Hit 500 spoke builds last Saturday and it totally caught me off guard

I was just counting up my repair logs for the year and realized I passed 500 spoke replacements since I started keeping track back in 2021. That number surprised me because I mostly work on commuter bikes at my shop in Portland, not fancy race wheels or anything. The milestone hit me when I remembered my first few tries were so bad the customer brought the wheel back the next day (learned to stress-relieve spokes the hard way). Anyone else have a build count that snuck up on them, or do you keep a rough tally of your jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.charlie24d ago

I hit 300 builds last month and it only clicked when I ran out of space in my paper logbook. Had to start a new one. The first 50 were rough, I trashed more than a few nipples from overtightening. Now I can lace a 36 hole 3 cross in my sleep.

noah91723d ago

Ran out of space in my paper logbook" is wild to me. I get the sentiment but 300 builds before it clicked? That sounds like you were forcing it. I've been building wheels for 15 years and I don't keep a logbook at all. Just do it, feel it, done. The numbers don't matter if the wheel holds true. I trashed maybe two nipples my first year because I was actually paying attention, not rushing to hit a count.