Goals of Wheelbuilding
A good wheelwright will ensure that the wheel is “true” in two ways: “lateral” (sideways wobble) and “radial” (roundness). Ideally spokes have similar tension (although the two sides will be different if a wheel is dished [dished: the uneven bracing angle of spokes on some multi speed wheels, and some wheels which incorporate a disc mount] with tension high enough to give a rigid wheel and retain some tension under all loads but not so high as to lead to failure of spokes or the rim. Spokes should have no residual twist (windup) from tightening the nipples. The spokes may be “stress relieved”, i.e. subjected to a greater tension during building than they are ever likely to encounter in use - usually by squeezing pairs of spokes together very hard. This is said to yield the spokes (and/or the hub) into a permanent shape where they bend around the hub flanges and each other. The real goal of a wheelwright is to do the above and earn a living. This has become virtually impossible in the last 10 years. It is increasingly difficult to find an experienced wheelbuilder.