
Pros
High Quality
Easy to read
Very Accurate...no re-calibration necessary
Cons
A little pricy...but you get what you pay for....this is a quality product
Instructions were a little difficult to understand. Needed to Google to better understand how to use this tool and how to read the measurements.
Park TM-1 Tension Meter
Pros
Simple, effective. Does the job.
Cons
None
Other Thoughts
I used this with a truing stand to tune up two old wheelsets and build a front wheel from scratch. Tension meter is an invaluable tool for more than just casual use.
Wheel building
Pros
With this tool wheel truing is so much easier. It takes all the trial and error out of the equation.
Cons
none
Park TM1 spoke tension
Pros
Can measure for relative even tension quickly and help with truing. Helps to avoid adding too much tension and avoid stripping.
Cons
Bulky to use and have to use the provided table to get true tension in units.
Must-have for wheel building
Easy to use, bike shop staple
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